Chicken

This was inspired by a classic dish at San Francisco's Zuni Cafe. Uncork a Chardonnay or Pinot Noir to accompany the menu.

Duck, turkey or dark chicken meat can substitute for the goose with equally delicious results. Fine accompaniments are a green salad with Roquefort vinaigrette and hot crusty bread. For a quick and sophisticated dessert, add a bit of red wine and ground cinnamon to canned pears with their syrup.

In New Mexico, chili verde is prepared with lots of meat — and no beans. This recipe uses chicken, and you can make it spicier by adding jalapeño chilies. Serve it with the Layered Rice Salad and the Toasted Jalapeño Corn Bread .

Adding fresh seasonings to a prepared salad dressing gives great flavor to the marinade for this easy and attractive dish.

This is a handy recipe for families where the kids have less sophisticated tastes than the adults. Without doing more work or cooking something different, you can please everyone. Because this recipe is quick but requires tending to, be sure to finish whatever side dish you're serving first. I like this with plain cracked wheat or rice, or steamed potatoes or broccoli.

In the eighties, the popularity of this homestyle dish caused take-out rotisserie chicken shops to spring up across the country.

You can buy a cooked chicken and frozen puff pastry for this dish. Both make this pot pie a very easy family meal.

This soup is from Italy.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

A green salad completes the meal. What to drink: A riserva Chianti.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr Mashed potatoes are the ideal accompaniment to this dish.

Tarragon and mustard may be a classic French combination, but this menu is all American. A domestic Chardonnay, light beer, or fresh lemonade are perfect partners.

In this dish, Elena Rovera prefers the clean, fruity flavor of Roero Arneis, a dry white wine from the Piedmont region of Italy. She typically serves the chicken with rosemary potatoes. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Use leftover roast chicken for this, or buy a cooked chicken at the market. For an extra-special treat, top each baked slice with a dollop of sour cream and sliced avocado.

Begin with cups of chicken broth simmered briefly with slivers of lemongrass and accented with a dash of chili oil. Complement the stir-fry with rice pilaf. End with sliced mango and pineapple topped with green tea ice cream and toasted coconut.

If anchovies rolled around capers aren't available, substitute a two-ounce can of anchovies plus one teaspoon of capers. serve with: Potato pancakes, chunky applesauce, and red-cabbage slaw.