Chicken

You won't want to miss a bit of the wonderfully aromatic sauce, so serve either the Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes or plenty of French bread to catch every drop. Round out the menu with buttered carrots, a spinach and toasted walnut salad with walnut oil vinaigrette, and mocha layer cake for dessert.

Offer white rice alongside this simple, reduced-fat version of one of Rupa's childhood favorites.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. To go with the chicken, toss some greens with lemon vinaigrette, mix fresh chopped parsley into rice pilaf and cut a crusty load of bread into thick slices. Cantaloupe doused with sweet Marsala is a great finish.

In many instances, boneless skinless chicken breasts are sold with "tenders" (the small fillet strip containing the white tendon on the underside of each breast half) still attached. If that is the case, simply put each chicken breast—skinned side down—on a work surface, pull off the tenders, and reserve them for other use.

This was inspired by the Chicken Marbella recipe in The Silver Palate Cookbook. Partner it with couscous and carrots tossed with fresh mint. Afterward, spoon chopped chestnuts in vanilla syrup (a combination sold in jars) over vanilla frozen yogurt.

Some markets sell peeled fresh garlic cloves, which save time. You can use the leftover garlic oil from this recipe for sautéing greens or tossing with pasta.

Garlic mashed potatoes and green beans sprinkled with toasted almonds are perfect with this dish.

A one-pot Moroccan meal from Lotfi's in New York. Serve the stew with couscous or flat bread.

"Dinner at J. Alexander’s in nearby Troy is a treat my family enjoys regularly, and there’s one thing we always order: the chicken soup. says Katie Randlett of Wixom, Michigan."Although it sounds ordinary, this version definitely isn’t — it has a rich, creamy texture, and it’s full of goodies like pasta, sugar snap peas and carrots." Sugar snap peas add crunch to this comforting soup. The restaurant uses penne pasta, but macaroni would also work well.

Packed with chicken and vegetables, this savory cobbler is a down-home main course. Uncork a chilled Sauvignon Blanc.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Remove the skin from the game hens before roasting them to make this delicious main course lower in fat. Uncork a bottle of Chardonnay, and offer steamed yellow and green zucchini alongside.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.