Chicken Breasts

THAWING TAKES time. Often I feel like a captive of frozen crystals, waiting for some frozen hunk of protein to gradually abandon its rigid state and be ready to be tossed in the oven or on the grill. As an impatient thawer, I have employed a variety of techniques to hurry the process along. I have become a prier, forcing frozen pieces apart with a knife, to allow air to circulate and do its liberating work. Occasionally, very occasionally, I have planned around the thaw, placing a frozen chicken in the refrigerator early in the morning, so it will be safely defrosted in time for the evening meal.

Angela Ross of Baltimore was looking for the recipe for the chicken pot pie that used to be served at the Ambassador House restaurant on Lombard Street in Baltimore. The restaurant is no longer open and unfortunately I was unable to locate the exact recipe that Ross was searching for. Homemade chicken pot pie is a favorite in my house and for some years I have been using a recipe by Ina Garten that everyone always loves. I've never found a better one. It is a fair amount of work, but you can simplify things a little by using a store-bought refrigerator pie crust in place of the one made from scratch in this recipe.

Chicken is nearly always a sure bet, whether your dinner companions are kids, company or finicky eaters. We can never have enough recipes for the most convenient cut -- the low-cal boneless, skinless breast. This rendition yields a deep-flavored glazed sauce dotted with sweet raisins, crunchy almonds and fresh scallion tops.This dish is one of those that improves as it ages for a day. You may want to make it ahead for a dinner during the week or even double the batch and enjoy the savory leftovers.

Where do you go to dine out in Baltimore when you want to stick to a healthy-eating regimen? We're working on a story about the best healthy-dining entrees in the Baltimore area. We're looking for the usual suspects and the unexpected, too. So, tell us about the restaurant that knows how to make that good old grilled salmon taste like something, but if you know a chef who makes a chicken pot pie under 500 calories, tell us about that, too. Nominate your favorite healthy Baltimore restaurant dishes in the comments below or send them richard.gorelick@baltsun.com

If you, like many other people, resolved that this was the year you would try to streamline and simplify your life -- in order to enjoy the things that really matter -- this delicious, simple menu will have great appeal.The main dish takes advantage of that contemporary favorite, the boneless chicken breast, fancied up with sumptuous stuffing. The baking time may seem surprisingly short, but basically you are popping the entree at room temperature into a very hot oven (if you prepare the chicken ahead and then refrigerate it, you'll need to allow additional baking time)

These are a breeze to make - but they look and taste more complicated. They make a great do-ahead dish for company: Assemble and tie the breasts the day ahead, and cook them just before serving. Marge Perry writes for Newsday, which provided the recipe analysis. CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH GRUYERE, BACON, SUN-DRIED TOMATO AND BASIL Serves 4 1/4 cup sun-dried tomato (not packed in oil) 2 pieces center-cut bacon 4 (6-ounce) boneless chicken breasts 8 large basil leaves 2 ounces (about 1/2 cup)

ADD SOME PIZAZZ to your diet with this low-calorie recipe. The delicious coating is a tasty combination of crunchy sesame seeds mixed with sour cream. The skinless, boneless chicken breast is then topped with a sweet yet tangy apricot sauce.The recipe calls for a reduced-calorie apricot spread. Read the label to be certain you are buying a spread with no more than 16 calories per two teaspoons.The recipe is from "Weight Watchers Quick and Easy Menu Cookbook."Sesame and Apricot Chicken1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs1 tablespoon sesame seeds2 tablespoons sour cream1 teaspoon lemon juice1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce1 garlic clove, minced, dividedSalt and pepper to taste2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts2 teaspoons vegetable oil3 tablespoons reduced-calorie apricot spread (16 calories per 2 teaspoons)

A good break from the ubiquitous deboned, skinned chicken breasts are thighs. They can do about anything breasts can do, but will cook faster and have a richer flavor. This dish with chicken thighs can be cooked in one skillet and served in one bowl. When wilting the arugula, take care not to overcook. This green is tender and will lose all character if wilted as long as spinach. A little balsamic vinegar adds a lot of flavor, its sweetness complementing the chicken and the arugula. Cooking the onion just briefly allows it to keep its crunch, a nice contrast to the tender chicken.

Friends know that I love to plan menus, so they call me routinely for advice about what to serve at their dinner parties. This past week, for example, an assistant who helps me test recipes came to work with a request. She had volunteered to take care of her 8-year-old niece and 13-year-old nephew while her sister and husband took a weekend vacation. The kids, my pal explained, loved to cook but were picky eaters, so she was searching for foods they would enjoy helping her prepare, then sample on Friday and Saturday nights.

This quick entree has its roots in the Italian city of Rome where fresh tiny artichokes are a specialty. While you won't find that particular variety locally, any size artichokes make a very flavorful stuffing for that favorite -- boneless, skinless chicken breasts.Orzo pasta is a simple side dish that cooks in about 6 minutes. Enhance it with capers, chopped sun-dried tomatoes or serve it simply with just a drizzle of olive oil. Fresh steamed zucchini and carrots add color and texture to the meal.

Tailgate Buffalo Chicken Dip Makes: 6 servings 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 package of cream cheese, 8 ounces 1 jar Marie's Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing 1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. To prepare, simmer chicken breasts in water for 30 minutes until cooked and tender. Allow to cool, then shred and chop finely in a separate bowl. Spread cream cheese along the bottom of a 9-by-13 baking dish.

Nadine Taylor of Ellicott City lost one of her favorite recipes for making grilled or roasted chicken gremolata. She took the recipe card with her to the grocery store and left it in her cart by mistake. She says she has been unable to re-create the chicken dish that was so well liked by her family and friends. Carol Anne Cassady of Bel Air e-mailed me a recipe she had from Gourmet magazine for lemon pepper chicken with thyme gremolata that she has used for years. A gremolata is a classic Italian garnish most commonly made with minced parsley or thyme, lemon peel and garlic.

Late in the afternoon, a time of day when many teenagers were chilling, those in Wendy Parker Robinson's class were still in school, still sweating. Clad in chef's whites, they were chopping squash, searing chicken breasts, forming balls of goat cheese and beautifying butter. They were getting ready to feed 200 people dinner at the National Academy Foundation High School, housed on the Digital Harbor campus in Federal Hill. It was the school's first Restaurant Night, when students in its hospitality and tourism classes would serve a three-course meal to anyone quick enough to book a reservation.

Running back and forth between the grill outside and the kitchen stove can be a drag when you just want to get dinner done quickly and maybe enjoy the colors playing across the sky as the sun goes down. This dinner attempts to minimize the back and forth. You do most of the prep before you throw the corn on the grill. Then once the ears are on, return to the kitchen one more time to prep the chicken. Next, the chicken and zucchini share space on the grate with the corn - and you can enjoy a beer.

Bette Thomas of Lawrenceville, N.J., was searching for a recipe for sour cream fried chicken. After some Web research, I located a recipe on the HP Hood products Web site, hood.com. This recipe uses boneless chicken breasts, which makes it fairly fast and easy to prepare. I made the marinade in the morning and let the breasts soak all day, although the recipe says one hour is enough time. It's important to pound the breasts thin and to be sure you press the bread-crumb mixture into the chicken; otherwise, it may fall off as it fries.

Ruth Toro of Towson was looking for a recipe called "President Reagan's Favorite Chicken." She said it was published some years ago, and was easy and delicious. Undoubtedly, there are many versions of what is believed to be the late president's favorite chicken dish. We received several different ones from our readers. I liked the sound of the one sent in by Tina Smith of Wagram, N.C. It came from a collection of favorite recipes from the Army Officers' Wives Club of the Greater Washington Area.

Tailgate Buffalo Chicken Dip Makes: 6 servings 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 package of cream cheese, 8 ounces 1 jar Marie's Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing 1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. To prepare, simmer chicken breasts in water for 30 minutes until cooked and tender. Allow to cool, then shred and chop finely in a separate bowl. Spread cream cheese along the bottom of a 9-by-13 baking dish.

Tasty sauces coat fillets of chicken Item: Easy Beginnings Chicken Breasts What you get: 4 servings Cost: About $5 Preparation time: 1 minute in microwave, 10 to 12 minutes in conventional oven Review: These chicken breast fillets are not exactly the "restaurant quality" advertised on the label (unless you frequent restaurants that serve chicken breasts that have been processed to include rib meat). Easy Beginnings fillets are handy nonetheless. Fully cooked and coated with tasty sauces, they heat quickly.

In October, during a trip to Italy with friends, we took a cooking lesson with Lelia Passi, a vivacious Italian who lives in a palace overlooking Venice's Grand Canal. Our host was unpretentious and charming -- just like her food. She shepherded us into her kitchen where we helped prepare the night's dishes. The main course consisted of tender baked chicken breasts, topped with Fontina and prosciutto, all napped with a creamy porcini mushroom sauce. This entree was Passi's contribution, and she included the directions for it with our packet of recipes.

In the summer, I get lazy when it comes to making supper. I want something that doesn't require much fussing. It doesn't have to be fast, but it does have to deliver flavor, without making the cook sweat. I came up with such a dish the other day. I call it yellow chicken. You put a whole bird on a barbecue grill. You mop it with a sauce made with yellow mustard and peppers. You let nature, mostly smoke, fire and sauce, do the rest. This is not speedy fare; I let my chicken sit next to that slow fire for a little more than 3 hours.