Chicken With Clams Recipes

CHICKEN WITH CLAMS

Steps:

• Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep skillet or broad pot that can later be covered. When the oil is hot, season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, and add them to the oil. Regulate the heat so that the meat browns evenly, turning as needed. (Drumsticks have 4 sides, really; thighs only 2, so timing is variable.) When the chicken is well browned, it will be almost done.
• Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute, just until they soften a bit. Add the clams and sprinkle them with the scallion whites and the cilantro stems. Cover and cook until all the clams open, about 10 minutes; they will generate a good deal of liquid.
• Remove the top and cook that liquid down as desired. (Perhaps not at all, perhaps until syrupy - your call.) Serve over rice, or with crispy potatoes or bread, sprinkled with the scallion greens and cilantro leaves.

PAELLA WITH CHORIZO, SHRIMP, CLAMS AND CHICKEN WITH GARLIC AIOLI

Steps:

• For the paella: Add the chicken stock, saffron threads and shrimp shells to a medium saucepan and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, coat the paella pans generously with olive oil. Add the chorizo, dividing it between the two pans. Set the pans over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the chorizo is crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken to the pans and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is beginning to brown, but isn't cooked all the way through.
• Add the garlic, celery, onions, peppers and tomato to a food processor and pulse until chopped into a coarse paste. Add to the paella pans and cook until all of the liquid has evaporated and the veggies are soft and slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the peas and cook 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add about 1/2 cup of the stock to each pan and stir, making sure to scrape up the fond from the bottom of the pans. Season to taste with salt. Add about another cup of the stock to each pan, then bring the liquid to a boil.
• Add the rice and stir until thoroughly combined. Nestle the clams into the rice and cook for 5 minutes. Nestle the shrimp into the rice and simmer until the shrimp are pink and cooked through and the clams have fully opened, 5 minutes.
• For the aioli: Meanwhile, add the vinegar, garlic and egg yolks to a food processor and process until combined. With the machine running, slowly add the oil to emulsify the mixture. Season to taste with salt.
• For serving: Garnish with the chives and a drizzle of aioli.

CHICKEN WITH CLAMS

Steps:

• Put the oil in a deep skillet or flameproof casserole, preferably nonstick, with a lid. Place over medium-high heat and wait a minute or so, until the oil is hot. Add the chicken, skin side down, and brown it well, rotating and turning the pieces as necessary and sprinkling them with salt and pepper as they cook, 10 to 15 minutes. As the pieces brown, transfer them to a platter.
• Still over medium-high heat, add the onions to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until they brown nicely, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for another minute or so. Add the stock and the chicken.
• Cover and adjust the heat so the mixture simmers; cook for about 10 minutes. Add the clams and raise the heat to high; cook just until the clams open (if one or two are stubborn, don't worry about it; you can open them with a knife at the table), 5 to 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then garnish with the parsley and serve.

PORTUGUESE CHICKEN WITH CHORIZO AND CLAMS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to broil and place the red peppers, skin-side up on a baking sheet for approximately 10 minutes or until all the skin is blackened.
• Remove the red peppers from the oven and place them in an airtight container or bowl covered in plastic wrap to sweat and cool for 5 minutes. Cook's Note: The skin will then be easy to peel off.
• Reduce the heat of the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, place the chicken in a bowl and add the smoked paprika, paprika, chorizo, salt, pepper and mix well.
• In a pan, heat the canola oil on high heat. Add the chicken and fry until crispy on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chorizo and do the same for another 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and onions and stir. Slice the skinless, roasted red peppers into long strips and add to the pan, along with all the juices. Place the smashed garlic on top of the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Put the pan in the oven for approximately 25 minutes, or until the chicken is fork tender. Remove from oven. Add the clams and kale. Cook for another 10 minutes.
• Remove and plate, garnishing with fresh parsley, chives, a drizzle of olive oil and some crusty (Portuguese) bread on the side.
• Cook's Note: Chorizo can be replaced by bacon cut in pieces. Kale can be replaced by baby spinach.

CHEF JOHN'S MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Drain baby and chopped clams. Reserve liquid in the refrigerator until needed and set clams aside.
• Place bacon in a soup pot over medium-high heat; cook and stir until well-browned and almost crispy, 7 to 10 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt; cook and stir until onions start to soften and turn translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add tomato paste; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Don't worry if some of the tomato paste sticks to the bottom of the pot; we want that to happen. Sprinkle in flour; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Dump in reserved clam juice plus bottled clam juice and chicken broth. Stir with a spatula, scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze any caramelization.
• Add carrots, celery, clams, diced tomatoes, pepper, and cayenne; stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, skimming off some bacon fat if desired.
• Add diced potatoes and cook until tender but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. Taste and adjust for salt, if needed. Stir in fresh tarragon and parsley just before serving.