Miso-Peanut Chicken and More Recipes We Made This Week

It’s no secret that Bon Appétit editors cook a lot for work. So it should come as no surprise that we cook a lot during our off hours too. Here are the recipes we’re whipping up this month to get dinner on the table, entertain our friends, satisfy a sweet tooth, use up leftovers, and everything in between. For even more staff favorites, click here.

July 24

Must-make chicken stir-fry

Another person writing about how good Shilpa Uskokovic’s Basil Chicken Stir-Fry is? Groundbreaking. But in all seriousness: I cannot stress enough how great this recipe is. It’s a staff favorite for good reason. It’s lightning fast, has a slim ingredient list, and packs a ton of flavor in a fussless, healthy-ish package. I usually serve it over rice, but have perched it atop chilled noodles and quinoa as well. I’ll continue to make it all summer as big bushels of basil are available at the market. It’s the kind of weeknight dinner that I look forward to making, even on the most hurried nights. —Jesse Szewczyk, senior Test Kitchen editor

Refreshing watermelon salad

Even before the recipe published, our staff became borderline obsessed with Jesse Szewczyk’s Watermelon Som Tam. So when I spied a honking melon at the supermarket the other day, I simply had no choice. Jesse has you combine ingredients—lime halves, brown sugar, sliced chiles—in a zip-top bag and whack them with a rolling pin, a step that made my baby laugh to no end. For full effect, I had to say “boom!” every time I hit the bag (something you could also try, or not!). After marinating in the fridge while we got the rest of dinner ready, the salad was so refreshing: citrusy, fish-saucy, a little spicy. (I couldn’t find a serrano and a jalapeño worked just fine.) We had it with grilled chicken and corn for a sunny Sunday spread. —Emma Laperruque, cooking director

PB&J oatmeal

I’m typically a savory girl when it comes to breakfast. Lately however, I’ve been craving a sweet treat to start my day, specifically a PB&J. I had run out of bread and checked the pantry to find an unopened bag of old-fashioned oats. I immediately knew I needed to make Zaynab Issa’s Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal. I opted to use PB2’s original peanut butter powder instead of my usual Skippy’s, and added some homemade strawberry jam to top it off. Nostalgic and fast as can be. —Abi Lieff, assistant to the editor in chief

Grilling meal prep

After a week of 90-something temperatures and scattered thunderstorms, we had two short days of beautiful, low-humidity, and sunny weather. Perfect for grilling. My goal on Sunday nights is always to make enough for lunch at work the next day, so I paired a big, thick New York strip with Force of Nature beef sausages (I’d call it an elevated take on a pack of hot dogs), purple sweet potatoes, and lots of veggies. The best part of a grilled meal is how little prep and seasoning you have to do: salt, pepper, and oil on it all, followed by a punchy sauce of your choice (I can confidently recommend a chimichurri) to bring it all together. —Kate Kassin, editorial operations manager

Raspberry–brown butter cake

I take our annual Farmers Market Challenge seriously, determined to make each dish at least once before Labor Day. I have so far been rewarded with a spaghetti dinner that made me wish my zucchini haul had somehow been more abundant and fried stuffed hot peppers I really did mean to share. Next on my list was senior Test Kitchen editor Shilpa Uskokovic’s Raspberry–Brown Butter Skillet Cake. It’s jam-packed with tart fruit and crumbly almond flour (which gives it a delightful blondie-like chew). The luscious brown butter doesn’t hurt either, lending a slow-cooked intensity to this quick bake. In the spirit of minimizing risk, I simply cooked all of the raspberries (instead of leaving any raw) and reserved a portion for topping. I ate it outside, spooned out of the skillet and paired with jumbo scoops of vanilla ice cream, as nature intended. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior cooking editor

July 17

Dad’s birthday cake

This year for my dad’s birthday, I opted for my coworker Jesse Szewczyk’s delightful Chocolate Olive Oil Cake. It’s fudgy and fragrant, and quick to come together. I made the cake as called for, then riffed on the frosting and assembly: I sliced the cake in half horizontally, then sandwiched the layers together with a mascarpone cream (just those two ingredients, whipped until fluffy). My dad’s annual tradition is to freeze the leftovers, then enjoy slivers for months to come. —Emma Laperruque, cooking director

Zucchini pasta

Summer squash is all over the place and that can only mean one thing: time for Jesse Szewczyk’s no-cook zucchini pasta sauce. I made this the other day at my sister’s place, where I thinly sliced four large zucchini. (If you have a mandoline, it goes much faster.) After salting, squeezing, and draining the squash, add heaps of herbs, some cream cheese (I’ve also swapped in ricotta), lemon zest and juice, and red pepper flakes. If you are a delicate flower like me, go light on the garlic (two or three cloves do it for my palette). Then, throw in the hot pasta and a splash of salty pasta water and toss, toss, toss. —Joe Sevier, senior cooking & SEO editor

A Negroni recipe to memorize

Any time it’s warmer than 90 degrees I turn into a different (lazier) person. There’s nothing in the world that can motivate me to make a fuss in the heat. That’s why, when I finish work and arrive home sweaty in all the wrong places, the most I can be bothered to mix myself is a Negroni. The 1:1:1 ratio of gin, vermouth, and Campari is branded into my brain, so I don’t have to think—just pour. I’d like to tell you that I use a special gin or some fabulous vermouth I picked up on a trip to Spain, but I would be lying, and I’d never lie to you. The truth is I use what I’ve got, and sometimes I replace half the Campari with sparkling water because I like a little fizz. —Sam Stone staff writer

Staff-favorite stir-fry

This Basil Chicken Stir-Fry is a favorite amongst staff. Alaina Chou waxed poetic about it in her weekly shop, Emma Laperruque has made it with tofu, Chris Morocco cooked it for a family of four, and I, I make it biweekly at this point. Who knew ground chicken could be so inspiring? Senior Test Kitchen editor Shilpa Uskokovic has you vigorously mix the meat with baking soda before cooking, a step that works wonders, making your chicken juicy with endless bounce. Paired with an impactful sauce—sambal oelek, brown sugar, oyster sauce, and fish sauce—and a forest of sweet basil that gently melts into the lot, it’s popular for good reason. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking

July 10

Breakfast for the week

A Sunday stroll through the farmers market led me to an unexpected splurge: juicy black currants. Then I turned the corner to find a stand selling stone-ground rye flour, a pairing I couldn’t pass up. A quick search landed me on these Blueberry Spelt Muffins, hoping that the rye flour and fresh currants would serve as respectable substitutes. I added nearly the entire pint of fruit I purchased, and the resulting muffins came out hearty and jammy. The streusel topping added a buttery crunch and helped quell the tartness of the currants. I ate them for breakfast all week. —Lillian Syme, research fellow

Birthday clam pasta

To celebrate deputy food editor Hana Asbrink’s birthday the other week, I made a big pot of linguine alle vongole. It’s briny, buttery, garlicky, and in my opinion, one of the best ways to enjoy both pasta and clams in the summer. I loosely followed BA’s Best Linguine and Clams recipe, swapping the DIY breadcrumbs for well-toasted panko. Here’s a tip when making clam (or any in-shell seafood) pasta for a group: Remove most of the clams from their shells and toss them into the pasta. By leaving just a handful in their shells, you can elegantly arrange them on top of the noodles, but no one has to get their fingers involved for a clammy bite. —Rebecca Firkser, Test Kitchen editor

BLTs minus the bread

The BLT is the best sandwich. I said it! I’ll gladly put away at least one a week when tomatoes are in season. I wanted to find a way to enjoy all the best parts of the sandwich, but without the bread, which can feel a little heavy in the dead heat of the summer. Happily, Molly Baz’s BLT Wraps with Horseradish Mayonnaise solve that problem by taking the slices right out of the equation and swapping them for toasted breadcrumbs. Perfectly shaped Little Gem lettuce leaves act as your “vessel” to cradle all the fillings. On busy nights, I might even skip the breadcrumbs. On others, I load the wraps with leftover rotisserie chicken for more protein. However you modify, don’t skip the basil. —Carly Westerfield, associate manager, audience strategy

An actually filling smoothie

My smoothie routine was in need of a shake up. I rarely deviate from a banana plus Greek yogurt combo to thicken my standard berries and greens blend and boost the protein. It works! But it’s also a bit boring and quite sweet. Who knew all I needed to do was swap in some cottage cheese? My brilliant colleague Rebecca Firkser. Her Berry Protein Smoothie is straightforward: frozen berries, cottage cheese, water, and nut butter. The drink is thick but sippable, actually filling, and boasts a hint of salt to balance the natural fruity sweetness. I’ve been playing with her framework by adding in dark leafy greens, some additional nuts and seeds, or subbing in mangoes and kiwi for the berries, all to great success. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior cooking editor

Corn furikake fried rice

My boyfriend came home with a fresh, glistening shaker bottle of furikake “with granola”. Hmm! Not our usual, but I’m not mad about it. I opened it with ferocious strength and, boom, it erupted all over our kitchen floor. After a quick intermission of vacuuming (hey, we needed a clean anyway), I went forth making senior Test Kitchen editor Shilpa Uskokovic’s Corn Furikake Fried Rice with what was left of the jar. It’s a cinch to make on a weeknight, even with a delayed start: under 10 ingredients and 30 minutes tops. The dish uses a hefty amount of corn (almost double the rice) which means each bite has sweet, milky bursts of summery flavor. And the final flourish of the unscathed granola furikake was a textural marvel. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking

July 3

A salmon lover’s dream

I’m a lover of all things salmon so when I tried my colleague Jesse Szewczyk’s newest drop with a vibrant dill chimichurri, I beamed. This will be my go-to recipe for the season. Grilling the fillets on top of lemon slices eliminates the risk of the fish sticking to the grill (and therefore losing my beloved salmon skin), plus charred citrus adds biting acidity. No dill? Parsley works. No serrano? So does jalapeño. The only nonnegotiable is the lemons…and I guess the salmon too. —Kate Kassin, editorial operations manager

Staff-fave broc salad

This broccoli salad from Beverly Kim is a longtime BA staff favorite. Of course you need broccoli. But from there, you can adjust depending on what you have around. Instead of ras-el-hanout, I used curry powder. Instead of white balsamic, sherry vinegar. Instead of honey, maple syrup. It was a dream as always. To round out the meal, I broiled some Halloumi cheese until golden and bubbly. The next day, I had the leftovers with burrata. Yes, I love cheese. —Emma Laperruque, cooking director

Homemade zucchini blossom pizza

Thanks to Olivia, my colleague from the shopping team, I recently came into a pizza oven (yeah, I know I’m blessed). I mixed up a batch of 70% hydration dough and, after watching a series of videos on how to throw pizza (these two were the most helpful), I felt ready. I reckon it’s a bit of beginner’s luck that both my pizzas came out reasonably well—recognizably pizza-shaped, with no tears or ungainly sticking. We made a white pie with zucchini blossoms and jalapeño. Next week it’ll be sausage and broccoli rabe. —Shilpa Uskokovic, senior Test Kitchen editor

The gift of steak

Instead of rolling the dice on a birthday gift, my boyfriend’s best friend did something smart: He got a stunning ribeye from the butcher. And that meant his gift was also my gift, so thank you, Stephen. As the steak whisperer, I’ve gotten my method down to a T. I loosely follow this recipe from Carla Lalli Music, covering every centimeter with salt and pepper, then searing the cut in a hissing cast iron, rotating the steak every two minutes. Once it develops a crackly crust, I’ll lower the heat slightly, add in a fat knob of butter, and a few garlic cloves. Baste, baste, baste, then rest, rest, rest. Carla says 15 minutes, but I couldn’t wait more than 10. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking

Well-reviewed grilled chicken

I rarely cook meat at home, but I could no longer resist the gravitational pull toward Sheldon Simeon’s Miso-Peanut Hibachi Chicken. A hit with readers since it published, it kept popping up during my workdays. You marinate chicken thighs in—you guessed it—a mixture of miso and peanut butter (plus soy sauce, brown sugar, and beer). Then you grill them until deeply, deliciously charred. I served mine with a juicy cucumber-onion salad (just those ingredients plus seasoned rice vinegar), steamed white rice, and some sambal oelek to spoon on top with abandon. —E.L.