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.
March 7
Basil chicken stir-fry
I ate senior test kitchen editor Shilpa Uskokovic’s basil chicken stir-fry—a stunning addition to the Bon Appétit 56—countless times as she made it in the test kitchen. Then I eagerly went home and cooked it myself. I never imagined I could like the texture of ground chicken, but Shilpa’s cooking method (adding a little baking soda) shape-shifts the meat so that it’s delightfully springy, not the mealy texture I’m used to. With hardworking ingredients like fish sauce, hot chili paste, and basil, it’s tempting to eat the whole thing straight out of the pan with a spoon. Then I remembered the frozen block of noodles sitting in my freezer, plunged them into boiling water, and tossed them into the saucy chicken. —Jesse Szewczyk, senior test kitchen editor
Crispy skirt dumplings
If you are ambitious, you can make this recipe for lamb and zucchini dumplings in its entirety. I’ve made them before, dumpling wrappers and all, and it’s a fun project. But the real reason I keep it bookmarked is for the crispy skirt. Once the dumplings go into the pan, you pour in a flour slurry mixed with a splash of vinegar. The solution steams the potstickers before reducing to a thin, cracker-like layer that adheres to the wrappers in one big saucer you then crack apart. The vinegar lends a salt-and-vinegar-chip vibe that’s undeniably moreish. And it works with frozen dumplings too. I toss them into the pan straight out of the freezer. They take a little extra time to cook, but anyone I serve them to is no less impressed. —Joe Sevier, senior editor, SEO and cooking
Italian wedding soup with 100 meatballs
I have been wanting a soothing wedding soup to turn to, so last week I riffed on this low-commitment one from Claire Saffitz, and this hearty one with noodles from the food blog Sweet Savory and Steph. I used ground lamb to make the mini meatballs, and ended up double-batching the recipe. That meant rolling out about 100 balls. This may seem like a lot, but I found the process to be meditative. The finished product has a medley of textures: al dente veggies, bouncy noodles, and tender meatballs. —Urmila Ramakrishnan, associate director of social media
Forgiving chickpea salad
I love a recipe with a forgiving ingredient list and Eric Kim’s Chickpea Salad With Gim is just that. I riffed on the specifics based on what I had around: a can of chickpeas with a packet of gim, and instead of red onion, a mix of shallot and scallion. From there, you can eyeball the dressing: a creamy, umami meld of mayo, sesame oil, rice vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar. It was equal parts quick and delightful, plus vegetarian with a welcome salty-brininess. I opted for a heap of rice and some butter-sizzled kimchi as accompaniments, but it would also be great with crackers or lettuce cups. —Emma Laperruque, associate director of cooking
Party salmon
I spent last weekend in Ojai, California, for a bachelorette party/wedding celebration for one of my best friends. My job, as determined by the bride, was “food.” This meant assembling a huge platter of Turkish eggs and salads one morning, splattering pancake batter all over myself the next, and, finally, slow-roasting a side of salmon for our Oscar’s watch party dinner. I used Alison Roman’s recipe on the site, which features thinly sliced fennel, citrus picked ripe from the yard (a dream), and lots of dill. Even in a questionably appointed Airbnb kitchen, it was easy to make and a huge hit. —Kendra Vaculin, test kitchen editor
