Poultry

Don't worry.you won't need to buy any crabs to make these mind-altering wings. The crab flavor comes from a jarred condiment that's pretty easy to find at Asian markets; if not, use the shrimp version.

Watson, who's from Louisiana, grew up on his mom's dirty rice; that dish helped inspire this bastardized fried version. The chicken-liver base tastes very concentrated and intense on its own, but becomes nicely balanced in the finished dish.

Make sure you keep your grill at a steady medium-level heat; if it's too hot, the chicken will char without cooking through.

Because of the brothy marinade, the skin won't get as crisp as with other roast chickens, but the flesh will be so tender, you'll want to eat it with your hands.

Dark-meat chicken is the best for grilling: Unlike lean breasts, thighs have plenty of fat, so they won't dry out.

Cherries form an addictive sauce for duck breast when stewed with tomato paste, cumin, red wine, shallot, and a host of other aromatics.

An overnight soak in buttermilk and a few key spices makes for the most flavorful, tender fried chicken.

These skewered meatballs are a quintessential Japanese bar food, a great drinking snack that can be turned into a larger meal with rice. Flavored with plenty of garlic and ginger and brushed with a sweet-and-savory soy glaze, these meatballs are a great defense of ground chicken, which can be bland if not seasoned well.

Lyon, France, is filled with bouchons - old-fashioned bistros - where everything is seasonal and driven by the classics. I learned this classic at my very first job, at the legendary restaurant Nandron.

No doubt about it, six tablespoons of cayenne is a lot, but that's what Hattie B's considers "medium." For a milder heat, decrease to two tablespoons.

We'd serve this dressed-down chicken salad for brunch, pack it for lunch, or make it as a light dinner on a hot summer night.

The Indian-spiced yogurt raita does double-duty, flavoring the chicken and serving as a dipping sauce.

The key to crispy nachos is to limit the number of ingredients that go into the oven with the chips. These start with three essential ingredients: a dollop of homemade pinto bean dip, sliced jalapeños, and plenty of grated cheddar.

Savory, slow-cooked turkey and crispy skin are enhanced by a smoky pasilla purée and a sweet and tangy peach salsa in these Southern-inspired tacos.

Tanis insists on making broth for this restorative and iconic soup (pho ga) from scratch and warns against overcooking the noodles: "They should be pretty firm and snappy, not flabby."

The difference between this papaya salad and a Thai-style one comes down to spice and sugar, says Tanis. The Vietnamese one is sweeter and less hot. Have all the ingredients assembled, but dress the salad just before serving.

Chicken thighs are appealingly fatty, but this can sometimes cause flareups when grilling. Bank the coals before igniting so that you have a cooler side, and move the chicken there if needed.

A little bit of sweetness makes these especially appealing to pint-size palates.