Chicken, Chess Pie, Pad Thai

DEAR SOS: Although my husband is not a big fan of chicken, he loves the chicken at Chadney’s in Burbank. I am trying to introduce more chicken and less meat to our diet because I think it is healthy to do so. Can you help?

--KATHY

DEAR KATHY: It’s an unusual treatment for chicken, served like curry, topped with vegetables, coconut, raisins and almonds.

CHICKEN A LA CHADNEY’S

4 whole chicken breasts

2 cups red wine

3 cups lemon juice

2 onions, chopped

4 cucumbers, chopped

1 bunch parsley, leaves only, chopped

1 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Hot cooked rice

Shredded coconut

Raisins

Toasted almonds

Marinate chicken in red wine and 2 cups lemon juice at least 2 hours or overnight.

Mix onions, cucumbers and parsley leaves with remaining 1 cup lemon juice, olive oil and cinnamon.

Broil chicken, then cube. Place over bed of hot cooked rice. Ladle marinated vegetables over chicken and sprinkle with coconut, raisins and almonds. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving, without garnishes, has:

392 calories; 50 mg sodium; 44 mg cholesterol; 34 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 15 grams protein; 1.11 grams fiber.

DEAR SOS: We’re trying to locate a recipe for chess pie. Can you help?

--REBECCA

DEAR REBECCA: Robert Sherr, an aficionado of chess pie, had shared his recipe with our magazine food editor back in 1980. See if you like it.

ROBERT SHERR’S CHESS PIE

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon white cornmeal

1 tablespoon vinegar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 (8-inch) unbaked pie shell

Beat eggs lightly in bowl. Stir in sugar, cornmeal and vinegar. Beat in melted butter and vanilla. Pour into pie shell and bake at 400 degrees 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake 45 to 55 minutes until golden and knife comes out clean when inserted near center. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

549 calories; 287 mg sodium; 148 mg cholesterol; 29 grams fat; 68 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.08 gram fiber.

DEAR SOS: My local Thai restaurant has closed and I miss the pad Thai noodles they served. I would like to make them at home.

--ROBERT

DEAR ROBERT: This recipe is from the House of Chan Dara in Hollywood. You can find the fish sauce, tamarind and noodles at any Asian food market.

CHAN DARA PAD THAI

5 ounces rice noodles

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup tamarind liquid

3 tablespoons vinegar

1/2 teaspoon chopped hot green chile

Oil

2 ounces lean pork, thinly sliced into 2x1-inch pieces

2 to 3 medium or large shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 1/2 teaspoons dried shrimp

1 tablespoon diced baked soybean cake

1 egg

2 teaspoons crushed peanuts

Bean sprouts

1 green onion, finely sliced

Soak noodles in water to cover. Combine fish sauce, sugar, tamarind liquid, vinegar and chiles in bowl. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in medium skillet. Add pork, shrimp, dried shrimp, soybean cake and fish sauce mixture and cook over high heat until pork is browned and well cooked.

Thoroughly drain noodles and add to skillet. Stir just enough to dry slightly. Push noodle mixture to one side of skillet. Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and heat. Add egg and scramble until firm. Top egg mixture with noodles, 1 teaspoon crushed peanuts and 1 cup bean sprouts. Serve topped with additional bean sprouts, green onion and remaining teaspoon peanuts. Makes 2 servings.

Note : To make tamarind liquid, soak tamarind in hot water, squeezing to extract color and flavor. Strain.

Each serving contains about:

601 calories; 761 mg sodium; 147 mg cholesterol; 25 grams fat; 83 grams carbohydrates; 15 grams protein; 0.83 gram fiber.

Only recipes of general interest will be printed. Send recipe request to Culinary SOS, Food Section, The Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053. Include restaurant address when requesting recipes from restaurants. We are unable to answer recipe requests by mail.