Roswell, New Mexico is a small desert town in the middle of nowhere that became world famous because of one incident that may not have happened. This past Independence Day was the 50th anniversary of the debated crash of a UFO. Amid the parades, costume contests, scientific-like presentations, and items for sale (which included everything from abduction insurance to a dead “alien” in a mason jar), there was a banquet.

Held in Hangar 84, the site where crash debris and off-world bodies were purportedly taken in 1947, the dinner’s featured speaker was Whitley Streiber, author of the book Communion. He was not abducted during the banquet, which was catered by local restaurateur Mario Reid. Mario maintained the general other-worldly spirit of the event with dishes such as “MOO F. O.” (Beef roulades), “Cover-Up Pork,” and “Flan Saucer Dessert.”

I was able to extract the recipe for “Crash Site Chicken” from Mario, which consisted of skinless, boneless chicken breasts in puff pastry with mozzarella and a green chile and pecan concass. The original recipe served 500, so I’ve cut it down a bit.

Ingredients

• 8 chicken breasts, skinned and deboned
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped New Mexican green chile
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon dry vermouth
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 16 pieces puff pastry dough
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 2 egg whites

Instructions

Place the chicken breasts on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes at 300°F. Remove and reserve.

To make the concass: in a skillet, combine the tomato, chile, garlic, and vermouth and sauté over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes.

In a dry skillet, toast the pecans, taking care not to burn them. Add the pecans to the concassé during the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir well, and remove from the heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place each chicken breast on a piece of puff pastry dough. Cover each breast with 2 teaspoons of concass and a sprinkling of cheese. Place the other piece of puff pastry dough over the top of the breast and crimp the edges of the two pieces of dough together to seal. Using a brush, paint the puff pastry with the egg whites.

Bake on cookie sheets in a 350°F oven until golden brown.

This recipe was developed by chef Ed Arace of Panama Red’s Beach Bar and Seafood Grille in Nashville, Tennessee, who comments: “I couldn’t cook without peppers or hot sauce–even in my delicate dishes a little dash of sauce or a small amount of peppers will enhance it without overpowering it.” This poultry dish, however, is not delicate but rather robust.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup diced onion

• 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper

• 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

• 1/4 cup diced celery

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms

• 1 Tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

• 2 Scotch bonnet (habanero) chiles, stems removed, seeded, and finely minced

• 1 cup olive oil

• 1 fresh cayenne chile (or other hot variety), stem removed, seeded, and finely minced

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1 and 1/2 pounds boned and skinned chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares

• Flour for dredging

• 1 cup chicken stock

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• Juice of 1 lime

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

• 2 teaspoons cooking sherry

• 3 cups cooked wild or white rice

• 1/4 cup sliced green onions for garnish

Instructions

Sauté the onion, bell peppers, celery, garlic, mushrooms, ginger, and Scotch bonnet in a large skillet in 1/4 cup of the oil for about 3 minutes. Add the cayenne and the soy sauce and cook for 2 minutes more.

Roll the chicken pieces in flour and, in another skillet, fry them in the remaining oil until brown, about 5 minutes. Drain the pieces on paper towels and keep warm.

To the sauted vegetables, add the chicken stock, sugar, and lime juice and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch to the sherry, mix well, and add it to the vegetables, continuing to cook over medium heat. Add the chicken and stir constantly until thickened.

Divide the rice equally among 4 plates, serve the chicken around it, and garnish with the green onions.

This cold chicken salad is not really strange–just delicious! It gets its name from the sauce which is salty, sweet, sour and hot, all in one dish. In the Chinese province of Hunan where the summers are hot, a cool yet pungent entree is always welcome. This is a great way to recycle left-over chicken. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce

• 1 ½ tablespoon peanut oil

• 1 tablespoon sesame paste (available in Asian markets) or smooth peanut butter

• 1 tablespoon Chinese red chile oil (available in Asian markets)

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 2 teaspoons ground Sichuan peppercorns

• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

• 1 teaspoon minced ginger

• ½ teaspoon crushed red chile flakes

For the Salad:

• 8 ounces cooked chicken, chopped

• 2 green onions, chopped including some of the greens

• 1 cucumber, ½ cubed and ½ sliced

• Shredded lettuce

• Garnish: 1/4 cup roasted peanuts

• Crushed red chile flakes

• Chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dressing and mix well. Allow the dressing to sit for a couple of hours to blend the flavors.

Toss the chicken, green onions, and cubed cucumber in the dressing. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

To serve: Make a bed of the lettuce on individual serving plates. Arrange the sliced cucumbers on the lettuce, top with the chicken salad and garnish with the peanuts, chile flakes, and cilantro.