Club + Resort Chef

  • Home
  • Chefs
  • F&B
  • Banquet
  • Auto-Fire
  • Podcast
  • Master Class
  • C+R Talks Live!
  • Recipes
  • Chef to Chef Conference
  • Resources
    • C+RC Association
    • Top Ranked Culinary Experience
    • Digital Issues
    • News
    • Webinars
    • Videos
    • Virtual Cooking Competition
    • Sponsored Content
    • FAQs
    • Advertise

Playing Up Poultry

By Joanna DeChellis, Editor, Club + Resort Chef | July 6, 2015

Grilled Chicken with Cranberry-Chipotle Cheddar Cheese and Red Pepper Coulis

Grilled Chicken with Cranberry-Chipotle Cheddar Cheese and Red Pepper Coulis

Club chefs are highlighting chicken in creative, cost-effective and delicious ways.

As prices on beef, veal and pork continue to rise by as much as 8.5%, poultry remains the most cost-effective protein. And when used in smart and practical ways, it can help to balance food costs, improve member satisfaction and expand menu variety.

At Cress Creek Country Club, Naperville, Ill., Executive Chef Don Zajac is highly skilled at featuring chicken so that it’s not only cost-effective for the club, but also downright delicious for members.

“We dress up our chicken sandwich with our own mostarda, wild arugula, and tomato focaccia,” he says. “We’ll utilize the whole chicken by making a forcemeat from the leg and thigh, or by frenching a single-lobe airline chicken breast for a more upscale look, then utilizing the bones to make a stock.”

Cress Creek strives to makes the most out of random-sized chicken breasts in recipes where size and uniformity aren’t as important, such as in salads.

“With creativity and proper utilization, chicken can be both attractive and affordable,” Zajac says.

The new restaurant at Muskegon (Mich.) Country Club, dubbed “Four Se4ons,” is fast becoming a menu playground for Executive Chef Sean Marr. And chicken is a major player in his game.

“Obviously, we’ll focus on seasonality,” says Marr, who came to the club a little more than two months ago, after having served as Executive Chef of Spring Lake (Mich.) Country Club for nearly three and a half years. “But it will also have a gastropub feel, with a farm-fresh, local spin.”

Four Se4sons is open to the public, while the club’s member grill remains private. It’s located on the clubhouse’s second floor and features sweeping course views from three of its sides. “You can enjoy all four seasons from the new space,” says Marr.

One of the club’s upcoming seasonal specials will feature a chicken breast that’s been roasted on cedar paper and then glazed with a kumquat teriyaki sauce. It’s served with roasted fingerlings and asparagus on the cedar paper, which acts as an aromatic.

“We also do a confit airline breast that we serve with a sauté of pork belly, Brussels sprouts and urban mushrooms,” says Marr. “We finish that with a white-wine butter sauce.”

To ensure a good crunch on the skin, Marr salts it and lets it dry out in the cooler overnight. He then rinses it and roasts it to get it crispy, and confits it in duck fat with mirepoix and thyme.

“I like to cook simply, but deliciously,” says Marr. “I try to pay close attention to the ingredients and let them speak for themselves.”

One such example is his barbecued chicken wing, which he dresses with a Michigan cherry barbecue sauce.

“We roast the wings and fry them to order,” says Marr, who enters a number of barbecue competitions annually. “I usually create a couple of different barbecue sauces every year, but this one stuck with both myself and the membership.”

The sauce starts with a tomato and coffee base. Onions and seasonings are then added before the dried cherries, which plump up as they rehydrate. The sauce, Marr says, goes really well with wings as well as legs, thighs and breasts.

“Chicken has a relatively neutral flavor profile that marries well with the other elements on the plate,” says Marr, who notes that the club always offers chicken as an upsell for salads and as a healthful option for kids. “It’s a workhorse protein.”

Seasonal applications like a grilled chicken breast with a fresh cherry tomato-and-leek relish are a lighter option for both a la carte and events like Mother’s or Father’s Day. But classic chicken dishes with big flavors remain popular on the banquet side.

“You’ll never get away from chicken marsala or chicken picatta,” says Marr, who relies on marinade and a la minute cooking to help maintain moisture. “Our gorgonzola chicken, served with a balsamic onion marmalade, is also really popular for banquets.

“We try to be as creative as possible with chicken,” he continues. “And we must be doing something right, because our members continue to choose these dishes and tell us they love them, because they’re unique, delicious and affordable.”

About The Author

Joanna DeChellis, Editor, Club + Resort Chef

As Director of Content of Club + Resort Chef, Joanna DeChellis has written dozens of profiles detailing the inner workings of food and beverages operations at clubs and resorts across the country. She’s penned award-winning articles about the many intricacies within food and beverage as well as culinary trends and breaking news. She is co-host of the award-winning podcast, Club + Resort Talks, and has served in a variety of content-development roles over the course of her career, including digital, marketing, print, and in-person events. She’s also the Director of Community for the Club + Resort Chef Association. Prior to these roles, she was the Managing Editor of Club + Resort Business.

Related Articles Read More >

BBQ: Playing With Fire
Al Fresco Dining Is Here to Stay
Corks and Forks
Club Chefs are Making Waves With Wagyu
Top Ranked Private Club and Resorts for Culinary Experiences

Club + Resort Chef Association

Join hundreds of your peers!

C+RC Association Join the Club and Resort Chef Association to network with professionals in your area, meet local vendors, gain access to educational programs and materials and more!

C+RC Newsletter

Club + Resort Chef Digital Editions

Club & Resort BusinessBrowse the current issue and archived issues of Club + Resort Chef in an easy-to-use, high-quality format. Bookmark, share and interact with the leading club and resort chef magazine today.

Get the Magazine!

Club + Resort Chef
Club + Resort Chef
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Recipes
  • Submit a Recipe
  • Club & Resort Chef Association
  • Club & Resort Business

Copyright © 2022 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Club + Resort Chef

  • Home
  • Chefs
  • F&B
  • Banquet
  • Auto-Fire
  • Podcast
  • Master Class
  • C+R Talks Live!
  • Recipes
  • Chef to Chef Conference
  • Resources
    • C+RC Association
    • Top Ranked Culinary Experience
    • Digital Issues
    • News
    • Webinars
    • Videos
    • Virtual Cooking Competition
    • Sponsored Content
    • FAQs
    • Advertise