Colgate University’s Frank Dining Hall has campus-renown chicken. A staple for gym-goers and anyone who won’t eat seasoning, the dry, brittle, flavorless chicken is reliable and omnipresent. As my gift to you, Raiders, here is a guide for 13 ways to eat Frank’s Grilled Chicken with a bit of pizzaz.
Pasta Sauce
One of my favorite and most underrated stations in Frank is the pasta station. Inconspicuously sandwiched between SONO and the Pizza station, some of the best sauces and creative pasta shapes are offered. To bring some spice and comfort to your plate, four pasta sauces pair quite nicely with the F.G.C.
1. Alfredo Sauce
The cheesy, roux-based topping adds a warm and hearty flavor to the dull protein.
2. Puttanesca sauce
Mellow tomato sauce, tang from the olives and capers, and fresh garlic are the hallmark flavors of this combo, elevating a once-monotonous flavor profile to a party on the plate.
3. Pesto Chicken
When creamy bright greens meet chicken, it allows for a dose of vitamins without tasting too healthy.
4. Over Buttered Noodles
I know some of you are pickier eaters, so including poultry over the staple buttered noodles (with or without the parmesan cheese) incorporates safe textures and tastes while prioritizing energy.
Seasoning
Sauces come pre-seasoned, but if you’re afraid of the spice rack, fear no longer. All the little shakers and labels can be confusing, especially if you don’t know what they taste or smell like. Here are some of my favorite ways to add joy to grilled chicken.
1. Lemon Pepper and Salt (Chili Flakes Optional)
Lemon pepper is a mild powder that has a little bit of acidity from the dried lemon flakes and, when mixed with black pepper, has a depth that creates dimension in the chicken flavor. To add more layers, chili flakes to taste spice up the chicken.
2. Avocado, Salt, Paprika, and Rice
Avocado and Rice are a staple in my Mexican household, and adding chicken takes it from a snack to a meal. Shredding the chicken into smashed avocado over rice combines a lot of one-note options. Still, the salt and not spicy but slightly smoky paprika (made from dried bell peppers) bring them cohesively together.
3. Mango Salsa, Salt (Frank’s Red Hot Sauce optional), and Rice
Salsa doesn’t only have to go on tortilla chips. Every once in a while, the dining hall gets a little fancy with its salsas and rolls out a mildly acidic and sweet mango salsa that goes beautifully on the chicken. Balancing out the sweetness with salt and hot sauce returns juiciness and zest to the shriveled chicken.
Bread
Like chicken, bread is both a vehicle for flavor and a stand-alone option. The following tips take bread in the many forms it appears across Frank stations (including croutons in soups or salads) and pairs it with grilled chicken.
1. On pizza
In most pizza joints across the United States, you can find chicken on pizza. Buffalo chicken, BBQ chicken, garlic chicken, and the list goes on. Taking a fresh slice of pizza and pressing bits of grilled chicken into the cheese seems like a lot of work, but trust me, it’s worth it. Adding hot or BBQ sauce can emulate your favorite restaurant from home with mildly convincing results.
2. Chicken Sandwich
Frank dining hall often makes chicken sandwiches with spicy or breaded chicken, but if tonight’s not that night and you’re craving a chicken sandwich, here’s how to satisfy that hunger. Grab an English Muffin or plain bagel and toast it. Mix mayo, frank’s red hot sauce, and bbq sauce in one of the small bowls next to the yogurt station. Spread it over your toasted bread with a spoon or knife, lay a piece of chicken across it, and garnish with two tomatoes and a lettuce leaf. You can thank me later.
Salad
1. Caesar Salad
I know this one isn’t exactly bread, but what is a caesar salad without croutons? The crunch from iceberg lettuce, creamy dressing, well-seasoned croutons, and hearty protein takes this salad from a side to an entrée.
2. Summer Salad
Slice up a sour green apple over some iceberg lettuce, sprinkle some tart feta cheese, chicken, and walnuts for crunch, and enjoy with the sweet premade balsamic vinaigrette for a fresh variety of summer flavors, even if there’s snow on the ground.
Soup
1. Shredded into French Onion Soup
French Onion Soup takes full advantage of the seasoned croutons at the salad station and adds some shredded white cheddar or mozzarella cheese to melt into it. If you shred the chicken thinly with two forks to about the same size as the onion slices in the soup, you can pick up the perfect bite of onion, chicken, crouton, and soft cheese for an explosion of flavor.
2. Grain Bowl
Couscous, green olives, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, spinach, pieces of chicken, and a splash of red wine vinegar make a healthy and savory bowl. Add a small amount of red wine vinegar and a bit of olive juice to saturate the couscous, but not too much to make it soggy and soak into the chicken.
These recipes came from a lot of trial and error and the consumption of a lot of chicken. I hope this not only inspired you to look at chicken as a building block but maybe try out some other ways of playing with your food. Good luck, Colgate!