959 tender recipes

Fork-tender beef chunks simmered in apple cider with dried apricots, raisins, and mushrooms for a sweet-savory stew with rich, fruity depth. Serve over buttered rice or parsley potatoes for a cozy, satisfying supper.

Chicken wing drumsticks soaked in a soy sauce, white wine, and five-spice marinade with garlic and ginger, baked until tender, then crisped on the grill. A family-style Chinese chicken recipe with big flavor.

Carne adovada is a New Mexican classic where pork chops soak overnight in a bold red chile sauce with garlic and oregano, then cook low and slow until fork-tender and drenched in smoky heat.

Tenderized round steak dipped in egg wash, coated in cracker crumbs, and pan-fried until golden, then braised low and slow under a tight lid. Southern-style chicken fried steak the way mama made it.

Salt-smothered chicken buried in a bed of red-hot rock salt with ginger, tangerine peel, and Szechuan peppercorn marinade sealed in the cavity. An ancient Cantonese technique that steams the bird to silken tenderness.

Rendang is the legendary Indonesian beef curry: chunks of beef slow-simmered in spiced coconut milk and tamarind until the sauce reduces almost dry and the meat turns fork-tender. Deeply fragrant and richly spiced.

Buttery spiced fig thumbprint cookies, tender brown-sugar dough rolled in a crunchy flax-sugar coating and filled with jammy fig preserves. Warm cinnamon and nutmeg make them a standout on the holiday cookie tray.

Apricot pot roast: a slow-braised beef roast finished in a glossy glaze of apricot syrup and sherry, with tender herbs and whole apricots spooned around. A sweet-and-savory twist on Sunday pot roast.

Lean beef round steak browned, deglazed with brandy, and braised low in a tangy two-mustard sauce with shallots, sun-dried tomatoes, and juniper berries. An elegant braise that turns out fork-tender and rich.

Pressure cooker pot roast with beef chuck browned and cooked in beef stock with aromatics for one hour, then finished with fresh vegetables in the flavorful broth. Fork-tender roast in a fraction of the time.

Slow-smoked pork shoulder with oak and apple wood, finished in a Dutch oven with vinegar and red pepper flakes. Real-deal pulled pork barbecue, smoked 8 to 10 hours until fall-off-the-bone tender.

Set-it-and-forget-it slow cooker French dip with tender beef roast simmered 10-12 hours in savory broth with herbs and peppercorns. Shred, pile on toasted rolls, dip in the au jus. Effortless comfort.

By using braising to cook the chicken slowly over a long time creates fall-off the bone tender meat and allows the rich flavors to mingle perfectly together. Creamy and rich flavor without all the fat.

A 9-pound beef brisket smothered in a brown sugar and tomato paste sauce, wrapped in foil, and oven-braised for 5 hours until fork-tender. Shred it and pile it on buns for a crowd.

Tender roast pork layered with roasted potatoes, red onions, sun-dried tomatoes, and crisp romaine on lavosh with aioli. This NYC-inspired rolled sandwich is a make-ahead lunch that slices beautifully for picnics and parties.

Szechuan beef stew braises chunky beef chuck for two hours in a spiced soy sauce broth with red pepper flakes, fennel, cloves, and ginger until fork-tender. A warming, deeply savory one-pot dinner for six.