Chickens

Tonight's dinner suggestion is a reader request from our Culinary SOS column. Melinda writes: "The Moroccan chicken soup at Cayenne Restaurant on Beverly Boulevard is absolutely delicious and unlike any other chicken soup I've ever had. It is so good that I find it takes great effort for me to order anything else from the menu. Can you get the recipe?" Cayenne was happy to share its recipe for this rich, yet delicately spiced and easy-to-make soup; the recipe comes together in less than an hour.

Meghan and Carter are getting married. Like so many friends of my daughter, they are bright, funny and, sometimes, almost preternaturally serious. A couple of weeks ago, they asked my wife if we would talk to them about how to stay married - and about how to cook. The first, I'll leave to Kathy; after almost 34 years, it's still a mystery to me. But the cooking part is right up my alley, and, even better, I figured it would give me a chance to try out some of the ideas I've been on a soapbox about for the last couple of years.

Sometimes you can't get any simpler than a salad for dinner. Take some greens, add a little of this or that, and get creative. You can pick up a few ingredients, like a roast or rotisserie chicken, from the store, or find ways to use the leftovers in the fridge. For a quick dinner salad that's saved me on many a weeknight, check out this recipe for mixed greens with chicken, goat cheese and pecans below. For more quick-fix dinner ideas, check out our video recipe gallery here . Parsons and Test Kitchen manager Noelle Carter show you how to fix a dozen dishes in an hour or less.

BEIJING -- Fast-food giant KFC's parent company, Yum Brands Inc., has apologized to Chinese consumers in connection with a tainted-chicken scare that has hurt sales in the company's leading market. Yum blamed a breakdown in its supply chain and said it didn't notify regulators fast enough about high levels of antiviral drugs and hormones used to speed-up growth in some of its poultry. "We regret our failures, and on behalf of Yum China, I apologize sincerely to everyone," Sam Su, Yum China's chief executive said in a statement posted on the company's official micro-blog Thursday.

A grill man turned chief executive at McDonald's, Fred L. Turner oversaw an aggressive expansion of the company beginning in the 1970s that turned it into a corporate giant. When he began reshaping the restaurants in 1968, he left a visible legacy by removing the signature golden arches from the building's architecture and placing them on signs out front. What McDonald's founder Ray Kroc called Turner's gift for "planning and vision" is reflected in a restaurant menu that includes the Quarter-Pounder, which he co-developed with a California franchise owner in 1971.

It's the new year, and people are busily struggling to keep their new year's resolutions to eat better. We're in full support of a healthful diet, but why not have one last, little hurrah? During Monday morning's #Weekendeats chat on Twitter, some participants embraced a more healthful new year, while others couldn't help indulging... just a little. Here are some of the highlights: Carol Sacks, from the blog In Medias Recipe, balanced her butterscotch glazed cinnamon rolls with a kale, cabbage and carrot salad , while Jo from the blog My Last Bite shared a ridiculous photo of the pig tail from the Spice Table, with the words "crispy, fatty, porky" in the caption.

Certain McDonald's foods have a cult-like following. Some wait all year for the burger chain's seasonal McRib sandwich or Shamrock shake, and people are nuts about Chicken McNuggets, but is there room for another Golden Arches' addiction? McDonald's is in the process of adding Mighty Wings, its version of chicken wings, to the menu. After proving successful in Atlanta, the chain decided to continue testing the wings in Chicago this week, according to an  Associated Press report on ABC.com . The wings could be sold in orders of three, five or 10 pieces, with prices starting around $3, the Christian Science Monitor reported .  No word on whether McDonald's plans to offer the wings as a special, limited-time item or regular feature on the menu.

Larry L. King, a writer and playwright whose magazine article about a campaign to close down a popular bordello became the hit Broadway musical "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and a 1982 movie starring Burt Reynolds, died Thursday. He was 83. King, who had emphysema, died at a retirement home in Washington, D.C., where he had lived for six months, said his wife, Barbara Blaine. He wrote his most famous piece, about the demise of the Chicken Ranch brothel in Texas, in 1974 for Playboy magazine.

Heard of cola chicken? China has. It's a popular dish in the huge nation, where Pepsi soda and Lay's potato chips have introduced Pepsi-chicken chips. That's right -- chips made to taste like Pepsi and chicken. Together. Cola chicken is chicken wings stir-fried in a wok with a caramelized sauce of cola, soy sauce and other seasonings. In L.A., you can find the dish at dim sum palace Elite.  PepsiCo came up with the idea during a brainstorming session among its marketing and R&D teams and its Shanghai ad agency, according to AdAge.

The secret to this crisp but succulent chicken? High heat. After sauteing the chicken briefly in a large skillet, the chicken -- skillet and all -- is placed a 500-degree oven. Finish the dish with a pan sauce made from the drippings. A little red wine and red wine vinegar bring depth and a nice sharpness to the sauce. It's dinner in under an hour. For more quick-fix dinner ideas, check out our video recipe gallery here . Food Editor Russ Parsons and Test Kitchen manager Noelle Carter show you how to fix a dozen dishes in an hour or less.