Brigitte Nguyen of Lexington, Ky., won the top prize of $50,000 in the 48th National Chicken Cooking Contest with a ground-chicken burger with an Asian flavor zing. The Judge’s Choice award $10,000 went to Elise Lalor, Issaquah, Wash., for her Butterflied Chicken with Herbs and Sticky Lemon. The contest was held in San Antonio.

Bookkeeper/baker

Nguyen, 28, a part-time bookkeeper and a baker at a wine shop and deli in Lexington, topped a field of nine finalists from across the country in a competition sponsored by the National Chicken Council, an industry group, with her Chinese Chicken Burgers with Rainbow Sesame Slaw. The event was held at the San Antonio campus of the Culinary Institute of America with members of the Texas Poultry Federation serving as local hosts.

“The burger had a clear Asian flavor profile with zing, some sweetness, and lime and lemongrass notes; it was just delicious,” said Kathy Martin, food editor of the Miami Herald and chairman of a panel of judges drawn from newspapers and magazines. The burger recipe is based on ground chicken and includes soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, lemongrass and scallions. It is served on a toasted bun and is topped with lime-accented mayonnaise and chile sauce and served with a slaw of julienned peppers, snow peas and jicama.

Travel agent

Lalor, a travel agent in Issaquah, offered a sweet but spicy sauce, spooned over lemon slices, that caramelized in the oven. Judges said the chicken was moist throughout, and they praised the use of the “butterfly” technique, in which the backbone of a whole chicken is cut out and the chicken is flattened.

“It makes the chicken cook more evenly,” she said. “People are surprised when they learn how easy it is to butterfly a chicken.”

The judges were impressed overall with the entries, Martin said, especially the spiciness in some of the dishes. “I was surprised at the amount of heat,” she said.

Christine Koury of Woman’s World magazine, also a member of the judging panel, said the entries were a varied and interesting group that “really demonstrates the versatility of chicken.”

The National Chicken Cooking Contest dates back to 1949. In recent years, it has been held biennially in chicken-producing states. The National Chicken Council is the trade association for the nation’s chicken companies.

The contestants in San Antonio were selected on a regional basis from 51 winners representing each state and the District of Columbia. Each of the nine finalists received $1,000 for winning her region, and each of the state winners received $100.

LFS: In the fall of 2008 I served as a judge for the eastern division, the winners of which, along with their recipes, were featured in this column.