Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken

I have been wanting to try this for a while, and now that we are finally in our new apartment (which means I have a kitchen again!) I got to try it tonight.

The flavors are wonderful- definitely Thai influenced. I served it over brown jasmine rice with some bok choy on the side.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 T vegetable oil
2 teaspoons freshly grated garlic and 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 or 2 fresh Thai chiles (I used serrano chiles)
2 shallots, thinly sliced (I sliced up some white onion)
2 lb. organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
2 T coarsely chopped cilantro

1.) In a small bowl, combine the sugar, fish sauce, vinegar, water, garlic, ginger, pepper, and chiles, and reserve.

2.) In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high; cook the shallots until soft and a bit brown, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and stir fry, browning the pieces all over. Add the sugar mixture and simmer over high heat until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the cilantro and serve.

Chicken Cacciatore

I am a big fan of Ellie Krieger. I love to watch her show on the Food Network, and have recently been using her cookbook, The Food You Crave. I have made four recipes from it now, and every one has been delicious and healthy. Her chicken chop suey and balsamic chicken with spinach and tomatoes can be found on my blog. I still have a couple recipes from this cookbook I'm eager to try, but first I wanted to make this classic chicken dish.

A fair warning: while easy to make, this recipe takes time. It involves a lot of chopping, and cook time. Also be sure to buy a good white wine, as you will taste it in the final product. This is the kind of dish that fills your house with delicious scents and is well worth the wait. You can serve it as is, over rice, or over pasta. I chose to serve it over some whole grain rotini.

This makes a large amount, and Krieger notes that a serving is one piece of chicken along with the broth and vegetables. So this is definitely a two dinner meal- great for during a busy week!

You can find the recipe here.

Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach

This was a very tasty and unique way to cook chicken. I wasn't sure how balsamic vinegar would taste with all the ingredients, but it added a nice sweetness to this dish. This is a great weeknight meal as it's quick and easy, and healthy too!

I used Israeli couscous, which I found helped soak up the extra liquid nicely and tasted delicious.

You can find this recipe here.

Peanut Chicken with Cabbage Slaw

One of my favorite magazines is Everyday Food. I have a bunch of them as I inherited my grandma's copies, and had my own subscription for a year while I was in college. It's a fun foodie magazine- lots of colorful pictures, meal plans, shopping lists, and basic information, such as how to cook a basic meatloaf.

In many of these magazines, there is a section called Cooking for One. Now, while I cook for two, if I want to eat meat, it is cooking for one. Hence, today's recipe. It's a fresh take on Chinese/Asian, and I loved the cabbage slaw- the perfect accompaniment to the chicken.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half (about 6 ounces)
coarse salt and ground pepper
4 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 cup shredded cabbage
2 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 small carrot, shredded
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

1.) In a small skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until browned and opaque throughout, about 6 minutes per side.

2.) Meanwhile, make slaw: In a medium bowl, whisk 3 teaspoons vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil. Add cabbage, scallions, carrot, and ginger; toss to combine. Set aside.

3.) Make sauce: In a small bowl, stir together peanut butter, soy sauce, and remaining teaspoon vinegar; if necessary, thin with water.

4.) Mound slaw on a serving plate. Thinly slice chicken crosswise on the diagonal. Place alongside slaw; spoon a little sauce on the plate, and serve remaining sauce on the side.

*I add some cut up peanuts to my sauce for an extra crunch.

Lighter Sesame Chicken

Yet another version of sesame chicken! This one comes from Martha Stewart, and as the title states, is a healthier version as it coats the chicken in egg whites. This was a much different sesame chicken then the one I previously made from Joy of Cooking. While Joy of Cooking's recipe was a thick sauce with peanut butter, this recipe turned out a strong soy flavored chicken that was very crispy. Both were good- though I may prefer Joy of Cooking's better just because I liked the peanut butter flavor. However, the crispiness of this dish made it more like a traditional sesame chicken. So... try both and decide for yourselves!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown rice
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 2 inch chunks
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut in large florets, stems peeled, and thinly sliced

1.) Place a steamer basket in a large sauce, fill with 1 inch of water, and set aside for broccoli. Cook rice.

2.) Make sauce: In a small bowl, combine honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and garlic; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites and cornstarch. Add the chicken; season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.

3.) In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken, cook, turning occasionally, until golden and opaque throughout, 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Return all the chicken to the skillet; add the reserved sauce and scallions, and toss to coat.

4.) Place the saucepan with the steamer basket over high heat; bring water to a boil. Add broccoli, and cook til crisp tender, 4-6 minutes. Serve the chicken with the broccoli and rice.


*A few changes I made: I used frozen chopped broccoli that I just heated in the microwave, and instant brown rice. I also omitted the scallions.

Homemade Crispy Baked Chicken Strips

I love crispy chicken- on salads, in a wrap, with french fries, and so on. Sadly, a lot of chicken is coated in so much heavy batter and fried in gobs of oil, that it becomes very unhealthy. Which is why I would limit myself to my crispy chicken cravings.

Not anymore! I found this recipe on lowfatlifestyle.com, and was happy to see that it used few ingredients so that it is indeed a low fat, and healthy, way to have crispy chicken.

I served it alongside a bunch of fresh veggies cooked in a little bit of olive with garlic powder and oregano. The chicken strips were delicious. Next time, I'll cook them a bit longer to get them even crispier.

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 egg, beaten
2 cups plain breadcrumbs (I used panko breadcrumbs)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1.) Cut the chicken into thin strips, about 1 inch wide.

2.) Mix the bread crumbs and seasonings in a bowl. Beat the egg in a separate bowl.

3.) Dip the chicken pieces in the egg, then the crumb mixture. Place on a oiled baking sheet.

4.) Bake the chicken strips at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, until crispy on the outside and lightly browned.

*Serve plain or with your favorite sauce.

Chicken Chop Suey

Another Chinese recipe! After the success of the sesame chicken, I decided to try another favorite: chop suey. What I am really liking about cooking Chinese food at home is that I can control the ingredients and what I'm putting in the dish, which means it's healthier then what I get from take-out Chinese, and it still tastes delicious!

This recipe I found from Elli Krieger. She's known for her healthier recipes, and I found that this seemed true with the abundance of veggies, low-sodium, and suggestion of using brown rice. The only issue I had with this recipe is that the wontons DO NOT need to be baked 10 minutes- they will burn! I would say 5 minutes, and be sure to keep an eye on them.

Otherwise, this was another successful homemade Chinese dish! Now I just need to decide what to try next. Any suggestions?

Sesame Chicken with Lo Mein Noodles

I love Chinese food. It is right up there with Italian, and I could easily eat both every day of the week: one for lunch, one for dinner. As much as I love Chinese food, I've never really learned to cook it myself. I've always gone to a hole in the wall Chinese take-out and gotten my food cravings fulfilled there.

While my sister was here, we decided to make sesame chicken, which is one of my all-time favorite Chinese dishes. I went to my trustworthy Joy of Cooking for this recipe. Their recipe was a bit different then what I'm used to eating at Chinese restaurants, so I changed it bit. Instead of using bone-in chicken breast halves, we used chicken tenders that we diced. They cooked up a lot faster. I also did not serve it with cucumbers- I absolutely hate cucumbers. We served this alongside my sister's recipe for lo mein noodles.

This recipe for sesame chicken was good- a very strong peanut flavor. What I didn't like about it was that the sauce was very thick and filling, and that it didn't call for sesame seeds. I'm still on the look out for the perfect at-home sesame chicken, but I'd make this again.


Ingredients:

16 cups water
3 bone-in chicken breast halves (with skin)

For Sauce:

1/4 cup toasted sesame paste or smooth peanut butter
2 to 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil (enough to liquefy the sesame paste or peanut butter)
2 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 to 1 tablespoon hot chili pepper oil, or to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh garlic
1 scallion, finely chopped

~In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Add the chicken and cook til no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to a plate and let cool. Thoroughly combine the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. Remove the bones from the cooled chicken breasts. By hand, tear the chicken meat along the grain to make rough shreds 2 1/2 inches long by1/2 inch thick. Place in a serving bowl. Pour the sesame paste sauce over the chicken shreds and mix thoroughly to coat.

*** As I said, I didn't exactly follow Joy of Cooking's recipe. We bought a package of chicken tenders, cut them in bite-size pieces, and cooked them in some canola oil until no longer pink. We then transferred them to a bowl, covered it to keep the chicken warm, and made the sauce. We then pour the chicken into the sauce and mixed it well. ***

Mediterrean Chicken with Orzo

When visiting Chicago last weekend for Mother's Day, my mom and I decided to make a chicken dish- mainly because I've never cooked chicken before and wanted to learn how. This recipe was recommended by a friend of my mom's because it was healthy and easy. This Betty Crocker recipe was both of those- and tasty too!