Friday, October 2, 2009

Let's Cook Chicken

By Sheryl Ingwer

Whenever I'm looking for a really delicious chicken recipe, I make a marinade with honey. Fill a large plastic freezer bag with two tablespoons of honey, four tablespoons of soy sauce, a half teaspoon fresh grated ginger, a half teaspoon fresh minced garlic (about one clove) and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper to give it an extra kick. Mix your marinade together and put the boneless skinless chicken breasts into the bag.

If you want a salt free version, simply swap cider vinegar for the soy sauce, or use low sodium soy sauce. I let it sit in the fridge for about an hour before I throw it on the grill. I like to do this with a George Foreman grill, though you could cook it in the oven if you wish, I just find that the smoky flavor from the grill really works with this marinade.

The secret to this recipe for Chinese Chicken is Rum. Many Chinese restaurants use a similar recipe for both Chicken and Shrimp.

Start with your favorite vegetables which are suitable for stir fry, wash, cut up and set aside. Next, you will need boneless, skinless, chicken breasts cut into thin slices. You should allow approximately one breast, or one cup, for each person.

The vegetables can be precut, frozen or you can prepare them as fresh (e.g. broccoli, carrot) or canned (water chestnut, bamboo, etc.). I usually slice them into uniform pieces. Drain any canned vegetables well before using in the stir fry. Now comes the fun part. You need some garlic and some good peanut oil, as long as you are not allergic to nuts.

Coat the chicken strips with a combination of flour and any spices of your choice. Add a small amount of corn, canola, or olive oil to a wok or fry pan, coating the bottom and sides.

Heat up 2 tablespoons of oil in your pan and then add the chicken strips. Keep an eye on them - you want to brown all sides evenly and lightly, and this does not take long! Once you've done that, use a slotted spoon to lift the chicken out of the pan and into a paper-lined bowl. Set that aside for a while. Then saute 3 cloves of finely chopped garlic in your pan, being careful not to burn it.

As soon as the garlic is sauteed, add your vegetables and saute them. Do not allow them to get too well done but any firm vegetables like the broccoli or carrot should be fork-soft. At this point, add back your chicken strips and lower the heat. Now comes the fun part. Add 2-3 tablespoons each of soy sauce, garlic infused rice wine vinegar and some fresh shredded ginger root (about 1 inch peeled and chopped finely).

Add a 1/4 cup warmed water, a little less is you like, then cover the pot. This mixture will need to simmer for 5 minutes with frequent stirring. Salt and pepper the mixture to taste. You will finish the dish with 1/4 cup of unflavored good rum. Be careful to stir or the rum may flare-up.

chicken crockpot is the easiest and the simplest way of chicken recipes .yet there are so many recipes for chicken, crockpot stands for its taste and presentations. the taste of chicken crockpot is so delicious and it can prepare in many ways. all you need is a bone in chicken breast.

Add your choice of vegetables to the chicken, pour in one can, or about 14 ounces, of chicken broth, cover and simmer for 8 hours, or until chicken is tender. This can be done in a covered pan on top of the stove but a crockpot is usually easier.

Serve with buttered noodles, rice or mashed potatoes. The chicken will be very juicy and soft. You can also purchase a packet of brown gravy and make to serve over the chicken for added taste and texture.

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