Crispy Chicken Bites
Posted: May 1, 2015 Filed under: All, Asian inspired, Chicken, Dinner, Main, Rice, Sauces, Wine | Tags: Albarino, Barbecue Sauce, Chenin Blanc, Chicken Thighs, Eggs, Fish Sauce, Flour, Fume Blanc, Garlic, Honey, Panko, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon blanc, soy sauce, White Wine Vinegar Leave a commentYou know how sometimes in life you just happen upon something and it turns out to be so amazing you are STILL talking about it? Like the “Cowie” that I bought for my niece when she was two. Cowie is a stuffed Precious Moments cow that I bought on the clearance table outside of a Hallmark store. I know I didn’t pay over $5 for him (if even that), and I had no idea the impact Cowie was going to have on Alyssa. Lys immediately started carting Cowie everywhere with her. I can’t tell you how many times my sister had to turn the car around because Lys had forgotten Cowie somewhere. How Cowie was in Lys’s backpack through each and everyday as she navigated elementary and junior high school. Well, Lys is now in high school. I don’t think Cowie is still tucked away in her backpack, and I know that’s because my sister cannot repair Cowie anymore. He’s too thread bear and been repaired too many times before. So, Cowie rests at home now, waiting for the moment Lys will get home and hold him in her hand again. This recipe, admittedly somewhat less dramatic, is like that amazing purchase you make and can’t get over. When I found this recipe, I read it, I rolled it around in my mind. Thinking of ways to make it mine. This dinner was THE dinner of the week, if not the month!
Ingredients:
For the Sauce:
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbs soy sauce (I always opt for low sodium)
2 Tbs barbecue sauce (check out Sweet Baby Ray’s Original)
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
For the Chicken:
1 lb boneless / skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup panko
Oil for frying
Preparation:
To make the Sauce:
Add all sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce starts to thicken. Set aside until the chicken is done.
To make the Chicken:
Add flour to a gallon Ziploc bag. In a small, shallow dish (I usually use a Tupperware type dish), whisk eggs together. In a second gallon Ziploc bag, add the panko. To bread chicken, first add several pieces to the flour. Shake your money-maker for all it’s worth! Then dip the chicken in whisked eggs. Finally, add chicken to panko Ziploc bag and again, shake it.
Add oil to a large, nonstick frying pan. Heat to medium high. Cook chicken in batches for 6-8 minutes or until golden and crispy. Chicken should be cooked through.
To Assemble:
Add cooked chicken back to pan and pour sauce over, coating chicken thoroughly. Serve over rice and enjoy!
Wine Pairing Suggestions:
Albariño
Chenin Blanc
Fume Blanc
Pinot Gris / Pinot Grigio
Sauvignon Blanc
Serves 4 small portions. For lunch tomorrow, double the chicken and adjust everything else
Total time: About an hour and half
*Derived from Nora Rušev
Apricot Chicken
Posted: April 8, 2015 Filed under: All, Asian inspired, Chicken, Dinner, Drinks, Lunch, Main, Rice, Wine | Tags: Apricot Jam, BBQ Sauce, Chenin Blanc, Chicken Thighs, Hone, Orange juice, Riesling, Sesame oil, soy sauce, Sweet Baby Ray's, White Zinfandel Leave a commentSay good-bye to take out! This is a super delicious and extremely easy chicken recipe that you can count on being ready in less time than it takes to get take out. This was a hit with the fam (and you know if it’s not, it won’t show up here)! Even D, who I struggle to make lunches for because she doesn’t like sandwiches, said, “I want THIS for lunch tomorrow!” I’m seriously considering keeping it on hand for just that reason. ¡Buen Provecho!
Ingredients:
3 tsp sesame oil
4 Tbs BBQ Sauce (such as Sweet Baby Ray’s)
1½ Tbs soy sauce (I always opt for the low sodium version)
1½ Tbs honey
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (can use breast meat, too)
½ cup apricot jam
½ cup orange juice
Preparation:
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together sesame oil, BBQ sauce, soy sauce, and honey. Add chicken chunks, cover and marinade for at least 30 minutes but up to overnight.
Heat large pan to medium high. Remove chicken from marinade with tongs or a slotted spoon (don’t throw away the marinade) and brown.
Add the apricot jam and orange juice to the marinade. Add to chicken and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for about 8 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is done. Serve over warm steamed rice.
Wine Pairing Suggestions:
Chenin Blanc
Riesling
White Zinfandel
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes Marinading & cooking time: 40 minutes
Apricot Chicken
*Derived from Nora Rušev
Korean Beef
Posted: January 29, 2014 Filed under: All, Asian inspired, Beef, Dinner, Main, Rice, Wine | Tags: Beaujolais, Brown sugar, Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Garlic, Ginger, Green onions, Grenache, Ground beef, Merlot, Red pepper, Sesame oil, soy sauce Leave a commentI have been on an Asian themed rice kick lately. I have no idea where it comes from. Oh wait, yes I do, I’ve been dyeing for Chinese food for at least a month, but just haven’t gotten around to making my way there. Well, I did that one time, but it was so horribly bad I hardly think that counts. So, since I’m hitting the gym at lunch instead of eating, I might as well make Asian food for dinner!
Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef (or any other ground meat prefered)
¼ cup brown sugar (if you like it sweet, you can add up to ½ a cup)
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbs sesame oil
3 Cloves garlic minced (Time saving tip: Use jarred minced garlic, such as Spice Island)
½ tsp minced ginger (Time saving tip: Use Gourmet Garden’s Ginger Paste)
½ tsp crushed red pepper (if you like it spicier, you can add up to 1 tsp)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch green onions, diced
Preparation:
Add sesame oil to large skillet and heat to medium. Brown ground meat with garlic. Drain almost all fat and add brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper, and red pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes to blend flavors. Serve over steamed riced with green onions sprinkled over the top.
Wine Pairing Suggestions:
Beaujolais
Cabernet Franc
Chenin Blanc
Grenache
Merlot
Serves 4
Total time: 30 minutes
Korean Beef
*Derived from Izzy Writes
Pancetta Lemon-Garlic Chicken Thighs with ‘Rice Pilaf’
Posted: October 9, 2013 Filed under: All, Chicken, Dinner, Main, Pasta, Rice, Uncategorized, Wine | Tags: Blanc de Blancs, Chenin Blanc, chicken, Chorizo, Pancetta, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon blanc Leave a commentSpanish chorizo and Mexican chorizo are totally different, but each have their place and bring their own flavor (and I’m sorry Friends, soyrizo does not count. It, too, has its place, but not here). I know you are asking why I am talking about chorizo. It’s because this recipe originally called for Spanish chorizo. I wasn’t worried, I had bought it before. I could even picture exactly where I had seen it in the store (deli section, by the way). So of course, feeling all chorizo full of myself, I waited until the last minute. I know that you know what comes next. No Chorizo!! Imagine the sound from The Shining and the knife going through the shower curtain. I can’t even try to duplicate it here. But that is what I heard through my head. What to do, what go do. Oh, look! Pancetta! It will give me the salt I need and the fat. I’ll be missing the spice, but I can work around that. This is the result. PS – I got to use my rice cooker again! Swoon!
Ingredients:
4 Tbs butter
1/4 cup cut spaghetti (such as Barilla)
1 cup rice
3 cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs olive oil
4 oz chopped pancetta (I buy the little prechopped package in the deli section)
8 Chicken thighs (I used boneless skinless, it what I had on hand)
4 small onions, quartered
2 small lemons sliced about 1/2″ thick
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preparation:
For Rice: In rice cooker melt 3 Tbs butter. Add spaghetti and toast for 3 minutes. Stir in rice to coat. Add 2 cups chicken stock, stir to combine. Cover and let it do its t hing.
For chicken: In a large deep skillet with a tight-fitting lid, heat 1 Tbs olive oil over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and cook, turning, until browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper-towel lined plate. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat turning once, until browned (about 15 minutes). Transfer to a plate. Add remaining 1 Tbs olive oil to skillet. Add onions, season with salt and pepper and cook, tossing frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the lemons, garlic, and paprika. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add wine and cook, scraping up browned bits from the pan. Stir in remaining 1 cup chicken stock. Return chick and pancetta to skillet, cover and lower heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Transfer solid ingredients to platter. Reduce sauce for a minute over high heat, then stir in the remaining 1 Tbs butter and parsley. Serve chicken over rice pilaf, pour sauce over both.
Wine Pairing Suggestions:
Blanc de Blancs
Chenin Blanc
Pinot Gris/ Pinot Grigio
Riesling
Sauvignon Blanc
Serves 6 large portions
Total time: 45 minutes
*Derived from 30 Minute Meals
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