Sunday, May 31, 2015

Stir Fry Chicken Pieces

Ingredients:
One half chicken breast
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 cups of cabbage
2 tsp chili sauce
1/2 cup of chicken broth
dash of salt
dash of pepper
I used Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce (from the maker of Sriracha) 

  1. Cut chicken into bite size.
  2. Mix corn starch and soy sauce into chicken piece in a lunch box.
  3. Cover and marinate overnight.
  4. Cut cabbage into half inch strips.
  5. Heat oil in a wok on high heat for a minute. Don't let it scorch.
  6. Stir in cabbage. 
  7. Coat them with heated oil and stir, stir, stir until slightly transparent.
  8. Add chicken broth, salt and pepper.
  9. Lower heat to medium high and cook until slightly soft. Don't overcook.
  10. Remove from heat and set aside.
  11. Use remaining oil and add 1 tbsp oil, if needed.
  12. Stir in chicken pieces. 
  13. Coat them with heated oil and stir fry until surface changed to white. About 3 minutes.
  14. Mix cooked cabbage, hot sauce into the wok. 
  15. Stir fry on high heat for about 2 minutes. Sample the chicken pieces, make sure no longer pink inside.
  16. Remove from heat. Ready to serve with steam rice.

Technique of stir frying: Coat the ingredients with heated oil and keep stirring until cooked. This will allow meat to be tender and evenly cooked.
I prefer olive oil is because of flavor and healthy benefits. You can use vegetable oil.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

My First Jambalaya

Ingredients:
2 drumsticks
3 cups of water
4 oz of fully-cooked Smoked Sausage, about quarter of a ring
8 medium size (26-30) shelled shrimps
A box of Zatarain's Jambalaya Mix
1 tbsp oil
  1. Boil chicken legs in water and cook them at medium heat for about half hour or until you see the meat falling off the bones. 
  2. Pull the meat apart from the bones. 
  3. Set the liquid aside. I'd rather use the juice from boiling chicken to replace water as required.
  4. Slice the sausage into thin as possible pieces. 
  5. Half the shrimps, make sure you remove the yucky parts.
  6. Followed the directions on the box of Zatarain's Jambalaya Mix. 
  7. Viola! Jambalaya is served in less than 60 minutes.
I normally use lower sodium version, because I want to taste the meats.
Next up, stir fried chicken pieces using one-half of the chicken breast.

Easy meals in 60 minutes or less.

Monday, May 25, 2015

Chicken 6 ways

How can you cook a chicken into 6+ different dishes?

I normally buy a whole chicken, which is cheaper than chicken parts. I cut it into pieces: breast, thighs, legs, wings, back and whatever is in the stomach cavity.

Chicken 6 Ways plus more
Photo above shows:

  1. I de-boned the thighs to go on the George Foreman's Grill
  2. I parted wing pieces for hot wings.
  3. I cut out breast meat from its cage, half for stir fry and half for roast.
  4. I boiled the drumsticks for Jambalaya.
  5. The rest of bones are in a big pot for chicken broth to season beans, greens etc.
  6. Oh. I smashed the cooked chicken liver for pâté or a treat for my cat.

Up next, my first jambalaya. Mmm... yummy.