Sunday, October 28, 2012

Citrus-soy glazed Drumsticks

I am not a drumstick fan...unless it comes attached to a large turkey, that is - but sometimes they just seem like a bargain when I'm grocery shopping and so some of them come home with me even if I have no idea what will become of them. So this time, I tried a citrus soy glaze that really gave the skin and meat some real flavor and, as a result, I'm recommending it to you all.

For starters, combine 1/2 cup dry, plain sake (if need be, substitute rice wine vinegar), 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1/4 cup orange juice, some freshly squeezed lemon juice (1/2-1 lemon), a pinch of brown (I use Splenda) sugar and 2 tsps freshly ground or grated ginger in a large bowl and whisk together. Place the drumsticks into the marinade and toss them a few times until coated. Save the remaining marinade and place the drumsticks in a stainless steel pan over medium heat. Let them cook on each side for a few minutes until the skin starts to brown, about six minutes total. PS - Add salt and pepper to taste while they are browning.


Next, add the remaining marinade from the bowl, reduce the heat slightly and let the chicken simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Continue to cook and rotate the drumsticks until the liquid has evaporated by 50 percent, then drain the liquid and sear the chicken for an additional few minutes until the skin is even darker. Be sure to cut a drumstick open to check the temp on the meat before serving - drumsticks can be tricky!


Served with mixed asian vegetables (frozen, oh, the horror!) and sliced sweet potatoes that were baked (for 45 minutes at 375 degrees) with cinnamon, chili powder and all spice in the oven.

- Melissa

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Spicy Cashew Chicken (Pinterest Recipe)

It has been quite some time since I have posted here so I would like to formally apologize to my co-blogger(s) and to our followers.  Four months ago we added a little angel to our family and creativity, in the kitchen, has been put on the back burner for a while. 

That being said, quick and easy meals have become the newest installment in our culinary handbook.  My wife has recently become engrossed with Pinterest and has been selecting meals from other "Pinners" that look easy and sound tasty.  I slightly modified this recipe tonight and man was it delicious!  Here is what you will need:

2 Chicken Breasts Cubed
1 Tbsp. Cooking Sherry
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce (We use low sodium)
3 Tbsp. Oil
1 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
3 Green Onions, Sliced Diagonally
2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1/2 C. Unsalted Cashews

For the Finishing Sauce:
4 Tbsp. Soy Sauce (We use low sodium)
1 1/2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
4 Tsp. Sugar
2 Tsp. White Vinegar

Marinade:
Combine 1 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce and 1 Tbsp. of cooking sherry in a bowl with the cubed chicken and allow to marinade.

In a small bowl, whisk together 4 Tbsp. of low sodium soy sauce, 1 1/2 Tbsp. of cornstarch, 4 Tsp. of sugar, and 2 Tsp. of white vinegar.  (MY advice is to add the cornstarch last or you will have a hardened clump to deal with.)

Drain the marinaded chicken and heat 3 Tbsp. of oil in a wok on high heat.  Add the red pepper flakes to infuse the oil (This will add to the heat but in a good way!).  When you start to see bubbles on the red pepper flakes, add all of the chicken.  Allow the chicken to sit for a minute before turning to get a golden brown color to it.  Turn the chicken, and add the garlic.  Cook the chicken until done and add the cashews.  Remove the wok from the heat and immediately add the finishing sauce, continually stirring.  The sauce will thicken almost immediately but keep stirring until the chicken is well coated.  It will have a "candied" look when it is complete.  Sprinkle with green onion and serve with some jasmine rice, enjoy!

- Chris


You can find the original recipe by following this link:
http://mommachelleblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/cashew-chicken-with-kick.html