Chinese Chicken and Broccoli

Craving Chinese food?  This Chinese Chicken and Broccoli stir-fry dish is so simple and delicious.  It is better than Chinese take out because you know exactly what you are putting in your dish.   This is great served over rice of course.  Overall, this dish took me about 30 minutes to make including the rice.  I just started the rice in my rice cooker first.  As a note, if you don't have the Shaoxing Chinese rice wine, you can substitute sherry, gin or dry white wine.  This dish definitely satisfied my Chinese food craving.  Also, I recently made an apple cider ice cream for the first time and tested it out with coworkers today - yup, it was a hit!  I'll be posting that recipe in the next post :)  Enjoy! 

Chinese Chicken and Broccoli

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cups broccoli florets

1 tablespoon water

For marinade

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

For sauce

¼ cup and 1 tablespoon soy sauce (I used low sodium.)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine)

Directions

In a bowl, mix the marinade ingredients and add chicken.  Toss to evenly coat chicken and allow chicken to marinate while preparing the sauce and broccoli.

In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil.  Add broccoli and cook for 3 minutes.   Drain and set aside.  Be careful not to overcook the broccoli since it will be added to the stir fry later.  You may also cook the broccoli in a steamer.

In a bowl, mix sauce ingredients and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and half the sauce mixture.  Cook the chicken for about 7 minutes until cooked through.  Add in broccoli and remaining sauce and 1 tablespoon water.

Continue to stir and cook for additional 2 to 3 minutes to thicken sauce or until broccoli is tender, but still crisp.

Serves 4 to 6.

Chicken Fried Rice

I had a request to make Chicken Fried Rice and I wanted to share this recipe.  It is delicious and easy to make as long as you have all the ingredients on hand.  I cooked the rice the day before since fried rice is best with leftover rice.   What I love about fried rice is how versatile it is, because it is a meal made out of leftovers.  This Chicken Fried Rice recipe is so simple and delicious.  It is also freezer friendly.  Enjoy!

Chicken Fried Rice

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

4 cups rice, cooked

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 to 4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 onion, diced

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ginger, minced

4 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 to 2 tablespoons oyster sauce

¼ to ½ cup soy sauce

salt and pepper

Directions

Season chicken with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, beat eggs with sesame oil.  Set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat.

Add in chicken and cook until light pink.

Stir in onions and cook until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Next, stir in frozen vegetables and cook for about a minute.

Stir in garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about a minute.

Next, add in eggs with sesame oil.

Stir in oyster sauce.

Next, add in rice and soy sauce.

Stir to mix rice in with chicken and vegetables.

Serves 6 to 8.

Pesto Chicken

I love pesto and this is such a simple and quick recipe.  The recipe name says it all, you just need pesto and chicken!  I used my favorite store bought pesto from Costco or you can make your own.   You can click here for my spinach and walnut pesto recipe too.  I did top the pesto chicken with sliced tomatoes and mozzarella cheese just because I had some.  It is great served over a salad for a light, summer meal.  Enjoy!

Pesto Chicken

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound chicken breast, boneless and skinless

½ to 1 cup pesto sauce (I used Kirkland’s signature basil pesto from Costco.)

Optional Ingredients

salt and pepper

tomatoes, sliced

mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

Season chicken with salt and pepper if desired.

Spread a light layer of pesto on one side of chicken.

Place chicken, pesto side down, in a grill pan, over medium-high heat. 

Spread other side of chicken with a light layer of pesto.

Cook each side for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly browned.

Optional – top each chicken with a slice of tomato and mozzarella cheese.  Cover pan (with lid or foil) for a few minutes until cheese is melted.  

Serves 4 to 6.   

Mango Clafoutis

It was Bastille Day last Sunday so I made a French dessert - a clafoutis!  You can eat clafoutis for dessert or even breakfast.  I decided on a Mango Clafoutis since I had mangoes on hand.  A clafoutis is a baked French dessert that is custard and flan-like.  I love all custard based desserts by the way!  A traditional clafoutis is made with black cherries but you can use almost any fruit.  So while I was researching clafoutis, I found out that a clafoutis made with other fruit should be called a "Flaugnarde."  Hmm...well I think clafoutis sounds better and is more well known so I'll stick with that for now.   Also be sure to let the clafoutis rest for about 10 minutes after removing from the oven, you will notice that it puffs up while baking and then deflates as it cools.  This Mango Clafoutis turned out beautiful and was delicious for breakfast during the week.  Enjoy!

Mango Clafoutis

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 mangoes, peeled and sliced thinly

3 eggs

½ cup sugar

½ cup butter, melted

1 cup flour (all purpose)

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Arrange sliced mangos in a buttered pie dish.  

In a bowl, beat eggs and sugar with a whisk.  Slowly add in melted butter.  

Next, add the flour and whisk to combine.

Next, whisk in vanilla and milk.

Batter should be smooth and shiny, similar to pancake batter.

Pour batter over mangos.

Bake for 45 minutes or until slightly browned and almost completely set in the middle.

Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.

Optional:  top with powdered sugar or serve with fresh whipped cream.

Turkey Chili

Sorry I have been so busy lately and have not had enough time to blog my recipes.   I started a review class a couple nights a week that is work-related to obtain a certification, which is great, but it only reminds me I am not a young college student anymore.  Working all day and then having to take an evening class for another 3 hours is exhausting!  Also the class material is not easy, mostly math and sciences - another reminder that I'm rusty on the material.  The passing statistics on the certification exam is not great, less than 50% pass and in 2010 it was 39% passing of those who took it!  How crazy is that?  Anyway I'm sidetracking...back to this turkey chili, which is awesome.  It took me less than an hour to prep and cook, so not only is this an easy recipe - it is delicious!  I love that I will have plenty of leftovers for work lunches and you can also freeze any leftovers.  I served this turkey chili with cheddar cheese, that I grated myself, sliced avocados, plain greek yogurt and sliced scallions.   I also had jalapeno cheddar bread from the farmers market this week and it went really well with the turkey chili.  

In addition, for a separate meal, you can make a pasta with the turkey chili and add the same toppings.  Enjoy!

Turkey Chili

Printable Recipe 

Ingredients

1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, diced (yellow or red)

2 large bell peppers, diced (or 8 to 12 baby peppers)

2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground turkey
4 or 6 ounce can diced fire-roasted green chiles
15 ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained (or kidney beans/black beans)

11 ounce can mexicorn, drained (or whole kernel corn)

28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

15 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons chili powder

salt and pepper

Optional Toppings

shredded cheddar cheese

plain greek yogurt or sour cream

avocado, sliced or diced

scallions, sliced

cilantro, chopped

tortilla or corn chips

Directions

Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium–high heat.  Add diced onions, bell peppers and garlic.  Sauté for about 5 minutes.

Add in turkey and break up with wooden spoon.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook turkey until no longer pink, about 3 to 5 minutes. (Note: I added in a little cumin and chili powder to season the turkey.)

Stir in green chiles, pinto beans and corn.  

Pour in diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes.  Stir in tomato paste.

Stir in cumin and chili powder.

Reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Continue to stir occasionally.

Serve in bowls with your favorite toppings.  (Serves 6 to 8)

Pesto Clam Tortellini

This dish doesn’t even need a recipe since it literally has 3 ingredients!  You can make this in under 20 minutes since you mostly need time to get the water boiling.  I was feeling really lazy and pasta is my lazy go-to-dish.  Enjoy this pesto clam tortellini!  Also I would definitely top this with some grated parmesan cheese, if you want a "4th" ingredient.

 

Pesto Clam Tortellini

 

Ingredients

frozen tortellini

pesto sauce (store bought)

1 can chopped clams

Directions

Cook tortellini according to package directions.  Add in pesto sauce and toss to coat tortellini.  Stir in clams.  

Done!