Chicken

Chicken Pot Stickers

I don’t know about you but whenever I go to an event or a get-together and I see pot stickers, I lunge for them (if they are vegetarian or chicken, that is). When I think about the appetizers my friends most go for, pot stickers or any kind of Asian dumplings are usually the first to go. Making these Chicken Pot Stickers seem like a slam dunk to me.

A simple mixture of ground chicken, cooked cabbage, garlic, ginger, scallions, and sesame oil are wrapped up in wonton wrappers, browned slightly, and steamed until cooked to perfection. I don’t think I’ve ever bought a head of cabbage before and as I cooked this cabbage, I realized that the vegetables in the vegetables and rice I get from the food cart outside work is made with cabbage (I thought it was bok choy this whole time!). I now realize I’m a huge cabbage fan and will incorporate it into all of my stir-fry recipes from now on. But, I digress…these pot stickers are fragrant and gingery and I honestly can’t rave about these enough. They are the perfect little bite to dunk into salty soy sauce or any other of your favorite Asian dipping sauce. I dare you to stop at one. Or two. Or three. Seriously. They are that good.

The ingredients:

Shred or chop the cabbage and add it to a skillet with vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Cook the cabbage until slightly brown, adding the water a tablespoon at a time.

Move cabbage to a large bowl and allow to cool.

Add ground chicken, scallions, ginger, garlic, salt, sesame oil, and egg white to the cabbage and mix.

Spoon a tablespoon of the chicken mixture into the middle of a wonton. Using your fingers, moisten the edges of the wonton with water.

Bring 2 opposite corners of the wonton to the center and pinch to seal. Bring the other 2 corners to center and pinch all 4 edges together to seal. Place wontons on a baking sheet covered in cornstarch or parchment. Cover wontons with a wet papertowl to prevent them from drying out as you prepare the remaining pot stickers.

Place 1/2 of the wontons into a skillet coated with vegetable oil and cook until brown, about 3 minutes.

Pour 1/2 cup of water into the skillet and cover, allowing wontons to steam for 3 minutes.

Move steamed wontons to a plate and repeat procedure with remaining wontons. Serve with your favorite Asian dipping sauce.

Omissions: None

Additions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Buffalo Chicken Cheese Bites

The Super Bowl is this coming weekend and even though my team isn’t playing, I’ll still be watching and wanting to munch on snacky-snacks. So, I’m dedicating this week to munchies, appetizers, and snacks that you can enjoy on Super Bowl Sunday!

Most people love buffalo chicken so these Buffalo Chicken Cheese Bites are a perfect bite to serve guests or to take to a friend’s house for the big game. I made these spicy, cheesy, crunchy apps with chopped precooked chicken but rotisserie chicken or chicken breasts will work as well. The chicken is mixed with buffalo sauce, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and scallions and rolled in layers of flour, egg, and bread crumbs. These bites were baked to help save some calories but they could easily be cooked in a skillet with some oil for a crunchier coating. I loved the light, slightly crispy coating and the creamy, oozy filling of these bites. Serve these with your favorite blue cheese or ranch dressing. I guarantee they’ll be a hit!

The ingredients (I forgot the scallions):

Chop up the chicken into small pieces and place in a bowl with the buffalo sauce, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and scallions. Mix well.

Place 1/2 cup of the flour onto a plate, 1/3 cup of the bread crumbs on another plate, and the eggs into a shallow dish. Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, scoop chicken mixture into the palm of your hand and roll into balls. (If the mixture doesn’t stick together, try adding some more cream cheese – I used an extra ounce of cream cheese). Roll each ball into the flour first, then the egg, then the bread crumbs and place on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Add more flour and bread crumbs to the plates as needed.

Bake for 20-25 minutes in a 350ºF oven.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

1/3 Less-fat cream cheese
Reduced-fat cheddar cheese
Panko bread crumbs

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Macaroniandcheesecake.com

Curried Chicken Sauté

Either you like curry or you don’t. I didn’t use to and I admit it was because I didn’t like the smell. I just assumed I wouldn’t like the spice until I tried it a few years ago. Now, I crave Indian food and when I’m not sure what to eat, sometimes I’ll just have pasta and vegetables with a red curry sauce.

This recipe for Curried Chicken Sauté seemed simple enough to make so I was eager to try it. Chicken breasts are cooked with a simple rub of salt, pepper, and curry powder and then mixed with soft peppers and a creamy curry-coconut milk sauce. This can either be eaten as a meal itself or over a little bit of rice. The curry here isn’t overbearing and provides such a pleasant flavor to chicken and vegetables. If you don’t want to try it, I won’t be offended. But you never know, if you try it, you just might like it.