Tag Archives: food

Spicy Basil Chicken

I’m starting to notice a pattern in my life…I spend the weekend eating badly and then turn around and try to remedy it by making something low-carb. I’m not sure if this is working for me or not but I guess deep down it must make me feel better about myself. After starting the day off Saturday with coffee for breakfast and a nice salad at lunch time, the day quickly spiraled out of control and I woke up Sunday to remember that I had also consumed cheesy chicken nachos, two (yes, TWO) separate plates of french fries, and a fast food chicken sandwich around midnight. Whaaaaaaaat? I can count on one hand the number of times I eat fast food in a year so I wasn’t really sure why my friend and I decided it was a good idea to head through the drive-thru on our way home from a night (or day-into-night) on the town. I came home and ate this super-salty chicken sandwich while watching Saturday Night Live and didn’t really enjoy one bite of it. If I learned nothing else, I remembered exactly why I don’t eat fast food.

So, true to form, on Sunday I decided to make a nice low-carb chicken dish – Spicy Basil Chicken. Tender chicken is cooked with shallots and sliced garlic before being bathed in a spicy and salty mixture of soy sauce, chili paste, sugar, water, and cornstarch. Sliced basil tops off the whole dish, giving it a fresh, bright finishing touch. This tasted like an authentic chicken dish that I might get at my favorite Chinese food place, slightly reminiscent of Kung Pao. No matter how good the chicken was though, it was made even better by the soft garlic slices that soaked up the sauce. I probably could have eaten that garlic by the spoonful. In fact, I just might have. This dish is soooooo much better than fast food!

The ingredients:

Add canola oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic to pan and cook for 30 seconds.

Add chicken to the pan and cook until chicken is done.

Combine fish sauce (which I omitted), sugar, soy sauce, water, sambal oelek, and salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add sauce mixture to the pan and cook for 1 minute or until mixture thickens making sure to coat the chicken. Remove from heat.

Stir in basil.

Serve with rice, couscous, or just your fork.

Additions: None

Omissions:

  • Fish Sauce

Substitutions:

  • Chicken tenders

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Spicy Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

Despite the fact that we had perfectly blue skies and warm weather this past weekend in the Philadelphia area, the recent rainy, damp weather had me wanting to run to Au Bon Pain for soup nearly everyday.  And even though the weather is supposed to get better, I just felt like making a nice pot of warm and comforting soup.  Spicy Thai Coconut Chicken Soup is spicy, creamy, and hearty – just what you want from a soup.

Don’t be freaked out by the coconut in the name of this soup. It comes from light coconut milk which is mild in flavor and provides a silky creaminess. Chopped mushrooms and red peppers provide some rustic bulk while ginger, garlic, and chile paste provide some hefty flavor. Precooked chicken is thrown in at the end which helps save time, making this soup a perfect use of leftover chicken you might have on hand. Toppings of scallions and cilantro add a fresh brightness at the end so don’t skimp on them. I omitted the lemongrass, substituted ground ginger for fresh ginger and used soy sauce instead of fish sauce. These changes seemed to work because I loved this soup. This recipe wasn’t even the reason why I tore out the page it was on from the magazine it was in but what an amazingly pleasant surprise! This just goes to show – pay attention to every recipe you see. You just might end up making it.

The ingredients:

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat and add in mushrooms, bell pepper, ginger, garlic, and lemongrass (I omitted this). Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chile paste and cook 1 minute.

Add chicken stock, coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add chicken to pan and cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Discard lemongrass (if using).

Top with onions, cilantro, and lime juice.

Additions: None

Omissions:

  • Lemongrass

Substitutions:

  • Ground ginger for fresh ginger
  • Chili-garlic sauce for chile paste
  • Reduced-sodium soy sauce for fish sauce

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Chicken-and-Veggie Stir-fry

I had a nice long three-day weekend this past weekend and got to spend all of Friday with a bunch of my friends eating a lot of soft pretzels and pasta and drinking a lot of beer.  And wine.  And bloody marys.  So, feeling a little heavy on the carbs, I decided I wanted to finish the weekend with something a little lighter, preferably with lots of veggies.  Chicken-and-Veggie Stir-fry turned out to be just what I wanted.

Thinly sliced chicken is cooked and stir-fried with yellow squash, broccoli, green onions and red pepper.  Small additions of lime juice, soy sauce, and chili-garlic sauce adds punches of flavor.  This is a very versatile recipe that could be made with any of your favorite vegetables or even tofu.  The recipe calls for broccolini but I used regular broccoli here and I also reduced the cornstarch on the chicken by less than half when I prepared this.  If you like a slightly crispier coating to your chicken, keep the cornstarch at the full amount.  I also used thinly sliced chicken breasts from my grocery store which cook quickly in stir-fries and are also cheaper than regular chicken breasts.  I really love a brightly colored and visually appealing dish like this, especially when it can be made in one pot.  Serve this over rice, quinoa, or simply eat it plain like I did.

 

The ingredients:

Sprinkle chicken with salt and toss with cornstarch.

Stir-fry the chicken in oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until golden brown and done, about 5 or 6 minutes.  Transfer the chicken to a plate and keep warm.

Add broccoli and 1/4 cup broth to the pan and cover,  cooking 1 to 2 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Transfer to plate with chicken.

Add remaining oil to the skillet and sauté bell pepper, squash and green onions for 2 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Whisk together 2 teaspoons of cornstarch and remaining 3/4 cup broth until cornstarch dissolves.  Add broth mixture, chicken, and broccoli to bell pepper mixture in skillet.  Cook, stirring often, 1 minute or until liquid thickens.

Stir in lime juice, soy sauce, and chili-garlic sauce.  

Serve over hot cooked rice, quinoa or enjoy as-is.

Additions:  None

Omissions: 

  • 1/2 of the cornstarch

Substitutions:

  • Broccoli

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Southern Living Magazine

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