Monday, January 11, 2010

Orange Chicken

I've made this twice. The first time I followed a recipe from Food Network's Sunny Anderson. I didn't like the sauce, So I revamped it. I personally think my sauce tastes better, and it's better for you (or less bad for you, hers has butter in it). Also, I did my chicken differently (healthier) the second time. Sunny's chicken tasted like real Chinese take out, but my healthier version wasn't bad.

Orange Chicken Sauce:
1/2 cupish Soy Sauce
1/2 cupish Brown Sugar
Juice and zest of 1 orange
two glugs Worcestershire sauce
two dashes red pepper flake
1 tsp fresh ginger-grated
1 clove garlic-minced

Mix all ingredients in a shallow sauce pan. Simmer for 10 minute to reduce.

Chicken two ways: (you decide which is healthier)

Fried
2 chicken breasts-cut into bite-sized chunks
Vegetable oil for frying
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/4 cup corstarch
salt
pepper
cayenne pepper

Heat oil in deep pan at med-high heat. In a medium-sized bowl, beat egg with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Add chicken to coat. Mix flour and cornstarch in plastic zip bag. add chicken to flour mixture. Toss to coat. Fry chicken in hot oil in batches until golden brown. Toss in sauce.

Baked
2 chicken breasts-cut into bite-sized chunks
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp corn starch
salt
pepper
Cayenne pepper
one egg
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400. Get out three bowls. Mix flour, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper in one bowl, beat eggs in another, add panko to another. Toss chicken chunks in flour to coat, then eggs, then panko. Place on baking sheet. Cook for 20 minutes. Meanwhile make sauce. Drizzle sauce over cooked nuggets.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Finally, a chewy PB cookie I can get behind!

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies:

1 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp hot water water
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour

preheat oven to 350.

cream shortening and sugars and peanut butter.

dissolve baking soda in water and add to mixture.

beat in eggs and vanilla.

stir in flour and salt.

bake for 10 minutes.