A fairly simple recipe, pretty much a variant of this recipe here, with a few modifications of my own, particularly the spice-to-chicken ratio.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken leg quarters
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, thyme, etc.)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/8 cup water

Method:

• Mix chili powder, Italian seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper with oil.
• Add minced garlic and mix under it takes the form of a "paste".
• Using a knife, add shallow cuts/slits to the chicken quarters to improve the marination process.
• Rub the marinade onto the chicken quarters (I marinated the chicken about 2-3 hours before cooking).
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Place the chicken quarters onto the tray.
• Mix the water and soy sauce and pour over the chicken quarters in the baking tray.
• Bake for about 30-40 minutes.

There are endless sides that could be chosen with the Garlic Roasted Chicken; for tonight's dinner, I chose baked potato, cherry tomatoes and assorted veggies.

Last weekend, I asked my Mom to share her recipe of Sweet & Sour Sauce, and decided to try my hand at it. The result was surprisingly similar to what I had in my memories...

I replaced the traditional fried chicken chunks in the original recipe with chicken chunks prepared in "Spicy Shake & Bake" - This was done in order to "parallelize" the cooking process...

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb boneless chicken breast, chopped in chunks
• 1 pkg Spicy Shake & Bake (won't be using the entire pack, only enough for the amount of chicken used)
• 1 capsicum/green pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 250-300g frozen vegetables (carrots, lima beans, cauliflower) (optional)
• 3-4 cloves pressed garlic
• 1 Cup ketchup
• 1 Cup water
• 1 Tbsp Sambal Oelek (chili paste)
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp cornflour
• 1 tsp black pepper

Method:

• Boil the frozen vegetables for about 2-3 minutes (over-boiling will make the vegies too soft). Heat one tablespoon of oil in a wok. Stir fry the vegetables for a few minutes. Remove from wok.
• Heat one tablespoon of oil in the wok. Add chopped onions and green peppers. Stir fry for a few minutes. Remove from wok.
• Mix ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, chili paste and black pepper in a bowl.
• Heat one tablespoon of oil in the wok. Add garlic and sauteed for a few minutes.
• Turn stove to medium heat, and add the ketchup mixture to the work. Mix thoroughly.
• After a few minutes of cooking, add a cup of water to the wok. Stir. Once bubbles appear, turn the heat to low, continue stirring every now and then.
• Prepare the chicken chunks by following instructions on the Shake & Bake package. For me, this involved coating the chicken in the Shake & Bake mixture, placing on an aluminum-foil-covered baking tray and baking for about 20-22 minutes.
• When the chicken is almost ready, turn up the heat on the wok with the sauce mixture. Add a tablespoon of cornflour to thicken it, and stir. Add the vegetables, onions and green peppers to the sauce.
• Remove chicken from oven and add to the sauce.

Voila! The Sweet & Sour Sauce is ready!

Serve with boiled or fried rice...

Chicken & Vegetables in Sweet & Sour Sauce with Boiled Brown Rice

Questions/Comments?