Sunday, June 16, 2013

Garlic Roasted Chicken

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.


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Saturday, June 15, 2013

Chicken & Vegetables in Sweet & Sour Sauce

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?
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