Category: Main Dish

Posted on » by Dino » Theme:

The Best General Tso’s Chicken Recipe

Recipe by J. Kenji López-Alt, courtesy of Serious Eats

Notes

For this event my initial thought was to make Kung Pao chicken. I mentioned this to a friend of mine from Hong Kong who replied with, “WHAT? Of all the dishes, you’re going to make Kung Pao? Boo! I’m disappointed.” So with that, I felt I had to up my game.

This dish was time consuming, not very difficult, but I was quite pleased with the result feel that it was well worth the effort. Did it have anything to do with Chinese New Year? Probably not, it’s technically an American dish.

Apparently I did not follow the directions too closely with regards to the green onions, so we didn’t have any segments mixed in. That would have been nice. I suppose I’ll have to make this one all over again sometime. I doubled this recipe for the group.

Ingredients

For the Marinade

  • 1 egg white
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (substitute with dry sherry or other dry cooking wine)
  • 2 tablespoons 80-proof vodka
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch chunks

For the Dry Coating

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine* (see note above)
  • 2 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seed oil
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 2 teaspoons peanut, vegetable, or canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 medium cloves)
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger (about one 1-inch piece)
  • 2 teaspoons minced scallion bottoms (about 1 scallion), plus 6 to 8 scallions, white parts only, cut into 1-inch lengths
  • 8 small dried red Chinese or Arbol chilies

To Finish

  • 1 1/2 quarts peanut or other high smoke-point oil for deep frying
  • Steamed white rice for serving

Directions

For the Marinade

  1. Beat egg whites in a large bowl until broken down and lightly foamy.
  2. Add soy sauce, wine, and vodka and whisk to combine. Set aside half of marinade in a small bowl.
  3. Add baking soda and corn starch to the large bowl and whisk to combine.
  4. Add chicken to large bowl and turn with fingers to coat thoroughly.
  5. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

For the Dry Coat

  1. Combine flour, corn starch, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk until homogeneous.
  2. Add reserved marinade and whisk until mixture has coarse, mealy clumps. Set aside.

For the Sauce

  1. Combine soy sauce, wine, vinegar, chicken stock, sugar, sesame seed oil, and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir with a fork until cornstarch is dissolved and no lumps remain. Set aside.
  2. Combine oil, garlic, ginger, minced scallions, and red chilies in a large skillet and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are aromatic and soft, but not browned, about 3 minutes.
  3. Stir sauce mixture and add to skillet, making sure to scrape out and sugar or starch that has sunk to the bottom. Cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens, about 1 minute.
  4. Add scallion segments.
  5. Transfer sauce to a bowl to stop cooking, but don’t wipe out skillet.

To Finish

  1. Heat 1 1/2 quarts peanut, vegetable, or canola oil in a large wok or Dutch oven to 350°F and adjust flame to maintain temperature.
  2. Working one piece at a time, transfer chicken from marinade to dry coat mixture, tossing in between each addition to coat chicken. When all chicken is added to dry coat, toss with hands, pressing dry mixture onto chicken so it adheres, and making sure that every piece is coated thoroughly.
  3. Lift chicken one piece at a time, shake off excess coating, and carefully lower into hot oil (do not drop it). Once all chicken is added, cook, agitating with long chopsticks or a metal spider, and adjusting flame to maintain a temperature of 325 to 375°F, until chicken is cooked through and very crispy, about 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a paper towel-lined bowl to drain.
  4. Add chicken to empty skillet and return sauce to skillet. Toss chicken, folding it with a rubber spatula until all pieces are thoroughly coated. Serve immediately with white rice.
Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Chicken Piccata from Giada De Laurentiis (with your own pizza crust and a few of my extras)

Ingredients

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half (you really only need about one chicken breast)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2/3 can of quartered artichokes, drained

Directions

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.
Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Add artichokes after liquid starts to boil, and cook down until reduced by half.  Check for seasoning. 
When sauce cools near room temperature, lightly sauce pizza. Scatter small chicken pieces, then top with mozzarella, to taste.
Cook to pizza directions.
Garnish with parsley when pizza comes out of oven.
Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis
Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Chicken Potpie Skillet Pizza

Chicken Potpie Skillet Pizza
Serves 4 (or 6 if you’re sharing 6 pizzas)
Try this quick, playful spin to turn pizza night on its head—in a good way. You get all the creamy goodness of chicken potpie, in a fun, eat-with-your-hands way that kids will love. Grown-ups will dig it, too, especially if you offer hot sauce at the table. Cooking the pizza in a preheated cast-iron skillet makes the crust wonderfully crispy so that it doesn’t sog out when the creamy sauce goes on. Be sure to use only 10 ounces of dough (though you’ll likely have to purchase in a 1-pound or larger ball); save the remaining dough to make breadsticks the next night.

Ingredients

  • 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
  • 1/4 cup prechopped onion
  • 1/4 cup matchstick-cut carrot
  • 1/4 cup prechopped celery
  • 1/4 cup frozen green peas
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup unsalted chicken stock
  • 10 ounce refrigerated fresh whole-wheat pizza dough
  • 5 ounces skinless rotisserie chicken breast, shredded (3/4 cup)
  • 3 ounces preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 3/4 cup)
  • 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Nutrition Information

  • calories 332
  • fat 12.3 g
  • satfat 3.4 g
  • monofat 6.5 g
  • polyfat 1.2 g
  • protein 22 g
  • carbohydrate 37 g
  • fiber 6 g
  • cholesterol 44 mg
  • iron 3 mg
  • sodium 674 mg
  • calcium 196 mg
  • sugars 2 g
  • Est. Added Sugars 0 g

How to Make It

  1. Place a 12-inch cast-iron skillet in oven, and preheat oven to 500°F. (Do not remove skillet while oven preheats.)

  2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Add carrot, celery, and peas; sauté 1 minute. Remove mixture from skillet; set aside.

  3. Add flour and 1 tablespoon oil to nonstick skillet. Cook 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Slowly add stock, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, whisking often, until mixture is thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. ((I cooked it longer and made it thick)

  4. Place dough on a lightly floured surface; roll into a 12-inch circle. Carefully place dough in preheated cast-iron skillet; flatten to cover bottom of pan. Bake in preheated oven until crust is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven; increase heat to broil. Top pizza crust with 1/2 cup stock mixture. Sprinkle with onion mixture, chicken, and cheese. Broil until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Drizzle with remaining stock mixture. Sprinkle with thyme, pepper, and salt.