Chicken with Easy Teriyaki Sauce

Dad and I share a lot of recipes and this is one he sent me.

I think it's very nearly the perfect recipe...

* It uses minimal ingredients, yet it's flavorful.

* It cooks up quickly, but tastes like it takes a lot of time.

* And it looks great on the plate.

This recipe has everything to impress your dinner guests.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

INGREDIENTS

3 - 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

60 g flour (1/4 cup)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp butter with 2 tbsp olive oil

4-5 minced garlic cloves

1-1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

90 g (1/3 cup) maple syrup or honey (I use maple syrup)

METHOD

Cross cut the chicken, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and dredge in flour to coat.

Fry in butter and olive oil for about 3 minutes on each side.

Add garlic, and just as it colors, add in the A.C. vinegar, soy and honey/maple and reduce.

As the sauce thickens, spoon over the chicken and continue cooking until the chicken is fully cooked. Turn chicken to coat evenly.

Serve, adding the remaining sauce.

Serve with rice or Asian noodles (optional)

OPTIONAL ADDITIONS

Just before the dish is fully cooked, you may want to add in some fresh vegetables. Consider:

Spring onions

Sugar Snap Peas

Snow Peas

Broccoli florets

Carrot slivers

Mushrooms slices (straw or button)

Bell Pepper slices

Toasted sesame seeds

What ever you choose, make it simple.

Use just 2 or 3 for color and crunch, and be sure not to overcook.

VEGETARIAN OPTION

This sauce would be great with vegetarian options, such as:

Soy curls

Seitan

Tempeh

Tofu

Quorn pieces

Or simply making a pile of vegetables and tossing in the sauce made separately.

FINAL NOTE

This recipe is easily increased.

Simply double or triple the ingredients.

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you thought of it.

You can use the mailer on the sidebar.

Vegetarian Chili con Quorn Mince

This is my favorite recipe for chilli.

In this recipe, the Quorn mince can be swapped out for the same measurement of beef mince, or other favorite minced meat.

I've included some optional ways to serve this dish at the bottom.

INGREDIENTS

• One 500g bag of Quorn mince (OR replace with 500g of mince meat)
• One diced large onion
• One diced bell pepper (color of choice for contrast)
• One can of chopped tomatoes
• One can of beans - well rinsed (your choice bean)
• One can of consommé or one stock cube dissolved in hot water (add to one of the empty cans above for the one can measurement)
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of cumin powder
• 2-3 large garlic cloves minced

OPTIONAL ADDITIONS

• Splash of soy sauce (Quorn mince flavoring)
• 1/4 cup ketchup or BBQ sauce (the ketchup cuts the acidity of the tomatoes, the BBQ sauce makes a sweeter chili)
• Tapatio (if you like your chili hotter)

METHOD

Brown off the Quorn mince, using a splash of soy (optional) as the mince starts browning then set aside to sauté the onion and pepper until soft.

Add back in the mince and add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

Do a taste test to see if you need to add the optional ketchup or BBQ sauce or Tapatio.

- BEST SERVED HOT -

OPTIONAL SIDES

• Corn bread (my favorite)
• Steamed rice
• Baked potato
• Green Salad

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS

• Shredded sharp cheddar cheese (my favorite)
• Minced raw onion
• Cheese and onion
• Minced pickled jalapeno
• Creme fresh

This batch will serve 4 to 6, and leftovers freeze well.

Happy eating!!

Chicken à la Kiki

CHICKEN À LA KIKI

(c) Kemberlee Shortland, 2021

INGREDIENTS 

8 large chicken thighs (2 per person)

2 large onions, peeled and sliced

2 medium-large shallots, peeled and sliced lengthwise

2 large yellow bell peppers, sliced (any color but yellow stands out against the red sauce)

2 medium size carrots, peeled, cut in half and into half circles...or whatever shape you want

4-5 large garlic cloves, peeled and rough chopped

1 can of good quality chopped tomatoes

1 jar of salsa (mild, medium or hot)

2 tablespoons dry mixed herbs

3 stock cubes, chicken or vegetable (traditional stock cubes, not stock gel/jelly)

olive oil, as needed

! Options below for vegetarian and other ingredients

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350F

Clean and prepare the chicken thighs (remove straggling pin feathers, lose fatty bits, etc), rinse well and pat dry with paper towels.

Put 2 stock cubes into a wide bowl and add about 1/3 cup of olive oil. With the back of a spoon, mash the cubes into the oil to form a lose paste.

Baste your chicken thighs with the paste and set aside, reserve the leftover paste. If you don't have enough, add a little more olive oil.

Heat a heavy skillet with a little fresh olive oil and when hot, add the chicken skin side down. Brown both sides.

While the chicken is browning, prepare your vegetables. Slice the vegetables vs rough chopping it.

When the chicken is done, remove to a pan or dish and set aside.

Using the chicken cooking oil, add the reserved paste, onions and peppers and sauté until they start to soften. Add the carrot and garlic and mix thoroughly.

When your veg is well mixed and softened, add the can of chopped tomatoes and your jar of salsa and mix well.

Finally, crumble in your last stock cube and and the dried herbs and mix well.

In a large oven proof dish or pan, pour in your vegetable mixture. Layer the chicken on top.

Cover and put in the oven for approx 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling.

Remove the cover and continue cooking in the oven for another 10-15 minutes to crisp up the chicken skin.

At this time, if you're serving with rice, prepare that now. If you're using a pot on the stove method, this will take about 15-20 minutes. If you're using a rice cooker, this takes 15-30 minutes.

Serve hot when the rice is ready.

OPTIONS

*Option 1:

If you have zucchini available, add that to your mix. Slice into strips like the onions and peppers, or into halves like the carrots.

You can also add in some cherry tomatoes if you have some laying around. Add them into the pan just before putting it into the oven.

** Option 2:

If you don't want rice, just before you pour your veg into the baking pan, add in a can of your favorite beans. Drain well. White beans or garbanzos would be a nice color to stand out against the red sauce.

*** Option 3:

Another alternative to rice is baked or steamed potatoes.

!! Vegetarian option:

Use vegetable stock cubes.

Also, in place of the chicken, use cubes of good quality tofu. Prepare the same as the chicken by basting them in the paste, then quickly browning the cubes in a pan. Add to the stop of the veg mix before putting into the oven to finish off. Start your rice at this time.