Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken

Winner, winner chicken dinner!  

I just made the best chicken dinner EVER!  It is now going to be a staple and I will forever make chicken this way.  It really is amazing.  It tastes better than takeout!  

Enough talking...here is the recipe.

      

Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken

3-4 Chicken Breasts, cubed

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 Cup Cornstarch

2 Eggs, beaten

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

Sweet & Sour Sauce

3/4 Cup sugar 

4 Tbsp Ketchup

1/2 Cup Vinegar

1 Tbsp Soy sauce (low sodium)

1 tsp Garlic Salt or Powder

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  Place your chicken in a bowl, use a spoon and cover with cornstarch and mix until all chicken is covered.  Then dredge with eggs until the chicken is covered.  In a saucepan heat the oil and brown your chicken. Place the chicken in a baking dish.  Mix together the sweet and sour sauce and pour over the chicken in the baking dish. Place in the oven and cook for one hour and every 15 minutes stir the sauce.  

Enjoy eating the best chicken ever!

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

This last weekend Amy and I had Lotsa Motsa's Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza. If you have never experienced Lotsa Motsa before, then you need to go. Now. :)

Yummy! I was trying to describe it to my husband and thought I should just make it for him. It is pretty close and really easy to make.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
Pizza Dough:
1 pkg Active Dry Yeast (2 tsp)
2 tsp Sugar
1 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Shortening
3-4 Cups Flour
2 tsp Salt
Olive Oil

In a bowl whisk the yeast, sugar, water and shortening to make a paste. Add the flour and salt. Using a dough hook, mix until the dough crawls up the hook. Remove from that bowl and place in a bowl greased with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double in size. Turn onto a floured surface and divide in half. Roll into balls and let rest for 15-20 minutes.

Ranch Dressing
Mozzarella Cheese
Chicken, grilled and chopped
Bacon pieces

Roll out the dough onto a pizza pan or stone. Spread lots of ranch dressing over the dough. Cover with lots of cheese. Add the chicken and bacon pieces. Then cover again with lots of cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps

My husband and I went out one afternoon with some friends to P.F. Chang's.  We have never been there, but we were told that the lettuce wraps were amazing.  In fact, that they have had dreams about them.  Well...I knew that they had to be good so we ordered them.  Oh.  My.  Goodness!

They were tasty...and I had dreams about them that night.  

I wanted them again and again...and again.  Yum.

Well, I knew that there had to be copycat recipe out there for them so I searched the internet and found one and tried them out on my family.  It was a hit...even with the kids.  Who knew.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do.  I think we have a new favorite!

I wish mine looked like this...but this is what they look like in P.F. Chang's :)

First, you need to make the stir fry sauce.  

Mix Soy Sauce, Brown Sugar and Rice Vinegar together and set it aside.

This is where it is going to make the most time.  

You will need to cut up your chicken breasts into small cubed pieces.

Take olive oil and sesame oil, let it heat up and then stir fry your chicken until it is done.

Once it is done, remove from the pan and leave your oil in the pan and keep hot.

You will need to cut up your mushrooms into cubes as well.  

About the same size of your chicken pieces.

Chop up your onion, and slice water chestnuts into small cubes as well.

You might need to add some more olive oil to your pan, add garlic, onions, water chestnuts, mushrooms, chicken and the stir fry sauce all into the pan.  Cook everything until the mushrooms are tender.

I usually buy a whole head of lettuce, wash it, cut in half and place in a bowl.

Take leaf of lettuce, place as many rice noodles on there as you want (lots for me...I like the crunch)

Then spoon on your chicken mixture.

Wrap your lettuce around it and eat.  Once you start you cannot stop. :)

Keep making them and eating them until full.  

ENJOY!

P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Iceberg or Romaine Lettuce

Rice Noodles

Stir Fry Sauce:

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp Rice Vinegar

Mix well and set aside.

Chicken Mixture:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Seseme Oil

2 Chicken Breasts, cut into small pieces or cubes

1 can Water Chestnuts, drained and cut into small pieces

1/2 - 1 Cup Mushroom, cut into small pieces

1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped

3 Garlic Cloves, minced

Combine the olive oil and sesame oil in a pan or wok, heat until it shimmers.  Add the chicken and stir fry until cooked.  Remove and allow the chicken to cool.  Reserve the oil in the pan, keeping it hot.  Add more olive oil if needed.  Add your garlic, onions, water chestnuts, mushrooms, chicken and stir fry sauce back into the pan.  Cook everything until the mushrooms are tender.  Wrap the chicken mixture with rice noodles and lettuce. 

Un-Authentic Luau Food

So for food group this week I decided to try something really funky and different. Alright, what else is new, you're thinking? Since summer is approaching, I had an intense lust for Kalua pork, which used to be served at this fantastic little Hawaiian joint that shut down a few years ago. So I went searching for a recipe and happened upon a Kalua chicken recipe. Why stop there? In my high school cooking class we had the opportunity to make foods from around the world and one gal made up a gooey batch of coconut rolls and they have yet to leave my memory so I decided to add that to the menu. Then I got thinking about coleslaw in all its crunchy goodness and dredged up a Hawaiian coleslaw recipe and gave it my own flair. So today's menu:

Luau Food A'la Amy.

We'll start with the Kalua Chicken:

Get yourself about 6-8 lbs of chicken. (I used frozen because its cheaper)

Get yourself a bottle of smoke flavoring ($1 at Walmart)

Find yourself about 1/3 cup of course Sea Salt (DO NOT USE IODIZED TABLE SALT! Your face with pickle like a prune)

Add two cups of water to a big crock pot, stir in the salt and smoke and chuck in the chicken.

Set it on low for 6-8 hours until thoroughly steamy and smoky-licious.

Shred with a fork into the remaining juices. I actually got a potato masher and just pressed it into pieces. It seemed to work.

Next up, Sweet & Gooey Coconut Rolls;

If you're going to do rolls from scratch, good on ya. I used frozen Terrel's dough (best dough this side of the Mississippi) and let the frozen dough balls thaw and rise a bit.

Find yourself a can of Coconut Milk and pour half over the rising dough. Be sure to shake the can well or dump it in a bowl and stir in all the lumpy coconut fat until smooth. Mmm...coconut fat.

What do you do with the other half of the coconut milk? Why make another batch of rolls, dummy!

Never waste coconut milk. It is a sin in multiple countries.

Just because I'm a little strange, I gave the tops of the rolls a shot of cinnamon.

What's better than coconut and cinnamon?

Bake these luscious doughy-wonders at 350 until they are firm on top. They don't brown easily and if you let them brown they may be too done. They will soak up the coconut milk as they cook.

And now, Hawaiian Coleslaw;

This was a big experiment on my behalf. I had a recipe but it just didn't live up to the weirdness in my blood so I had to weird it up a little to get it right. :)

Start with your red and white cabbage/carrot mix. Once again, doing it from scratch is up to you. The bagged stuff works great because it is dry and the sauce sticks. But, it is your coleslaw. To bag or not to bag...that is your question.

Take 1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

a pinch of salt

1 cup crushed pineapple w/ juice

1/3 cup craisins

1/3 cup shredded coconut

2 tbs sugar

and 1/3 cup crazy.

 (The crazy is up to you. I used a Caribbean spice mix that gave it a kick. You do not have to do this.)

Mix well then toss with the dry cabbage/carrot mixture.

Let it sit for a few hours to soak in the goodness.

These foods are pretty good by themselves but the key to unlocking the awesome power of this meal is in the cramming of them, all together, into one bite. I served some brown rice with the chicken for those who can't handle the awesome in one mouthful. The meat juices makes a good flavor-enhancer for the rice or roll-dip if you're into Au Ju.

But if you are into flavor-packed deliciousness...here is what you do;

Split a gooey roll, top with chicken. Then slaw.

Shove that baby in your mouth.

It. Is. Awesome.

Enjoy!

-A.S.

White Chili

My sister-in-law introduced me to this recipe and has become almost a weekly meal at our house. I must say that it is sooooo good and even better the next day for leftovers. :)

We always serve it with french bread and though I don't think it is as good, my husband loves garlic bread with it.

White Chili

2 cans Chicken Breast, undrained
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp Garlic, chopped (2-3 cloves)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 cans Great Northern Beans, untrained
1 can Chicken Broth
2 cans Green Chiles, untrained
Chopped Jalapenos to taste
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne Pepper
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 Cup Water

In a large saucepan sauté the oil, onion and garlic until caramelized. Add beans, broth, chiles, chicken, seasonings and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and whipping cream.
Note: Depending on the brand of sour cream (thickness) the simmer time may need to be extended to dissolve the sour cream.

*We are a garlic crazy family...so I ALWAYS add more garlic. I think it makes the flavor better...so I usually put in about 6-8 cloves of garlic.

Cheesy Chicken Empanadas

I love Kraft Food & Family magazine! I get four a year and they ALWAYS have good recipes.

This is one of our family favorites. It is soooo easy and tastes really good.

Cheesy Chicken Empanadas
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts
1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese
1/3 cup KRAFT SANDWICH SHOP Chipotle Flavored Reduced Fat Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 egg
1 Tbsp. water
1 pkg. (14.1 oz.) ready-to-use refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts)
1 tsp. chili powder

HEAT oven to 375ºF.
COMBINE first 4 ingredients. Whisk egg and water until well blended.
UNROLL pie crusts on lightly floured surface. Use rolling pin to roll each to 12-inch circle. Cut each crust into 8 (4-inch) circles with biscuit cutter, re-rolling dough as needed. Place on parchment-covered baking sheets. Spoon 2 Tbsp. chicken mixture onto center of each circle; brush edge with egg. Fold dough circles in half. Press tops lightly to remove excess air; seal edges with fork. Brush tops with remaining egg. Sprinkle with chili powder.
BAKE 15 min. or until golden brown.

Homemade Wingers

Hey there, this is Kelli. Do I have a tasty delight for you tonight. Have you been to Wingers?

It is one of my husband's favorite restaurant's and so while trolling the web I happened upon this recipe....and thought, hmmm...I will try this. I am telling you now that we LOVE these. They are so good!

First, make the sauce. It makes a lot, you can do probably two pans full with all the sauce you make with this recipe.

I found these chicken tenders at Smith's. I was looking in the frozen chicken section and was having a coronary over the prices. Then I walked over to the meat/butcher section and they had these lovely chicken tenders for the wonderful price of $4.

Put some foil down over your baking sheet, put on your chicken and you can just pour the sauce over the chicken. I did that and then I went back with my tongs and pulled the larger pieces and dipped them so they were coated.

They turned out wonderful. We just dipped them in ranch. Also, nice little tidbit...if you like the Winger's creamy sauce. All I did was mix some of the sauce with the ranch and mix. Yummy...good for dipping too. :)

Homemade Winger's Sticky Fingers

Breaded Chicken Tenders

2 Cups Brown Sugar, packed

1 Cup Water

3/4 Cup Vinegar

1/2 Cup Ketchup

3 Tbsp Soy Sauce

4 Tbsp Cornstarch

1/4 Cup Franks Hot Sauce (less if you want less spice)

Fill 9x13 pan with desired amount of breaded chicken tenders. In a bowl mix remaining ingredients together and pour over top of chicken. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until center of chicken is no longer pink. Sauce will thicken upon standing (turn pieces after they come out of the oven to evenly coat with sauce-but if not they are still good).

Serve with celery sticks and ranch dressing.