Category: Chicken

Szechuan Chicken with Cashew Nuts

Tonight's meal was Attempt No.3 at making Szechuan Chicken. Finally, I have achieved a result I'd be happy to repeat.

I've long been a fan of Szechuan Chicken, however it's not easy to find a decent version in Asian restaurants around about town. Quite possibly I just go to the wrong ones, but I suspect much "Chinese" food here is Anglicised well beyond the point of being authentic, even at a stretch.

Actually, I have no idea how authentic this recipe is, never having been to China let alone the Sichuan province. But I like it. There's a pleasing balance of flavours without it being overly sweet and saucy like so many restaurant "Szechuan Chicken" dishes I've tried — but in the end it's all about what you enjoy, so experiment with it, as I have done. As always, taste as you cook, because the amounts below should only be considered guides.

This is actually quite a mild dish if the chillies are left whole — as long as you refrain from putting a whole chilli in your mouth, that is! For more of a bite (which I confess, I personally enjoy) chop the chillies after soaking them. This means the chilli will not only be spread more evenly throughout the dish, but the hotness of the seeds will be released throughout, too. But go easy — you may wish to reduce the number of chillies if you take this path.

Szechuan Chicken with Cashew Nuts

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• 1 egg white, beaten lightly
• 450 g chicken thigh fillet, cut into 2cm pieces
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 large handful raw, unsalted cashew nuts
• 2 spring onions, sliced into 4cm pieces
• 4 whole dried chillies, soaked in water for 10 minutes (and chopped, if a hotter result is desired)
• ½ green capsicum, cored, seeded and cut into 2cm pieces (optional — I wanted more green, and it complemented the dish nicely, but isn't essential. Again, whatever works for you.)
• 2.5 cm ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely sliced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons sweet bean paste or hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons chilli bean paste
• 2 tablespoons shaoxing wine
• a small drizzle of sesame oil
• steamed rice, to serve

Directions

1. Coat chicken pieces in flour, shaking off excess, then mix together with the egg white until evenly coated. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. If you haven't already done so, use this time to prepare the other ingredients.
2. Heat a wok to medium, add the peanut oil, and stir-fry the cashew nuts until golden all over. Careful not to get the wok and oil too hot or your nuts will burn. When they're ready, remove from the wok with a slotted spoon into a bowl lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
3. Reheat the oil in the wok to very high. Add half the chilled chicken and stir-fry until golden. Repeat with the remaining chicken, then remove with a slotted spoon into a bowl lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
4. Add the capsicum, chilli, spring onion, ginger and garlic (if using) and stir-fry for about a minute.
5. Return the chicken to the wok with the sauces, and stir-fry until re-heated.
6. Serve with steamed rice.

Posted by Vicki on Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 09:02 PM in Recipes and Asian and Chicken and Stir-fry.

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Chicken in Balsamic, Orange and Rosemary Sauce

Since starting our diet (which is going really well, by the way) and joining the Edible 365 Flickr group where we have to take a new food/drink photo every day, I've been on the look-out for interesting but low-fat meals. We enjoyed our iteration of this recipe from Good Food magazine so much that I thought it would be good to share it.

I find that, in many cases, the oil and butter components of recipes can be reduced without any ill effects, and I've done so below. A little oil or butter is fine on a low-fat diet as long as you track how you use it, and limit it sensibly. I don't use butter on bread or anywhere else throughout the day, so don't feel guilty adding a bit to the main meal. :-)

Chicken in Balsamic, Orange and Rosemary Sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• olive oil spray
• 1½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/3 cup chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon light muscovado sugar
• 1 teaspoon butter
• orange segments and fresh rosemary sprigs to garnish
• steamed rice and green salad to serve

Directions

1. Put the chicken between pieces of cling film and flatten slightly by bashing with a pan. Unwrap and sprinkle on both sides with pepper.
2. Heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat, spray lightly with olive oil spray, then cook the chicken for 5 minutes, turning halfway through.
3. Pour 1 tablespoon vinegar over the chicken, add the orange juice and stock and sprinkle with the rosemary and salt. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and bubble gently for 5 minutes or until tender, spooning with the sauce frequently and turning chicken halfway through.
4. Remove the chicken from the pan, cover loosely with foil, and set aside to rest while making the sauce.
5. For the sauce, stir the sugar, butter and rest of the vinegar into the pan, then sizzle for a few minutes until reduced and glossy.
6. Put the chicken in a serving dish, spoon the sauce over and garnish with orange and rosemary. Serve with rice and a crisp green salad.

Posted by Vicki on Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at 04:16 PM in Recipes and Chicken and Low-fat.

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Clay Pot Orange Chicken

A couple of months ago, I took possession of a Römertopf clay pot. Clay pot cooking is fairly ancient and used in various parts of the world, but Römertopf clay pots in particular come from Germany. They are (self-evidently, I'd think) made of clay and, because they are soaked before use, when placed in the oven they create a very moist environment and food can be cooked more quickly than usual at a very high temperature while still staying juicy. After all the good things I'd heard about them, the geek in me insisted I try this "new gadget". Sadly, my first experiment with it was a disaster. I decided it was the recipe's fault and not that of the clay pot, but it's taken me a while to get around to trying again. I chose a recipe I found online, Clay Pot Orange Chicken.

I pre-prepared potatoes for roasting then, as I'm still unsure of how things are meant to be with clay pot cooking, I followed the recipe to the letter. The chicken, before placing in the oven, looked like — well — a raw chicken about to be placed in the oven. In it went, and I sat down to wait until it was time to prepare a salad.

Or so I thought. After ten minutes or so I realised I had put the clay pot in a hot, not cold oven. The cold oven is extremely important as the clay can crack when placed in a hot oven. Fortunately, mine didn't — but it threw the estimated cooking times out because 90 minutes from cold was clearly going to be something different from very hot. Hrm.

After lots of humming and ha-ing and fussing about, I eventually decided it was ready and it really tasted superb. It was very succulent and tender with interesting flavours. Next time I wouldn't serve it with roast potatoes (I'd use steamed rice as the sauce has a quite intense flavour of its own that rice would complement better) but there will definitely be a next time.

Clay Pot Orange Chicken

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 (1.4kg–1.8kg) chicken
• salt
• pepper
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 medium oranges, peeled and sliced (reserve the rinds)
• ½ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• ½ teaspoon allspice, ground
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar, optional
• arrowroot

Directions

1. Presoak clay cooker, top and bottom, in water for fifteen minutes.
2. Wash chicken, inside and out, under running cold water. Rub inside of chicken with salt, pepper, and pressed garlic. Stuff with peeled orange slices.
3. Place chicken in pot, breast down. Grate the orange rind and sprinkle over chicken. Add orange juice, soy sauce, ginger, allspice, and brown sugar. Place covered pot in cold oven. Turn temperature to 250ºC (480ºF). Cook 90 minutes.
4. Ten minutes before done, remove from oven, pour liquid into saucepan. Return the pot, uncovered, to oven for final 10 minutes to brown the chicken.
5. Meanwhile, bring sauce to a boil and thicken with arrowroot. You may want to add a bit of brown sugar to the sauce, to taste.

Posted by Vicki on Friday, December 11, 2009 at 06:29 PM in Recipes and Chicken and Clay Pot.

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Za’atar Chicken with Orange Couscous

I've really enjoyed most of the Moroccan food I've tasted. I have a couple of beautiful Moroccan cookbooks too, and I love them as much for the photographs and insight into Moroccan culture as for the wonderful recipes.

However, it's this simple recipe from Taste.com.au that I make when I need a Moroccan fix and don't — or can't — take the time to slow-cook a meal in the tagine or spend a lot of time in front of the stove.

Za'atar Chicken with Orange Couscous

Serves 4

Ingredients

• ¼ cup (3 tbs) zaatar*
• 4 skinless chicken breast fillets
• ¼ cup (60ml) olive oil
• ⅓ cup (80ml) white wine
• ¾ cup (185ml) chicken stock
• 1 ½ cups (270g) couscous
• ⅓ cup toasted pine nuts
• 2 oranges, peeled, segmented, juice reserved (about 50ml)
• ½ cup coriander leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Rub the zaatar all over the chicken.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, deep frypan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes each side until golden.
4. Transfer to a roasting pan and cook in the oven for about 10 minutes or until cooked through.
5. Wipe the frypan with paper towel, then heat over medium-high heat. Add the wine and cook for 1 minute, then add the stock.
6. Bring to the boil, add the couscous, remove from heat, cover and stand for 5 minutes.
7. Fluff the couscous with a fork and stir in the pine nuts, orange segments and coriander leaves.
8. Whisk the remaining olive oil and reserved orange juice in a small bowl with cumin. Add to the couscous and gently combine.
9. Slice the chicken breasts and serve on top of the couscous.

Notes

* Spice blend of thyme leaves, sumac, sesame seeds and salt from gourmet and Middle Eastern food stores.

Posted by Vicki on Monday, October 05, 2009 at 05:14 PM in Recipes and Chicken and Moroccan.

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