Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Korean Fried Chicken with Chicken Fried Rice



I saw this recipe on my favorite Korean food blog on You Tube and had to try it. I had some leftover chicken in the freezer that I wanted to use up so I made some Chicken Fried Rice to go with it.



Recipe from "aeriskitchen" on You Tube.
http://www.youtube.com/user/aeriskitchen#p/u/87/a4rbnr1a7qo

INGREDIENTS

For the Chicken:
1 Chicken Breast
1/2 Tbsp Cooking Wine
3 Pinches Salt
2 Pinches Black Pepper
Oil for Cooking

For the Batter:
1 Tbsp Corn Starch for covering
1 Egg White
4 Tbsp Corn Starch
1/2 Tbsp Water (I ended up having to add more water until the batter thins out like in the video)

For the Sauce:
2 Tbsp Ketchup
2 Tbsp Honey or Corn Syrup(I used Corn Syrup)
1 Tbsp (Sugar, Finely Chopped Onion, Cooking Wine)
1 tsp (Red Pepper Paste, Mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip), Sesame seeds)
1/2 Tbsp (Minced Garlic, Olive Oil)
1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
1 Pinch Black Pepper

Directions:

*Cut the chicken breast into half-inch cubes.
*Mix 3 pinches of salt, 2 pinches of black pepper, and ½ Tbsp of cooking wine with the chicken. Set it aside for about 10 minutes.
*Add 1 Tbsp of cornstarch to cover the chicken. That will help the batter stick better to the chicken.
*To make the batter, combine 4 Tbsp of cornstarch, 1 egg white, and ½ Tbsp of water.
*Put the chicken into the batter and mix.
*To make the sauce, mix 2 Tbsp of ketchup, 2 Tbsp of honey or corn syrup, 1 Tbsp of sugar, 1 Tbsp of finely chopped onion, 1 Tbsp of cooking wine, ½ Tbsp of minced garlic, ½ Tbsp of olive oil, 1 tsp of red pepper paste, 1 tsp of mayonnaise, 1 tsp of sesame seeds, ½ tsp sesame oil, and 1 pinch black pepper.
*Fry the chicken twice to make it extra crispy.
*When the chicken pieces are light brown, remove them from the oil.
*Fry them once more.
*Fry until they become golden brown.
*Cook the sauce on medium heat. Once the sauce starts to boil, cook 1 more minute on medium heat.
*Add the fried chicken into the sauce, and mix it well.
*Add 1 tsp of sesame seeds. If you do not want sesame seeds, you can use chopped peanuts instead.

Yield: 2 Servings



Ingredients:

I will share both of the ways I cook my fried rice with you here. The first version is the one shown above.

4 cups Cooked White Rice "Sticky Rice"
(Just a little tip the older the rice the better the fried rice, usually I make rice in a rice cooker & then keep it in the refrigerator for a day or two) This time I made my rice and cooked the Fried Rice right away.
1 Large Onion (Sliced to your desired thickness)
3 Medium Carrots (Sliced on the diagonal)
Soy Sauce (I used low sodium)
Sesame Oil
Vegetable Oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

*Heat 1-2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil in wok or big skillet
*Saute onions and carrots until onions are soft and browning a little
*Add garlic and saute for another minute until the garlic is fragrant
*Add cooked chicken and cook for another minute until the chicken or whatever meat you are using is warm
*Little by little add the rice to the wok and stir all ingredients together well
*Add soy sauce and sesame oil little by little and mix well after each addition
*Keep adding soy sauce and sesame oil until desired flavor, some people like it more salty and some like it with more sesame oil
*Add salt and pepper as needed

~This fried rice was just thrown together with stuff I had on hand. Another version is below.

A childhood friend of mine is Korean-American and I used to love eating over her house because her mother who is Korean is such a great cook! Her mother's fried rice is the best. I learned how to cook it but of course like any recipe you get from someone, it NEVER tastes as good as theirs. Taste if for yourself and see what you think.

Ingredients:

Meat (Pork or Chicken)cut into small cubes
Soy sauce
Sugar
Garlic Salt or Powder
Sesame Oil
Vegetable oil

1 Large Onion chopped finely
2-3 Medium Carrots chopped very finely (I put them in my food processor)
2-3 Green onions chopped
4 cups Cooked Rice

In a small container that you can seal, add meat, garlic salt/powder, salt, pepper, sugar (one teaspoon per handful of meat), soy sauce, and sesame oil. Add enough soy sauce and sesame oil to coat the meat well. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes but up to a day.

Chop all of your vegetables and have them all ready to go. Also have your rice on hand. Heat a little bit of vegetable oil in a wok, add the onions and cook until translucent. Add carrots and cook about 2 minutes. Remove carrots and onions and set aside. Put a little bit more oil in the wok and heat oil until hot, add meat and cook until it is done. Add green onion and cook for one minute. Add onions and carrots back to the wok with the meat. Little by little add the rice mixing well after each addition. When the rice is fully mixed add soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix a little at a time. Add salt and pepper. Keep adding soy sauce and sesame oil until the desired taste.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken Stuffed Shells



Adapted from Weight Watchers.

Ingredients:

12 shell(s) uncooked jumbo shells
1 1/2 cup(s) tomato sauce
(I make my own sauce,you can find the recipe on my blog under "Spaghetti & Meat Sauce" & omit the meat)
2 large egg white(s), lightly beaten
1 3/4 cup(s) part-skim cottage cheese
(original recipe calls for ricotta cheese but I don't care for ricotta cheese so I substitute with cottage cheese)
4 oz Chicken breast, I boiled mine & then shredded it
3/4 cup(s) chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained of excess water
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp ground oregano, or other Italian seasoning
3/4 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (shredded)
1/3 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Cook jumbo shells in boiling water according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent them from cooking further. Set aside.

Coat a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup of sauce evenly over bottom of pan and set aside.

For filling, in a large bowl, stir together egg whites, cottage cheese, chicken, spinach, garlic powder and seasoning. Stir in 1/4 cup each of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

To assemble, spoon cheese mixture into jumbo shells and place filled shells in a single layer in baking dish. Spread remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses and bake about 30 minutes.

Yields 3 shells per serving.