Szechuan Chicken and Noodles

Szechuan Chicken and Noodles

(sixsistersstuff.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 3/4 cups Yoshida's Original Gourmet Sauce*
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 green bell peppers, diced (seeds and ribs removed)
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cups broccoli florets, steamed
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon paprika 
• 1 box (13.25 oz) whole wheat linguine noodles (you don't have to use whole wheat) 

Directions:

Cook the linguine noodles according to the directions on the package.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add the chicken and cook until chicken turns white and is no longer pink on the inside (takes about 8-10 minutes). Remove the chicken onto a plate.

In the same skillet, add olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and saute until soft (about 8 minutes). Once the vegetables are done, add the cooked chicken back to the skillet.

Add in the sauce, minced garlic and paprika. Stir well. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook for 5-8 more minutes, or until marinade is thoroughly heated and slightly thickened. Add in the cooked broccoli last.

When linguine is done cooking drain the water and then add noodles into the chicken/sauce mixture. Stir to combine and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

We all loved this.  I cooked the chicken in the slow cooker with the Yoshida's sauce to save time and then threw it in the pot at the end.  Really good!

Knockoff Panda Express Chow Mein-- easy and kid-friendly!

• not an awesome pic, sorry
• 
  
• Panda Express Chow Mein Knock-off
• (from favfamilyrecipes.com)
• 
  
• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (I used about a teaspoon of garlic powder)
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated (I used a sprinkling of ground ginger)
• ground black pepper, to taste
• 2-3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 3 (5.6 oz) packages refrigerated Yaki Soba noodles (found in the produce section of the grocery store.. usually the 3 packages are sold together in one 17oz. pack)
• 2/3 c. chopped celery (chopped diagonally)
• 1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
• 2 c. chopped cabbage

Instructions

• In a small bowl combine soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and black pepper. Set aside.
• Remove Yaki Soba from packages and discard included flavoring packets. Rinse noodles well, drain, and set aside.
• Heat oil in a large wok or skillet. Add celery and onion and saute for about 1-2 minutes or until onions start to become soft and transparent. Add cabbage and saute an additional minute or so.
• Toss Yaki Soba noodles and soy sauce mixture with the vegetables over medium-high heat for an additional 2-3 minutes or until noodles are heated through.

Wow--- the kids loved this!  It tasted a lot like Panda Express but less greasy...I forget I was going to use sesame oil instead of the vegetable oil to give it a little more nutty flavor.  It was great though.  It was about 4 dollars for the big pack of noodles, which is kind of pricey, will look out for cheaper price somewhere.  You can serve this with many different kinds of chicken.  I served it with the crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken.

Still in awe- all my kids devoured this!

Better-Than-Takeout Chicken Fried Rice

(rachelschultz.com)

Serves 5-6

• 4 cups rice, prepared
• 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked (I put mine in the crock pot with Yoshida's Original Gourmet sauce, or any teriyaki sauce would do, if desired)
• 1 cup peas & carrots, frozen (or what you like - I added steamed broccoli)
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce

Prepare rice according to package instructions to yield 4 cups cooked rice. Heat sesame oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add onion, garlic, peas, and carrots.  Stir fry until tender. Crack eggs into pan and scramble, mixing throughout vegetables.  Add rice, chicken, and soy sauce to pan.Mix soy sauce throughout and remove from heat.  

It's true!  My kids all had seconds, and thirds.  Some liked adding the Yoshida's sauce on top of the fried rice (Russell and I did- added a lot of teriyaki flavor) but most liked the fried rice as is.  They even at the veggies.  I'm still in shock!  It is a great recipe, and I am replacing my old recipe I had on this blog with this one.

Sticky Coconut Chicken- grill on bbq!

Sticky Coconut Chicken

from melskitchencafe.com

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used breasts)

1 cup canned coconut milk

1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger

1 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Marinade chicken in coconut milk, ginger, pepper and red pepper flakes at least one hour (I let mine marinade four about four to five hours). Grill on barbecue.

Glaze:

3/4 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

While the chicken is grilling, bring above ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until mixture is reduced and thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Be patient because it takes a little while. But once it starts getting really thick, immediately take it off the heat! Glaze both sides of chicken the last few minutes of grilling and serve chicken over rice.

Sidenote: You can use the extra coconut milk left in the can as part of the liquid in my rice.  It ends up mildly sweet and tasty.  

This was really delicious.  It is grill season after all!  

Fast and easy yummy chicken Asian dish

Japanese Chicken
(from mmcafe.blogspot.com)

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 6 Tbsp. sesame seeds(optional)
• 4 chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 cups vinegar
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups sugar
• rice or rice noodles

Preheat oven to 350. Whip eggs, dip chicken in eggs then in flour. Mix the remaining ingredients to make a sauce, and pour sauce over chicken. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve over rice or rice noodles.

I know I've posted similar recipes, but I think this is prepared a bit differently.  It really takes almost no time.  I cut my chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, so that took a little more time to dip them in the egg and flour, but not much.  The flavor was excellent and Olivia even said she liked it!  That is HUGE.  We had some udon noodles that were really fun to serve with it, but rice was tasty as well.  There is enough sauce to coat the rice, which is important to me.  You could probably half the sauce and still have enough, but that depends on how big your chicken breasts are.

Sweet and Sour Crockpot Style

Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Chicken

• handful carrots, sliced into matchsticks
• 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 2-3 chicken breasts (cut them up before serving, if desired)
• 15 oz. pineapple tidbits, drained
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 T. veg. oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 4 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/4 c. cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• 2/3 cup cider vinegar

Throw everything in crockpot. I didn't even bother stirring cornstarch in that well and it all worked out fine. The cornstarch helps the sauce thicken up nicely! Really delicious. Fruits and veggies in one dish! Cook on low 7-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Serve over rice .

PF Chang's Mongolian Beef

PF Chang's Mongolian Beef
(recipezaar.com)

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• vegetable oil, for frying (about 2/3 cup; you'll end up draining most of it)
• 1 lb flank steak
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 large green onions

1. Heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a small sauce pan. Add the garlic and ginger and saute on medium heat for about 2 minutes (careful not to burn your garlic!).
2. After 2 minutes add the soy sauce and water and bring to a boil. Once boiling add the brown sugar and reduce heat. Let simmer and thicken while you prepare the beef.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a wok until it is hot but not smoking. While the oil is heating cut the flank steak into 1/4-1/1 inch strips, against the grain. Coat the the strips in cornstarch and let sit for a few minutes. Next carefully drop the beef strips into the hot oil and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to cook evenly (probably won't be all the way cooked, but mostly).
4. After 2 minutes remove the beef with a slotted a spoon and place on paper towels while you drain the oil from the wok.
5. Put the now empty wok back on the burner add return the beef to the pan. Cook over medium heat. After 2 or 3 minutes add the sauce to the wok and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the chopped green onions.
6. Serve the beef over rice with stir-fry veggies.

I have never cooked with steak before. Never. I wanted to try this recipe though so I expanded my meat repertoire. The steak cost about 4.99 for a pound, but it fed our whole family, who liked it. This is basically Teriyaki sauce, so call it Teriyaki Beef. It is great! I make Teriyaki Chicken a lot, but beef is a nice change. I cooked mine a little bit long because I was afraid of pink so it was a tad chewy but still tasty anyway. Next time I'm wondering about putting it in the crock pot to save time and possibly be tender anyway? Regardless, this recipe is worth making, special occasion or not.

Honey Glazed Chicken

Honey Glazed Chicken
(adapted from mykitchencafe.blogspot.com)

• 2 lbs of diced uncooked chicken breast (I used 2 breasts; next time I'll use 3)
• 1/3 cup flour (or as much needed to coat chicken pieces)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 5 T butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 T lemon juice
• 3 T soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1. Heat oven to 350. In a big ziploc bag combine the flour and seasonings. Throw the chicken pieces in the flour mixture and shake to coat.
2. Melt 2 T. butter and pour on cookie sheet or baking dish and place chicken pieces in a single layer. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes (or until cooked through) at 350 degrees.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt remaining butter and add honey, lemon juice, soy sauce and ginger. If you need more sauce, increase the honey, soy sauce, and butter.
4. Add cooked chicken pieces gently into the pan with the sauce. Heat through and serve with rice and your choice of steamed veggies.

We liked this! The kids did, too. It was sweet and not spicy at all, which the kids were happy about. I like the idea of more sauce, but I understand why that doesn't work so well with this recipe. It's because the honey makes the chicken sweet enough on its own that it would be overkill to have excess honey-sauce.

Some more yummy Panda Express style

Bourbon Street Chicken
(adapted from mmmcafe.blogspot.com)

• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 T. vegetable oil
• 2 T. cornstarch (or enough to coat cubed chicken)

Sauce:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced, or 1/4 t. garlic powder
• 1/4 t. ginger (I just do a sprinkle- I'm not a ginger fan)
• 1 t. crushed red pepper flakes (or less, depending on heat preference)
• 1/2 c. apple juice
• 2/3 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. ketchup
• 2 T. apple cider vinegar
• 1 c. water
• 2/3 c. soy sauce

1. Cut chicken breasts into bit sized pieces, and lightly dust with cornstarch. Heat oil in your wok or frying pan and fry chicken until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
2. Combine all sauce ingredients into frying pan and bring to a boil. Add chicken. I also added a mix of 2 T cornstarch with 1 T water to thicken up the sauce. When it thickened, I turned down to low. I served veggies on the side with rice. This amount fed 3 adults. The sauce is very generous, which we prefer with the rice.

We loved this, and I enjoyed the fact that I always have these ingredients on hand. It is a sweet and spicy combination. Next time I'll probably do just 1/2 t. red pepper flakes because it was a bit spicy for the kids.

Slow Cooker Bourbon Chicken Recipe:

(from sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com)

(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup apple juice

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 Tablespoons ketchup

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup cornstarch

Directions:

Place chicken breasts in the bottom of slow cooker.  In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, apple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, water and soy sauce.  Pour sauce on top of chicken.  Replace lid and cook 6-8 hours on low.  Remove chicken and shred or cut into chunks.  In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup cornstarch with 1/4 cup of sauce from the crock pot.  Whisk together and pour back into the crock pot to thicken the sauce.  Return chicken to the slow cooker and let warm until ready to serve.  Serve over rice and garnish with additional red pepper flakes.

Quick Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken!

Sweet and Sour Chicken
(from mykitchencafe.blogspot.com)

• Chicken: 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• garlic salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 T canola oil

1. Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks (or leave them whole, but will take longer to cook in the oven).
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg.
4. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through.
5. Place in a single layer in a baking dish.

Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 3/4 cup vinegar
• 1 3/4 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3/4 c. chicken broth

1. Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 20 minutes if chicken is in small chunks or turn once if you keep the chicken breasts whole.

Yummmmmm! We loved this. Olivia, the pickiest, had thirds. Goes great with broccoli or stir-fry veggie blends or potatoes and rolls. Fast and like Chinese Sweet and Sour, only not as greasy or heavy.

Fruit and Veggie dinner

Sweet and Sour Shrimp and Veggies
(adapted from recipezaar.com)

• 1 12 oz bag frozen stir fry veggie blend
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped into large pieces
• 4 carrots, chopped into large but thin pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or garlic powder)
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1/3 teaspoon cayenne (or more to your tastes)
• 1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (about twenty or so 26-30 count shrimp)(I use salad shrimp from Sam's Club; it's already cooked and cheaper for more)
• 1 1/2-2 tablespoons cornstarch
• water
• 1 can pineapple slices (as little or as much as you like)

1. Saute carrots in vegetable oil over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add garlic and onion, cooking for another few minutes.
2. Add juice, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and cayenne.
3. Add shrimp and vegetables and pineapple, cooking until heated through and simmering.
4. Mix cornstarch and water, (a couple T water), and add to the simmering mixture, stirring frequently until thickened.
5. Serve over rice.

This is a quick, tasty meal. I make it a habit to always have a bag of stir-fry ready veggie mix in my freezer. This sauce would of course work well with chicken too!

Teriyaki

Teriyaki Sauce
(adapted from recipezaar.com)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 1/2 cups water

sprinkle of ginger (to taste- I just like a hint)

4 1/2 T. brown sugar

1 minced garlic clove (or 1 t. garlic powder)

3 T. cornstarch

1/3 c. water

1. Combine 1 1/2 c. water, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and ginger in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
2. Dissolve corn starch in 1/3 cup of cold water and add to sauce. Will thicken immediately.
3. Remove from heat.
4. If the sauce is too thick add a little water or soy sauce to thin.

This is a good teriyaki sauce that thickens up nicely. This recipe makes enough for a main dish (stir fry example) that feeds 4 adults.

Cherry Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Cherry Chicken Lettuce Wraps

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root (I skip, but add a bit of ground ginger if you like)
  
• 2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped (I cook mine in the crockpot with a little teriyaki sauce)
• 2/3 c. chopped fresh mushrooms
  
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
• 2 t. honey or 1 T brown sugar
  
• 1/3 c. craisins
  
• 3/4 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1/3 cup toasted and sliced almonds (optional)
  
• 12 leaves of lettuce (I used red leaf because it's healthier, but iceberg is crisp and rolls up better)

1. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 1 tablespoon oil, vinegar, teriyaki sauce and honey until mixed together. Add chicken mixture, craisins, mushrooms, carrot, green onion and almonds; toss together.
2. To Serve: Spoon 1/12 of the chicken/cherry mixture onto the center of each lettuce leaf; roll up leaf around filling and serve.

These are fun to eat and tasty. A light meal. You might want to supplement it with a fruit salad or some rice. These are supposed to resemble PF Chang's lettuce wraps. You can make your own dipping sauce using teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, and garlic powder.

Lemon Chicken

our very yellow/orange meal
Lemon Chicken

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast pieces
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 T salt
• 6 oz (1/2 can) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 3 T brown sugar
• 1 t balsamic vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
• 3 T ketchup
• olive oil for browning chicken

Directions:

1. Cut chicken into strips or largish chunks.
2. Dredge in flour and salt, shake off excess.
3. Brown chicken in a skillet with a bit of olive oil (you are not trying to cook the chicken--just give it some color and get the flour mixture to stick a bit)
4. Place into crockpot.
5. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl and pour over the top of chicken pieces.
6. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, low for 6-8.

This was a good dish. As you can tell, I love recipes with sweet things in them! Call it a problem. This had a nice oriental flavor to its tanginess. I served it wrong though! Instead of Betty Crocker's Sweet Potatoes (don't try- they're gross!), I should have served with rice and stir-fry veggies or broccoli. We'll do that next time! Russell and Anika both want a next time. Isabelle didn't mind these and Olivia doesn't ever like much. About the flour part....I didn't notice that made much of a difference so next time I'll skip that part.

Szechwan Shrimp (or chicken)

Szechwan Shrimp

• 4 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 ounces cooked shrimp, tails removed

1. In a bowl, stir together water, ketchup, soy sauce, cornstarch, honey, crushed red pepper, and ground ginger. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in green onions and garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in shrimp, and toss to coat with oil. Stir in sauce. Cook and stir until sauce is bubbly and thickened. www.allrecipes.com

We love shrimp and have never used it in recipes before. We bought a big bag of salad shrimp at Sam's Club for about 8 dollars and it should go a long way. It worked well in place of the larger shrimp. I doubled the sauce and used a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies. This was great! Anika likes shrimp but O and I didn't. Russell loved it, and I enjoyed it, though next time we are trying an Orange Shrimp hopefully resembling P.F. Chang's!

Asian Orange Chicken

Asian Orange Chicken

Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root (I use a tiny sprinkle of ground)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 
  
• 2 t. cornstarch
• 
  
• 1 tablespoons water (or OJ)
• 
  
• Chicken:
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

1. Pour into saucepan 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce; and set over medium-high heat. Stir in orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and chopped onion. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and let cool 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Place chicken pieces into a resealable plastic bag. When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour 1 cup of sauce into bag. Reserve remaining sauce. Seal bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours (I've done 30 min and it worked fine).
3. In another resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add marinated chicken pieces, and shake to coat.
4. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken in skillet, and brown on both sides. Chicken won't be entirely cooked; place on cookie sheet (greased) and continue cooking in the oven at 375 for 18 minutes.
5. Wipe out the skillet, and add the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together cornstarch and water, and stir into sauce. Reduce heat to medium low; stir in chicken pieces, and simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

This is a 5 star recipe! O even eats this one. It takes some time so we don't have it too often, but it a great special occasion meal. The result is very similar to takeout orange chicken, but less greasy! It's great stuff. I double this recipe because we like having leftovers. Adapted from allrecipes.com