Chicken Chow Mein

Living in Taiwan, we were bound to acquire a few Asian recipes—which we were happy to do, of course! Chicken chow mein is a more recent favorite in our house. We make it in large batches, because second helpings are an obvious necessity.

Chow mein originated in Northern China, and is commonly found in Chinese restaurants in America. "Chow mein" means stir-fried noodles, and it's just that: noodles stir-fried in a wok (or frying pan, if you don't have a wok—which you totally should!), made delicious with chicken, veggies, and flavorings.

Chicken chow mein is, of course, best eaten with chop sticks. I'm just not sure there's any other way to do it. If you don't know how to use chopsticks, now is a fantastic time to learn! It's really a very useful skill—I mean, what if you find yourself in the middle of Asia, with not a fork in sight? Not speaking from experience or anything...
But remember, when using chopsticks, never leave them sticking straight up out of your food! It's bad luck. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you ;)

If you need to clean out your vegetable drawer, here's your chance. Chow mein is a very versatile dish. Switch out the chicken for pork, beef, or fried tofu, or try it with some of these other vegetables:

-Bamboo shoots
-Bok choy
-Carrots
-Broccoli
-Snap peas
-Cabbage
-Scallions
-Mushrooms

I love having a variety of vegetables! My plate is always a mountain of chicken and veggies, with just a little bed of noodles. I hope you enjoy this as much as my family does!

Chicken Chow Mein
Serves: 2

Ingredients:
Chicken & Vegetables:
300g (11oz) skinless chicken breast fillets, sliced into strips
1 red pepper, sliced
150g (5oz) bean sprouts
1 large spring onion, sliced lengthways

Noodles:
150g (5oz) dried yellow shi wheat flour noodles, or medium egg noodles*
dash toasted sesame oil

Marinade:
dash dark soy sauce
1 tsp. five-spice powder
1 tsp. chili sauce (optional)
1 Tbs. cornflour

Seasoning:
1-2 Tbs. peanut, sunflower, or vegetable oil
2 Tbs. light soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Slice chicken and vegetables.
2. Marinade chicken: Coat chicken with dark soy sauce, five-spice powder, and chili sauce, if using.
3. Boil noodles until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop further cooking. Toss with sesame oil to prevent sticking.
4. Mix cornstarch into the chicken to seal in the juices.
5. Swirl groundnut, sunflower, or vegetable oil around a wok (or frying pan) to coat sides of pan. Heat oil.
6. When oil is hot, add chicken. Cook until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes.
7. Add hardier vegetables first, cooking for one minute. Mix in more delicate vegetables (spring onions, bean sprouts). Stir in noodles.
8. Mix in light soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper.

*You're looking for noodles that are yellow and curvy. These noodles go by a few different names; you might see them as Egg Noodles, Ramen, or Canton Noodles, among others. Fresh or dried are both fine. Spaghetti will also work in a pinch.

Recipe from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BxiR7gDDNU&feature=youtu.be

Homemade Poppyseed Chicken

You know when you have a TON of work to do, but you're so overwhelmed that you just sit there and scroll through instagram (or write a blog...ha...ha...ha.....)?

Yep, that's me right now.

The end of the semester is approaching way too quickly--I have tests, projects, and papers due soon, I've committed to going to four large events just this weekend (and more next weekend), and yet, I'm sitting here in my favorite comfy chair, writing a blog like I don't have grades to worry about.

I think that there's just so much to do that I can't face it right now, not after a full day of classes. The only thing keeping me sane is what's beyond all of the work--Thanksgiving break and then Christmas break! I'm beyond excited to fill my grandma's kitchen with yummy fall smells in a few short weeks. It's so close, yet so far...

In the meantime, I have some good ol' fashioned comfort food for you, perfect for these colder and shorter days.

Poppyseed chicken! My mom used to make this a few times a year, and it was always so good. Creamy, warm, flavorful. While she used a much simpler recipe, I wanted to eliminate the questionable cans of soup that the original recipe involved, and make it completely from scratch. And all I can say is, there were no leftovers! Probably helps that we hadn't had it in years, though, huh?

Homemade Poppyseed Chicken
Serves: 4-5
Total time: 30 min

Recipe from: http://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/2014/11/poppy-seed-chicken-casserole.html

Tortilla Soup

This soup is super easy. Like throw-it-together-in-5-minutes easy. And yet, I still managed to have an accident while making it the other day.

I'm not even really sure how it happened. One minute I was happily cutting up frozen chicken, the next, I was watching the measuring cup of chicken fall off the counter, almost in slow motion. My hand must have bumped it, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. It was on the floor. And then, as if to rub it in, my friend's cat came while I stood there staring at it, and my friend snapped a picture. Whoops. Into the trash that half cup of chicken went.

My family introduced our friends to tortilla soup last time we stayed at their house (several months ago), and they loved it so much that this time I'm here, we just had to make it again. It was a gooooood idea. My stomach thanks me. Unfortunately, that also meant I had witnesses to the chicken episode, but what's life without chicken flying everywhere?

When we were making this soup, Hannah and I were on a roll. So, after throwing together the ingredients for tortilla soup, we also whipped up some cornbread and mashed some avocados for guacamole. Oh, and made a cheesecake. Just sayin'. Then after smelling the soup cook for a few hours, of course I ate waaaay too much of it at dinner; I just couldn't resist.

I would consider tortilla soup Tex Mex since it has both American and Mexican influences—but call it what you want. What really matters is that it's easy, it's warm, it's soupy, it's cheesy, you can scoop it up on tortilla chips and eat it (that's the best way, the only way), you can add sour cream or hot sauce to your bowl (not to mine, though). Tortilla soup is a definite favorite in my family; it's much requested, all year round.

Slow Cooker or Stove Top Tortilla Soup
Feeds 5-6

15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
3/4 cup chunky salsa
14 oz. can chicken broth
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup boneless skinless cooked chicken, cubed
16 oz. can refried beans
2 cups shredded cheese (such as cheddar or colby jack)
1 bag tortilla chips

1. In a large saucepan or a crock pot, combine all ingredients except cheese and chips.
2. Heat on stove until heated through, or in a slow cooker for 3-4 hours.
3. Add half of cheese. Stir until melted.
4. Serve soup in bowls, and top with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, and hot sauce.



Instant Pot Tortilla Soup

15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
3/4 cup chunky salsa
14 oz. can chicken broth
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup boneless skinless cooked chicken, cubed
16 oz. can refried beans
2 cups shredded cheese (such as cheddar or colby jack)
1 bag tortilla chips

1. Pour black beans, corn, salsa, chicken broth, water, and chicken into the Instant Pot. Give it a quick stir.
2. Put lid on Instant Pot and manual cook for 10 minutes. Make sure the valve is set to “sealing.” When the timer beeps, release the pressure release for 10 minutes and then move the valve to “venting.”
3. Remove the lid and take out the chicken. Shred it on a cutting board then add it back into the Instant Pot.
4. Pour in the can of refried beans and 1 cup of the cheese, stirring until the soup is creamy and smooth. If necessary, use sauté mode to help melt the cheese.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls, and top with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, and hot sauce.

Alton Brown's Curry Chicken Pot Pie

Do you remember those little foil pie tins filled with frozen chicken pot pie, that you would just pop into the oven for about a half hour for an easy meal?

We used to love those things—that is, until we made Alton Brown's curry chicken pot pie. Then, after several years of only eating this homemade pot pie with not one frozen pie in sight, my sister and I tried the frozen pot pies again.

And I must say, bleh—as a result of those little frozen pies shining so bright in our memories, we expected too much out of them; they tasted pretty flavorless to our now-enlightened palates.

Curry chicken pot pie has been one of our go-to favorites ever since we discovered it, and there is enough for the whole family. However, this chicken pot pie is different from others in a few ways: 1. It is crustless except for the puff pastry that is laid on top of the vegetables and chicken—which makes it easier to make, and 2. It contains curry for a nice, different flavor.

Like I said, this pot pie is pretty easy to make.

Just cook some vegetables until they're nice and golden brown.

Make your curry sauce by sweating your onions and celery in butter and cooking out the water, adding flour and curry, whisking in milk and chicken broth, and adding some salt, pepper, and parsley for flavor.

Combine the sauce and vegetables in a casserole dish.

Spread on the puff pastry.

Cut a whale, a cupcake, and two cats out of the extra puff pastry.
Just kidding—only if you feel like it.

Bake until a beautiful golden brown.

Enjoy!

Alton Brown's Curry Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

4 cups frozen vegetable mix (peas, carrots, corn)*
1 to 2 Tbs. canola oil

3 Tbs. butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery

1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
3 Tbs. flour
1 tsp. curry powder

2 Tbs. dried parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 package puff pastry

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Toss the frozen vegetables with canola oil to evenly coat; spread onto a jelly roll pan. Place under broiler on high until golden, about 3 minutes.

3. In a sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter, then add the onion and celery to sweat them.

4. In a small pot on medium heat, warm the chicken broth and milk.

5. To the celery mix, add 2 more tablespoons of butter; cook out the water. Add the flour and curry, cooking for 1 to 2 minutes.

6. Whisk the milk mixture into the celery mixture and cook until thickened.

7. Add parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix in the browned vegetables and the chicken.

8. Pour sauce mixture into a large casserole dish. Lay a sheet of puff pastry over top as a crust.

9. Cook in the oven for 25 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden brown and the sauce is hot and bubbly.

*Various other types of vegetables may also be used. If using fresh rather than frozen carrots, they will need to be chopped into small pieces about the same size as the other vegetables being used, and will need to be baked for about 10 minutes at 350ºF before being broiled with the other vegetables to avoid crunchiness.

Recipe from: Alton Brown, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/curry-chicken-pot-pie-recipe.html

Sweet and Sour Chicken

There's really only two things I actually order at Chinese restaurants.

Sweet and sour chicken and fried rice are a must any time I eat Chinese, and they're even better together...which means that I can gobble down even more food – and trust me, when I'm at a Chinese restaurant, I make sure I fill my stomach all the way. There is just no excuse to waste good Chinese food. And if I happen to want something else? Well then I just nibble off of my family's plates. Families are helpful that way.

Since Chinese food is so good, we've eaten at Chinese restaurants in many places we've been.

In New Zealand, we had a small take-out place with a couple of Chinese people cooking the food right in front of you. We would sit outside and wait while the cooks made some "Chick-Fwie-Wie" for us. Then we would carry our little Chinese containers back to the house, trying to imitate their exotic accent.

In Michigan, my favorite is "that one Chinese place with the mints" in Midland...I've never bothered to learn the actual name, everyone knows what I'm talking about anyways, right? At the end of the meal when leaving the restaurant, we would always grab a handful of their strangely delicious colorful mints. Of course, the actual Chinese food tasted great too, but I always remember that restaurant by their little mints.
In Washington, D.C. we visited Chinatown one day. We were walking down one of the streets, looking for a place to eat when we saw a Chinese restaurant's sign advertising lobster – not my cup of tea. I protested in vain. We went in, looked at the menu, and I was pleasantly surprised to find my favorites...and even more surprised when I discovered that they tasted really good. What do you know but the next time (or two) we visited D.C. I made sure that we went to the same restaurant.

On the other hand, here in Moscow we have not found a Chinese restaurant. Even if we did find one, it probably would be on the more expensive side, like all the restaurants here. But whether there are Chinese restaurants here or not, I suffer no longer. I have found a recipe online from a Chinese lady – and the sauce tastes exactly like sweet and sour sauce from a restaurant (except without the fake bright red look to it)!

First, make the marinade...bonus points for finding a bottle of dry white wine with your last name on it!

Then marinade your chicken. Mix it up good so every bite has delicious flavor! (Does anyone else question the actual impact on our tastebuds of those giant pieces of ginger root?)

Make some breadcrumbs...but maybe a little smaller than ours.

And bread the chicken. The use of fingers is acceptable here.

Fry the chicken!

Let the chicken drain – no need for extra oil. A pizza pan with holes in the bottom works great for this.

Taste the sauce lots, while no one is looking...I promise it is amazing!

Don't forget the rice – it's pretty important. And maybe make a salad while you're at it to balance out all that fried chicken...that is, if you can resist the amazing smells long enough to throw some leaves on a plate!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Serves: 6

Marinade and chicken:

2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

1 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce

2 thin slices unpeeled ginger root

2 Tbs. dry white wine

2 1/4 cups fresh bread crumbs (preferably from stale French bread)*

4 cups canola oil, for frying

Sauce:

2 Tbs. canola oil

2 medium cloves garlic, smashed and minced (scant tablespoon)

2 thin slices peeled ginger root, cut into matchsticks then finely chopped (1 tablespoon)

1/2 medium onion, diced into 1-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cups water, plus more for the cornstarch slurry

Half of a 20-ounce can of pineapple slices, cut into bite-size pieces, plus half the juice from the can*

3 to 4 Tbs. ketchup

3/4 to 1 cup sugar

2/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar*

2 Tbs. cornstarch (or more for thicker sauce)

Steamed rice, for serving

Directions:

1. Marinade and chicken: In a bowl or resealable plastic bag, combine the chicken, soy sauce, ginger and white wine; marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

2. Use several layers of paper towels to line a colander for placing fried chicken in.

3. Pour oil into a large sauté pan or wok and heat to 250ºF over medium heat.

4. While oil heats, place the bread crumbs in a wide bowl. Toss 4 or 5 pieces of chicken at a time in the breadcrumbs, coating evenly. Fry for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until golden brown, crisped, and cooked through. Use a slotted spoon to remove chicken to the paper towel-lined colander. Repeat with remaining chicken.

5. Set aside the remaining marinade (there will not be much). Discard ginger slices.

6. Sauce: In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the oil.

7. Add the garlic and ginger just when it starts to simmer. Fry until just fragrant, stirring a little; do not burn the garlic.

8. Add the onion and red bell pepper. Stir to coat with oil. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes (do not let the onions take on color).

9. Then add the marinade, the 2 cups of water, and the pineapple and its juices.

10. Let the mixture come to a boil before adding 3 Tbs. ketchup, 3/4 cup sugar, and the vinegar. Stir. Taste and add more ketchup or sugar if needed.

11. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with about 1/2 tablespoon of water to form a slurry. It should be a little pasty, not too liquidy (if there is too much water, it will not make the sauce much thicker. If there is too little water, the sauce will have clumps of cornstarch in it). Pour slowly into the sauce and stir. It should thicken quickly. If you want the sauce thicker, repeat with more cornstarch. If the sauce will not thicken, add some of the sauce's own liquid to the cornstarch instead of extra water.

12. Serve chicken and sauce on top of rice immediately. If you would like to save the extras, keep the chicken and the sauce separate to avoid the chicken becoming soggy.

*We did not have (nor have use for the extras from) a 20-ounce can of pineapple. Instead we used one 8-ounce can of crushed pineapple. We also used 3 Tbs. of ketchup and 3/4 cup of sugar, and the flavors were perfect.

*We did not have seasoned rice vinegar. Instead we used 1/3 cup white vinegar, plus a half of a 1/3 cup and the rest of that 1/3 filled with water.

*The breadcrumbs will be fried, so they do not need to be baked beforehand. Simply put bread (stale bread or end pieces work well for this) in a food processor and pulse until the bread becomes small crumbs, but not too fine.

Recipe from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/all-we-can-eat/post/the-best-sweet-and-sour-chicken-period/2012/06/13/gJQAZ0ntaV_blog.html

Sesame Chicken

I haven't had Chinese food since London in January. And it's July now. No one should have to go 7 months without Chinese food!

So this week I picked out a recipe and we tested it. I can now see why there is such a shortage of Chinese restaurants in Moscow – Mom had to go to three different grocery stores to get all of the ingredients!

But oh boy was it worth it! I mean, yes, we did also find out why you only ever find sesame chicken in restaurants (it is a little time consuming to make) but it's not like we have a Chinese restaurant to go to.

There are, however, some advantages to making Chinese food at home. 1) There's no too-big-for-your-mouth chunks of chicken, only nice little morsels of tastiness that you can pop perfectly into your mouth. And 2) you know exactly what is in your food...those chunks of chicken really are chunks of chicken.

Part of what is time consuming is the marinade, which could be skipped but the dish wouldn't be quite as flavorful.

Cornstarch gives this chicken its crunch!

Rice cooks while the chicken fries.

Don't forget the sauce! It's nice and flavorful. If you are using the Chinese 5 spice powder, don't add it all at once without tasting along the way...it can be a little overpowering!

Drizzle that sauce on. Or keep it separate, your choice.

Garnish!

And (at long last) eat! Mix in some broccoli or peppers for added flavor.

Sesame Seed Chicken

Serves: 5

Ingredients:

Sauce:

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup chicken broth

1-2 Tbs. sesame oil (to taste)

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 Tbs. chopped garlic

1/2 Tbs. brown sugar

1 dash red chili pepper flakes

2 tsp. cornstarch (or more for a thicker sauce)

Marinade and chicken:

4 chicken breasts, cut into cubes

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 Tbs. brown sugar

1 Tbs. sherry wine

1/2 tsp. Chinese five spice powder (optional)*

2 drops sesame oil

cornstarch, to coat

To cook:

vegetable oil or peanut oil (for frying)

sesame seeds (to garnish)

sliced green onion (to garnish)

prepared rice, to serve

Directions:

1. Marinade and chicken: Cube chicken into bite-size pieces. In a large bowl, combine all chicken ingredients except the cornstarch. Mix the chicken into the marinade until it is completely coated. Marinate in fridge for at least 30 minutes.*

2. Heat enough oil in a wok or pan to about halfway cover the chicken. Do not completely cover the chicken.

3. While the oil heats, remove chicken from marinade and toss about 7 pieces at a time in cornstarch (sift cornstarch first if there are many lumps). Using cornstarch for frying creates tiny air pockets, resulting in a puffed up, crunchy outer layer. Many Asian restaurants also use cornstarch.

4. Fry the breaded chicken in the hot oil until cooked through. Remove from wok, place in slightly warmed oven to keep hot while more chicken and the sauce are cooking.* Repeat with the rest of the chicken.

5. Sauce: In a small saucepan, combine all sauce ingredients except cornstarch and bring to a boil over medium heat.

6. In a small bowl or cup, mix cornstarch with about 1/4 teaspoon water until dissolved (this will prevent the cornstarch from clumping). Slowly drizzle it into the sauce and stir, heating until thickened. Repeat with more cornstarch until thickened to your liking.

7. Add chicken to sauce on the stove. Remove and sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve over rice.

*Chinese 5 spice powder is usually made up of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and peppercorns. A recipe to make your own can be found here. However, I simply skipped the powder; it wasn't missed.

*If you are short on time, skip marinating the chicken. The final dish will be less flavorful but still good.

*Alternatively, skip coating the chicken with cornstarch and frying, instead simply grilling the marinated chicken.

Recipe from: http://www.food.com/recipe/family-favorite-sesame-chicken-239398

Baked Honey Barbecue Chicken Fingers

I have been wanting to see the cat circus ever since I heard about it when we first moved here. So this weekend we saw it, and all in all it was a great cultural experience.

The cat circus was in a special building just for the purpose, meaning there were lots of cat decorations (that stained glass window was worthy of a picture).

The circus room was a small, dark theater lit up by many florescent colors. Although it was a cat circus, the humans did a lot of acting and speaking (which might have been better, had I understood Russian).

Also, there were two dogs – and get this: one dog could do a hand stand on its front paws. What? I can't even do that and I have thumbs! Anyways, the cats could do some pretty awesome things too. I enjoyed the part where a cat sat in a pot and whenever the man would take it out, it would jump back in, until it got fed up and "attacked" the man. The show was good fun.

Now what does this all have to do with chicken fingers? Nothing. Except that we had our own little feline friend watching us make the chicken fingers.

These chicken fingers are quite delicious. My family is not a big barbecue sauce eater, so I was surprised when I dipped my chicken into the sauce and was like YUM. It was sweet, spicy, smoky, and barbecue-y. Mmmm.

By the way, I think these chicken fingers taste better if you actually use your fingers to eat them. 'Finger' is in the name – if they aren't finger food, I don't know what is!

Baked Honey Barbecue Chicken Fingers

Notes:

*You can use honey flavored BBQ sauce and omit the honey, but there will be slightly less honey flavor.

*use your favorite seasonings if you have no smoked paprika.

*Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb that tends to stay crispier longer. Use seasoned or seasoned. If you don't have panko breadcrumbs, just make your own breadcrumbs by putting bread in the food processor then baking the breadcrumbs until they are crispy, stirring occasionally.

Recipe from: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/05/14/baked-honey-bbq-chicken-fingers/