Hainan Style Chicken - One Pot

One pot recipe that both BDs enjoyed. I could only find skinless, boneless thighs so used that. And I forgot to reserve 1/3 of the aromatics, so it all went into the rice (of which there was extra) and it turned out great. 

• 4 pieces chicken thighs, skin on/bone in/optional (~700 g)
• 1 t salt
• 1 pinch white pepper
• 2-3 rice cups of rice (recipe called for 2, but I used 3 to have leftovers)
• 2 T neutral cooking oil
• 2 stalks scallions, finely chopped
• 1 T minced ginger
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 t salt

Sauce

• 2 T light soy sauce
• 1 T fresh lime juice (or less)
• 1 t sesame oil
• cucumber slices, blanched greens (spinach, bok choy)

1. In a bowl, sprinkle the chicken thighs with the 1 t salt and white pepper. Rub it in. Leave to marinate for 10 minutes.
2. Heat oil over medium heat. Add the scallions, ginger and garlic. Fry until fragrant - do not burn.
3. Scoop 2/3 of the mixture into the rice cooker. Add the rice and extra 1/4 t salt. Add the water. Place thighs on top.
4. Set to cook. When done, leave covered for an additional 10 minutes to let the chicken continue to cook.
5. Take chicken out and slice into strips (cutting off the bone if there).
6. Serve the rice, with chicken on top and cucumber slices.
7. Mix the sauce ingredients with the aromatics mixture that was saved earlier. Use as a dipping sauce or to pour over the chicken and cucumbers.

Chicken Stew

Wanted a thicker soup instead of a brothy one. This fit the bill. Served with buttermilk biscuits.

• 500 g boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced 1" 
  
  
  
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 small onion, chopped 
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 5 T flour
• 1/2 t dried rosemary
• 1/2 t dried thyme
• 1/4 t ground sage
• 1.5 c diced potatoes
• 1.5 c diced sweet potato
• 1/4 c white wine
• 4 c chicken broth
• 1 c green beans (or frozen peas)

1. In Dutch oven, brown chicken in 1 T oil. (Next time try in batches.) Does not have to be cooked through. Transfer to bowl.
2. Add remaining 1 T oil. Saute onions, carrot and celery until onions are softened (3 min).
3. Stir in 3 T flour and seasoning. Cook over medium heat 2 min.
4. Add potatoes, sweet potato, wine, broth and chicken. Bring to boil.
5. Cover and simmer 30 min.
6. Remove lid and add green beans. Cook for 10 min. Thicken with cornstarch slurry (or flour slurry if you might freeze leftovers). 2 T flour + 1 c broth/water - ensure no lumps

Meatball Soups

Chicken Meatball White Soup

XBD did not like it but the rest of us were fine with it.

Beef Meatball Tomato Soup

11/27/23 forgot the flour step. Prefer a non-tomato based soup but this was fine for a change.

• 
  small pasta
• 1 can diced tomatoes
  
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 T flour
• 4-6 c chicken/beef broth
• kale, chopped
• beef meatballs (homemade or store bought)
• parmesan

1. Bake the meatballs at 200C/400F (or save them to boil in soup at later step).
2. Saute onion, celery and carrot in olive oil in large stockpot/dutch oven. ~3 min until onions are translucent. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Whisk in 1 T flour until lightly browned ~1min.
4. Gradually stir in chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer covered about 10 min. Optional: keep on low until 15 min before time to eat.
5. Stir in pasta and undercook.
6. Stir in kale, ~1-2 min.
7. Serve immediately, topped with grated parmesan

White Bean and Kale Meatball Soup *****

• Meatballs
  
  
  
• 500 g pork-beef mix ground meat
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c bread crumbs
• 2 T grated cheese
• 2 t Italian herbs: oregano, basil, thyme/rosemary
• salt and pepper
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 shallot, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 1.4 liters/48 oz/6 c chicken/vegetarian stock
• 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed
• 2 c kale
• salt and herbs
• Serve with: grated parmesan, bread

1. Roll meatball mixture into 1" balls. Using dutch oven, cook in 2 batches in olive oil, until browned. Shake pot to keep round shape. Remove to plate.
2. Cook shallot, carrots and celery for 10 min, stirring often, until vegetables start to soften.
3. Add the broth, herbs, beans and meatballs. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 15 min.
4. Add kale and cook for 10 min. 

Chicken, Chickpeas and Rice with Spinach

Made this and felt the rice ratio was way too low. Was unclear when chicken should have been cut. Easy one pot meal.

• 2 c rice (increased from 2/3 c)
  
• 1 lb chicken breast, boneless, skinless
• 3 c spinach, chopped
• 1 c canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 6 scallions, chopped
• 2 cl garlic
• salt and pepper
• 2 T olive oil

1. Cook the chicken in pan on both sides until golden brown. Set aside
2. Sauté onions and garlic for 30 seconds with 1 T olive oil.
3. On med-high heat, stir in spinach, chickpeas, carrot and rice. Add salt and water to cover.
4. Cover with lid and reduce heat to medium. Cook until the rice is ready, stirring and adding water if needed.
5. Once rice is done, add 1 more T olive oil and salt to taste. 
6. Slice the chicken, stir it in and cook for 3-4 more minutes. Season as needed.

Fresh Rolls

Thai or Vietnamese style fresh rolls are a fun group activity for dinner. The special plastic plates for building them make it extra quick.

• Rice paper wrappers
• Protein: shrimp, chicken, tofu, pork
• cucumber sticks
• carrot, shredded
• soft lettuce, leaves
• vermicelli noodles, cooked and optionally tossed with sesame oil (refrigerate until needed).
• mint, coriander, thai basil
• mango, ripe and sliced
• avocado slices
• sauce (see below)
• optional: scallions, bell pepper slices, bean sprouts, purple cabbage

1. Shrimp: Thaw frozen shrimp. Place in boiling water for 2 min. Drain and run in cold water or dip in ice bath to stop cooking. Peel and cut in half (if large). Refrigerate until needed.
2. Chicken: Saute/boil, flavored or not. Tofu: cook
3. Lay out items on table and each person rolls their own. 
1. Dip wrapper in pie plate full of water. No need to drip off excess water. Place on blue plate. It will continue to soften while you place your ingredients. The holes in the plate prevent it from sticking.
2. Add sauce, noodles, protein and favorite fillings and herbs.
3. Roll tightly at one end. Half way, fold in each end and continue rolling. Dip in extra sauce if you didn't put enough inside.

Sauce choices

• hoisin sauce (optional: mixed with finely chopped peanuts)
• peanut sauce
• 1/3 c creamy peanutbutter
• 2 T rice vinegar
• 2 T soy sauce
• 2 T maple syrup
• 1 T sesame oil
• 2 cl garlic, minced
• 2-3 T water, as needed for right sauce consistency
• Vietnamese sauce
• 1/4 c water
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• 2 T white sugar
• 4 t fish sauce
• 1 cl garlic, minced (optional)
• 1/2 t garlic chili sauce

Thai Chicken Meatball Noodle Soup

Tried a new recipe for MM's bday, hoping the meatballs would be appreciated by BDs (possibly eaten with rice). Adults liked it for its fresh and different flavor profile. XBD claimed it was ok to make once a year. Inspired by a Grumpy Chef.

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 c plain bread crumbs
• 2 t soy sauce (low sodium preferred)
• 1.5 t finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 cl garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes (did not have)
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 T red curry paste (or more to taste)
• 3/4 c sliced red onion
• 3 c chicken stock
• 1 c full fat coconut milk (14 oz)
• 1.5 c sliced bok choy
• 1/4 c chopped cilantro
• 3 T fish sauce
• 2 t honey
• salt + pepper
• 1 pkg dried rice noodles (8 oz)
• 4 wedges fresh lime (forgot)

1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Lined rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine ground chicken, bread crumbs, egg, soy, ginger, green onions, garlic and red pepper flakes. Shape into 1 inch balls (about 2 t) and place on lined baking sheet.
3. Bake until no longer pink in center, about 12 min. Remove from oven and set aside.
4. Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat and add curry paste. Cook until fragrant 1-2 min. 
5. Add red onion, ~2 min.
6. Add chicken stock, coconut milk, bok choy, cilantro, fish sauce, and honey. Stir until combined. Bring to boil.
7. Reduce heat to medium and add meatballs (can set some aside for picky eaters). Simmer until heated through, ~6-8 min.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Place rice noodles in large bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside until softened, ~15 min. Drain well. 
10. Divide noodles among bowls. Ladle soup and meatballs on top. Serve with fresh lime.

Chicken Peanut Noodles

I wanted to try a chicken satay noodle recipe and bought pre-chopped veggies at the store to make it all go faster. I bought a bag of beautiful red cabbage, but this turned out to be a disaster while cooking. It immediately started turning the chicken blue...and then dull black, making the dish visually unappealing. However, outside of the looks, it was fine. But next time I would use white cabbage for sure. I used 150 g noodles and 300 g chicken but did not increase the sauce ratio (should have though). It's also easy to dump in extra vegetables and substitute tofu to make this pescatarian (because of the fish sauce).

Sauce

• 1/4 c crunchy peanut butter
• 1.5 T fish sauce
• 1.5 T dark soy
• 2 t sugar
• 2 t cornstarch
• 1 garlic clove, minced (reduced from 2)
• 2 t grated ginger
• 1/2 t curry powder (optional...reduced from 1.5 t)
• 1/4 c water

Other

• 180 g thinly sliced chicken breast
• 1 t baking soda
• 100 g dried rice noodles
• 2 T oil
• 1 garlic, minced
• ~1 c shredded carrot
• ~1.5 c shredded white cabbage
• ~1 c beansprouts
• chopped peanuts
• cilantro

1. Tenderize the chicken: Place chicken and baking soda in a bowl and mix by hand. Set aside for 20 min. Rinse well in a colander and shake off excess water. Pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Place sauce ingredients, except water, in bowl. If peanut butter is natural, add salt, sugar and oil. Microwave if necessary to soften the peanut butter. Stir in water.
3. Prepare noodles by soaking in boiled water for package time. Drain, set aside.
4. Heat oil in large skillet on high heat and saute garlic for 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook until outside is white. Add carrots and cabbage and cook until they start to wilt.
5. Add noodles, sprouts and sauce. Stir for 1.5-2 min until sauce thickens and noodles are coated.
6. Serve immediately garnished with peanuts and coriander.

Cheater Chicken Noodle Soup

I had a sick family so needed to make a quick lunch of chicken noodle soup. Everyone liked it. Cheater because I bought a roasted chicken at the grocery store. I based this on a recipe I found online but can't find it anymore. This is from memory.
1/16/25 used Italian chicken pieces from jumbo, chicken bouillon cubes, half a small yellow onion, sage, bay leaves, parsley, dash of fish sauce. Cooked egg noodles separately to be able to freeze leftovers.

• chicken, roasted
• 4 c vegetable broth (or more)
• egg noodles
• celery (optional)
• carrots, cubed
• salt
• pepper
• garlic (instead of onion)
• thyme
• 1 T butter

1. Saute minced garlic in butter.
2. Add carrots (and celery). 
3. Add broth and bring to boil. Season with salt, pepper and thyme.
4. Add chicken pieces.
5. Add egg noodles to cook through (OR cook separately so that the soup sans noodles can be frozen and used later).
6. Simmer for 20 min.
7. Serve with bread.

Stir Fry Chicken and Veggies

The recipe I found is supposed to use 2/3 c Chinese soy sauce, but I only have Japanese soy sauce so adjusted accordingly (in first 3 ingredients). I would still like to buy a bottle of Chinese soy but keep forgetting. Great for leftovers, which can be used inside wrap.
Aug 2019 XBD loves this dish as well as having it for leftovers for lunch. 
7/4/20 Made with a package of chicken thighs, 2 broccoli crowns, 2 carrots, 1 pkg white mushrooms, 1 can water chestnuts, teriyaki sauce instead of oyster sauce, and ground ginger instead of fresh.

• ~1/8 c Japanese soy sauce
• ~1/8 c oyster sauce
• ~1/2 c water
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1 T cornstarch
• 1 T ginger, minced
• 1 T garlic, minced
• 2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• 1 T oil (for veges)
• water chestnuts
• broccoli
• 1 c carrots, sliced
• 1 T oil (for chicken)
• mushrooms (oyster, cremini, white, etc)

1. Combine soy through garlic.
2. Marinate chick slices in sauce for 15min-several hours.
3. Saute the water chestnuts, broccoli, carrots (and other veges) in oil for 5 minutes.
4. Remove to bowl.
5. Cook the chicken, reserving the marinade, 2 min per side, until no longer pink. Cook in batches if necessary.
6. Add veggies back to pan with chicken and pour in marinade. Boil until chicken is no longer pink - about 5-7min.
7. Serve over rice.

Mom Style Chicken

Grew up on this type of chicken but only just learned how to make it recently...from Mom! When cooked with bones in, the bones are nice and tender and the marrow is easily accessible. Delicious!

• defrosted or mostly defrosted chicken (drumsticks or thighs, with skin and bone, but can be done with boneless/skinless as well)
• spices: turmeric/ginger/paprika, ginger/chili/coriander/black pepper/soy sauce/sugar
• salt
• water

1. In pan, heat chicken until only lightly browned. Flip and repeat. Note: not all sides need to be browned, and it doesn't have to be very brown.
2. Sprinkle generous amount of salt on the chicken - more than you think you'd like to eat.
3. Pour in water until less than half-way up the chicken.
4. Sprinkle all desired spices on the chicken. Pour in soy sauce if using (1-2 T max). 
5. Cover and simmer for 10-20 min.
6. Flip and continue to simmer covered for another 20-40 min or until desired tenderness. The longer it's cooked, the more it will fall off the bone.
7. Serve with rice and vegetables. NOTE: Vegetables can be steam/sauted with some of the chicken sauce.
8. Refrigerate leftovers - sauce will gel. Sauce can also be used to make Chinese brown eggs.

NOTE

This method can be used for pork and beef. Pork ribs and beef ribs may take 3-4.5 hours.

Tomato Chicken

Simple to put together and very tasty. First time used 14 oz can of tomatoes. Second time put in a full 28 oz can. With more tomatoes could easily fit more drumsticks. This is from the Baby Led Weaning cookbook but subbing garlic for the onions.

• 5 cl garlic, chopped
• 1 t cumin
• 2 t coriander
• 5  skinless chicken drumsticks (or 2-3 chicken breasts cut into strips)
• 1 can chopped/diced tomatoes (14 oz OR 28 oz)
• 1 T tomato paste
• optional: 1 T fresh cilantro chopped

1. Heat oil in saucepan.
2. Add garlic, cumin and coriander. Cook for 2-3 min.
3. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned on all sides (but not cooked through).
4. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, until chicken is thoroughly cooked (20 min for breast).
5. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Serve warm with rice and vegetables.

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

This was my first time cooking a whole chicken. Worked out surprisingly well - very easy to put together. Spiced it in the morning, put it in the fridge, then put it in the slow cooker before leaving in the afternoon. Most chickens will fit well in a 6 qt slow cooker, but I have a 4.5 qt size one so got a on-the-smaller side chicken and it worked out well.

• 1 whole chicken, small enough to fit in your slow cooker (~4 lb)
• 4-5 carrots, chopped in half or thirds
• optional: celery sticks, cut in thirds
• 1 onion, roughly chopped

• 2 t paprika
• 1 t salt
• 1 t thyme
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 1/4 t cayenne
• 1/4 t pepper

1. Combine rub spices in bowl.
2. Put onions, carrots and celery on bottom of slow cooker.
3. Remove giblets from chicken. Rub spice mixture all over chicken, and optionally inside and under the breast skin.
4. Place chicken on top of veggies and cover. Cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours, or until meat is falling off the bone.
5. Serve hot (with rice and greens).
6. Use carcass to make chicken stock.

Chicken Stock

• 1 rib celery
• 1 carrot
• 1 bay leaf
• parsley
• thyme
• onion
• salt

1. Pick meat off bone and store as leftovers. Leave in bones, onion and juices.
2. Roughly chop celery, carrot and onion. Add to crockpot along with spices.
3. Fill with water up to 1/2" from top.
4. Cook on low overnight (or 8-10 hours).
5. Run through sieve to separate bone and other bits from the stock. Refrigerate or freeze.
6. Use in split pea soup, hedgehog meatballs, wonton soup, risotto, etc.

Slow Cooker Brown Chicken

Made this a couple days ago and it turned out alright. Leftovers tasted even better. Search on 'shoyu chicken' turns up all sorts of recipes with different ratios and some slight variations in ingredients. Hard to go wrong it seems.

• 1 c soy sauce (shoyu)
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1 c water *
• 1/2 c sake
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1" ginger, sliced
• value pack of skinless (boneless) chicken thighs

1. Combine everything but the chicken.
2. Place thighs in slow cooker dish. Pour sauce over. Add extra water to cover thighs (for 16 thighs I added 1 c water). Note that they float so some will not be fully covered.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, turning chicken once (I turned after 4 hours).
4. Serve with rice and veggies.

Variations

- add chopped scallions

- add 1 T vinegar

Freezer Chicken Curry

Made this for dinner and kept the leftovers for freezer meals. Day of was *** but leftovers was ****
11/14/12 Had one of the frozen jars for dinner. Moved from freezer to fridge night before. Was still frozen next evening, so left in tub of water for a while (an hour?). Heated on stove top and served with rice. Delicious!
1/16/13 Made this again using 10 thighs, 3 T fresh ginger plus ~1/2 T powdered ginger, 1 giant sweet potato and 2 zucchini - used the spicy east indian curry powder and asoefetida instead of onion - delicious!
8/13/13 Used 6 breasts, 1 giant sweet potato, 3 carrots, 1 home grown zucchini, 2 granny smith apples, no onion, ~10 cl garlic, no sugar and only a dash of salt (to make better for baby to taste). 3.5 c low sodium chicken broth and gold label (thick) coconut milk. Didn't have enough fresh ginger so put in a bit of powdered ginger. Cooked chicken in cast iron pan and the rest in the big one (where in the past the chicken sticks to the bottom of it).
5/27/16 Used 4 breasts, 1 giant sweet potato, 4 carrots, 2 apples, no onion/zuc. Used cumin/coriander/cayenne/pepper/turmeric mixture on chicken and partial Kensington Hot Curry Powder plus all the rest of the Jamaican curry packages. Meant to put in green beans but ran out! All in cast iron wok.
10/9/19 Used 8 thighs. XBD ate the chicken before I could combine it with the vegetables. Then when the meal was complete, gobbled up the dish with rice.

• 6 chicken thighs + 1 chicken breast, cut into chunks 
• 3 T flour
• 1 T curry powder (I used mix of Madras and Jamaican)
• 4 T ginger, finely chopped
• 6 cl garlic, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green apple, chopped (would increase this next time to 2)
• 3 T curry powder
• 6+ T flour
• 1 t sea salt (or none for Baby Led Weaning)
• 1 T sugar (or none for Baby Led Weaning)
• 2.5 c chicken broth (low sodium/home made no salt for Baby Led Weaning)
• 1 can coconut milk
• Optional: 1 sweet potato, 1 zucchini, carrots: chopped

1. Combine first 3 ingredients (chicken, flour, curry powder) in a bowl to coat.
2. Fry lightly in oil for just a few minutes until cooked. Set aside.
3. Combine garlic, ginger, onion, apple, curry powder, flour, sugar and salt in a frying pan with the optional veggies. Fry on medium heat for ~10 minutes until the ingredients mold together and onions are transparent. 
4. Add liquids (broth and coconut milk). Stir frequently until heated through and thickened. Add more flour as needed to thicken.
5. Add the breaded chicken.
6. Serve over rice.
7. Let cool and store in mason jars, leaving room for expansion. Freeze. When ready to serve, thaw and reheat, serve over rice.

Weekend Chicken

made the house smell wonderful all day. this one's from thetastetraveller. the meat just fell off the bone.

• 10 pack of chicken drumsticks
• 1 bulb of garlic, peeled
• 1 T dried basil
• 1 T dried oregano
• 1/2 t red pepper flakes
• pepper
• 1/2 c water + 1/3 t Better Than Bouillon

1. Place chicken in slow cooker with garlic, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes and pepper. 
2. Stir to coat.
3. Pour in broth.
4. Cook on low for 8 hours (up to 10).
5. Serve with rice and veges.

Notes

• breasts cook faster
• fry drumsticks/thighs in oil before placing in slow cooker.
• made with frozen drumsticks and cooked for 9 hours.

Easy Baked Chicken Thighs

Had to use the rest of the value pack of chicken thighs, so threw this in the oven for a quick meal and leftovers. Next time I'd throw in some chopped carrots on the side.

• 3 T garlic, minced
• 2 T soy sauce, low-sodium
• 1 T worcestershire sauce
• 1 T dried parsley
• generous sprinkling of black pepper
• 1/3 c butter
• 6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs

1. Microwave garlic, sauces, parsley, pepper and butter for 1:30. Stir until all the butter is melted.
2. Grease baking dish.
3. Space chicken thighs out in dish and then pour a spoonful of sauce on each thigh. Save remainder of sauce for basting later.
4. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. 
5. Baste with remaining sauce.
6. Bake at 450F for 10 minutes.
7. Server over rice with vegetables.

Notes

*** Overall, **** for ease of preparation
4/27/11 Made it again. Threw in broccoli on the steamer attachment of the rice cooker. Quite a nice complete meal with very low prep time. Might upgrade to **** rating overall.
Oct 2019 baked brussel sprouts at same time and they came out perfectly.

Variations

Broil for last 10 minutes. 

Bake at 375 in three 15 minute batches, basting each time.

Broil for 20 minutes. (Careful of smoking issues, or burning the garlic).

Use all soy instead of worcestershire. Substitute balsamic vinegar for the worcestershire.

Use rosemary instead of parsley.

Pan Fried Chicken with sauce

Delicious! Use a high quality fragrant coconut milk for the best outcome.

• 6-8 skinless boneless chicken thighs, defrosted
• 1 t cayenne
• 1 t cumin (heaping)
• 1 t turmeric
• 1 t coriander
• salt + pepper
• oil
• 1 T fresh ginger, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 tomato, seeded, diced
• 1 can coconut milk

1. In a shallow container, mix cayenne, cumin, turmeric and coriander.
2. Coat each chicken piece thoroughly in spice mixture.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Heat (cast-iron) pan to medium. Add 1 T oil. Cook chicken (each side about 4 minutes) until juices run clear. Remove to serving bowl.
5. Add more oil. Lightly fry the garlic and ginger for 2 minutes. Add the carrot, frying another 3 minutes.
6. Add the tomato. Cook another 5 minutes.
7. Stir in coconut milk. Simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Add the chicken back into the pan. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
9. Serve over rice.

Variations

• Add peas for something green.
• Use onion instead of/in addition to carrots.
• Add 2 jalapeno peppers with the garlic.
• Garnish with basil or parsley.

Notes

10/30/11 Made for dinner, peas thrown in with the coconut milk. Served with rice and steamed broccoli. 7 thighs, plenty left over - especially sauce.
2/15 Made for dinner with extra large can of coconut milk, diced water chestnuts (excellent for texture, leftover from making jiaozi), 2 carrots, no tomato.

7/28/21 6 thighs, 3 cherry tomatoes from garden halved, peas. Served with side of rice and okra.

Butter Chicken = Chicken Makhani

I chose the easy recipe that required just throwing everything in the slow cooker. I don't have any garam masala so used a mixture of spices on hand. This is the sort of dish that comes with lots of variations. For all the different tweaks you can do, see the notes below.

• 2 lb chicken (I cut up breasts but recipes recommend thighs)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 T butter
• 2 1/4 t ground cardamom (or 15 pods if you have them)
• 2 heaping t curry powder (I used a madras curry powder)
• 1 t cayenne (I subbed paprika but next time use pure chili powder)
• 2 t tandoori masala
• 1/2 t ground ginger (or use fresh)
• 1 t garam masala (or substitute: dash of cloves, 2 dashes of cinnamon, 1/2 t ground cumin, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 t paprika, 1/4 t chili powder [should be cayenne], optional: nutmeg, coriander, cardamom, black pepper) (and I threw in some turmeric)
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 c natural yogurt (optional)
• 1/2 c + 2 T tomato sauce (should use paste)
• 2 T lemon juice (didn't have any)
• salt

1. Dump everything in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low 6-8 hours.
2. Salt to taste. Serve with rice or naan.

Variations

• Use whole breasts, whole thighs, or cut up chicken.
• Optional: Marinate the chicken first.
• Optional: Stir fry cut up chicken, onions, garlic with the butter before adding to crock pot.
• Add the cup of yogurt 15 minutes before serving, not at the beginning.
• Add more garam masala or curry powder at end of cooking to adjust to taste.
• Add half cup of peas.
• Use frozen solid breasts on low for 8 hours.
• To make matching rice, use jasmine rice and use coconut milk as part of the liquid. Add cardamom and cinnamon. 
• Sprinkle freshly chopped cilantro over the dish.
• If you only have lite coconut milk, add 1-2 T shredded coconut.
• Use tabasco sauce in place of cayenne.
• Add a diced potato 2 hours before serving.
• Substitute cinnamon stick (or powder) for cardamom pods
• Use sour cream instead of yogurt; milk + coconut extract instead of coconut milk.
• Use a pressure cooker instead of a slow cooker to drastically speed up cooking time.
• Add 1/4 c finely ground cashews to thicken. Or ground almonds.
• Use 1 freshly chopped tomato instead of the tomato paste.

Vietnamese Style Salad

A couple weeks ago we made fresh rolls. This is one of my favorite dishes - a delectable combination of fresh and tasty ingredients. The wrapping process can be quite enjoyable as well - trying to make the perfect wrap - tight around all the juicy bits. But when you're hungry and want to wolf down 5 rolls one after the other, it becomes frustrating - you rush the process, break the skin, make it too loose and it falls apart as you dip it. It just so happened a blog I follow offered a spin on it. Toss everything in a bowl and use rice noodles instead of the rice wrapper and call it a salad. Same ingredients, same taste, with a big payoff. Tried it out last night and it was delicious. Here is my spin on his recipe.

3/12/15 made this without brining chicken pieces, boiling them in salted water for 10 min. Added sliced cucumber and left out garlic, sprouts and chili flakes. Kids gobbled it up. 


Salad Base

• 3 chicken thighs
• salt, sugar, water (brine)
• romaine lettuce
• fresh mint
• fresh basil
• fresh bean sprouts
• rice noodles
• roasted peanuts

Marinade/Sauce

(for 2.5 heads of romaine lettuce it was still more than enough, adjust as necessary)

• 1/4 c + 1 T water, hot
• 1/3 t salt
• 3/16 c sugar
• 3/16 c rice vinegar
• 1/4 c fish sauce
• 1/2 t crushed red pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• juice of half a lime (about 1-2 T)
• 1/2 carrot, shredded

1. Fill a large container with water and add 1T salt and 1T sugar or whatever brine ratio you like. Let sit for one hour in the fridge.
2. Make the marinade: Add the salt and sugar to the hot water and let dissolve. Add the rest of the ingredients. You can set some aside to use as dressing for the noodles and salad. 
3. Bake the chicken at 350F until done. (I checked after 20 min, flipped them and took them out 10 min later). 
4. Cool slightly, cut/shred and dump into marinade. Let sit for 1-2 hours in fridge.
5. Make the salad: Chop the lettuce and sprouts into bite size pieces. Add some chopped mint and basil. 
6. Boil water. Add the rice noodles. Follow package directions (based on width of noodles - about 5-7 minutes) for length of time. Drain and run under cold water until cooled. Cut with scissors to bite size lengths. Coat with marinade. Toss in with salad. 
7. Add the drained chicken. Top with peanuts. 
8. Serve with extra marinade on the side. (You don't need much as the noodles and chicken have plenty - and you get plenty of flavor from the herbs.)

Variations

coriander, shrimp, cucumber, beef, tofu

If using frozen shrimp, boil for 2-3 minutes. Drain and run under cold water. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Curried Chicken

Got an Indian Curry packet at the spice shop and tried out some of it tonight.

• 2 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless, cut into 1/2" pieces
• salt + pepper
• 2 T oil
• 2 T curry powder
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• dash of cumin
• 1 can coconut milk
• small basket of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1/4 c tomato sauce
• 2 T sugar (3 was too much)
• 2 small potatoes, diced

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in pan. Add curry powder. Stir over medium heat for 2-5 minutes.
3. Add onions, garlic and cumin and cook slowly for 7 minutes, adding more oil if necessary.
4. Add chicken, and cook until no longer pink. (7-10 min)
5. Add coconut milk, tomatoes, sauce, sugar and potatoes. Simmer 30 minutes or up to 3 hours, until potatoes are cooked through and sauce is desired consistency.
6. Server over rice

Variations

• Add frozen peas.
• Add cashews.
• Use chicken broth.
• Use canned, stewed, diced tomatoes instead of fresh.
• Throw everything in crockpot and cook on LOW for ?? hours.
• Thicken with cornstarch slurry (instead of simmering for hours).
• Add cauliflower.
• Serve with naan to soak up sauce.
• Add zucchini and mushroom.
• Top with fresh cilantro.