Sweet-n-Spicy Sticky Crispy Chicken Wings

I really like chicken wings, but I'm not a fan of the typical buffalo sauce they are normally served with.  BBQ sauce is good, but that gets a little boring, too.  The best chicken wing sauce I've ever had was a unique garlic ranch sauce that they serve at Dick's Wings in Jacksonville, Florida.  I lived there for a year and must have eaten there a dozen times because that sauce was sooooo good!  One time, when I went back to Florida to visit, I bought a whole gallon of their sauce so I could made my own wings at home.  Since I don't get to Florida very often, and I've yet to find a copycat version of that delicacy, I was determined to find something else really yummy, and I totally scored with this one!

These wings have a great, crispy texture, and the sauce is sweet and spicy with a unique Asian flavor that was anything but boring.  In fact, the sauce was so yummy and easy, I just might try it on a few other things!

Sweet-n-Spicy Sticky Crispy Chicken Wings
Prep time: 15 min  Cook time: 10 min
Serves 6

4 lbs chicken wings sections
1 cup flour
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1.5 tsp Chinese five spice powder
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1.5 Tbs ground ginger
1 eggs
1 Tbs milk

For the Glaze:
1 finely minced garlic clove
2 tsp olive oil
⅔ cup honey
2 tsp Chinese crushed chili paste
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp salt

Mix together the flour, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, five-spice powder, sea salt, black pepper and ground ginger.  Whisk together the eggs and milk.

Dredge the wings in the egg mixture then the flour mixture and drop them in a 350°F deep fryer for about 8-10 minutes or little longer for larger wings, until a medium golden brown.  Drain on a wire rack placed on a paper towel-lined cookie sheet. Hold in a 175°F oven if making more than one batch.

Add the oil and garlic to a small saucepan.  Saute over medium heat until the garlic is softened but not browned.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

Pour over all the cooked wings in a large bowl and toss well to cover the wings in the glaze before serving.

797 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Egg Rolls

Everybody in my house loves Asian food. The kiddo likes sweet and sour chicken (which is basically chicken nuggets with a fruity sauce to dip them in) and the hubs and I like pretty much everything stir-fried and served with a side of soy sauce. One of my favorite Asian dishes is egg rolls. I remember when I was a little kid my dad would take me out to eat at the grocery store deli because I loved the egg rolls they served!

Weird, I know. I used to order an egg roll as an appetizer every time we went out to the Asian restaurant, but I rarely order them now because I love these homemade ones so much! Even better, this recipe makes a ton, so I can have them as a main course instead of just an appetizer. They taste best fresh, so I use that as an excuse to eat as many of them as I want as soon as they come out of the fryer. 

Egg Rolls
Prep time: 30 min  Cook time: 15 min
Makes 20

1 (6 oz) can tiny shrimp or chicken
1 cup chopped canned bean sprouts
1 (8 oz) can water chestnuts, drained, chopped
1 (14 oz) bag coleslaw mix
1 cup diced onion
2 Tbs sesame seed oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 egg, beaten
20 egg roll wrappers

Stir-fry protein, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, coleslaw mix, and onion in oil till crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and soy sauce to taste.

Scoop 1/4 cup of filling into an egg roll wrapper. Pull one corner of wrapper tightly over filling, then fold in the side corners. Brush beaten egg on the top corner and finish rolling. (Watch the short video below - it's easy!)

Deep fry at 325°F till golden brown and crispy. Drain and serve hot. I like to serve these with fried rice.  (I'll post that recipe soon!)

If you have any leftovers, make sure you reheat them in the oven on a metal pan so they regain their crispiness. Soggy egg rolls are yucky! You can also individually wrap uncooked egg rolls in wax paper then freeze to cook later.

Thai Delight

I have been looking for a new perfume for years. Every time I find one I like I ask my husband if he likes it, and every time he says the same thing, "I don't know."

Soooo frustrating! How can you not know if you like something? We went shopping tonight and he said that about half a dozen different perfumes, so I was getting pretty annoyed. When we got hoe, the house still smelled delectably of the amazing dinner we had. His comment? "Man, that still smells good! You should get some perfume that smells like this!"

He may not know what perfume he likes, but he sure does appreciate a good dinner, and this is definitely a good one!

Thai Delight
Total time: 15 min
Serves 4

4 cups cooked Jasmine rice
2 Tbs oil
1 cup green onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp crushed ginger
12 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 bag (16 oz) frozen stir fry veggies
3 Tbs Thai pesto*
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs fish sauce
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 tsp honey
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, if desired

In a wok, fry the green onions, garlic and ginger in oil until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.  Add the vegetables and shrimp. Stir fry till veggies are crisp tender and shrimp is pink.

Add the pesto, soy sauce, fish sauce, coconut milk and honey. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Serve over rice. Garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired.

*If you have trouble finding Thai pesto in the store, you can easily make your own with this quick and easy recipe!

Thai Pesto
1 bunch cilantro
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil   
2 Tbs minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 Tbs fish sauce
1 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree till smooth.  This makes more than you will need for the Thai Delight recipe, but you can easily freeze the rest for later.

Pork Satay

So it's only November, but the polar vortex has swept across the country, and it is freakin' cold outside here! Much to my dismay, I realized about 5 minutes before it was time to start dinner that the meal on my menu was meant to be cooked on the grill--outside. Yikes.

Fortunately, because the pork is sliced so thin, the cook time on these awesome pork skewers is a whopping 6 minutes, short enough I could stay out there the whole time without turning into a popsicle. Thin slices and short cook times also mean super tender meat, and the peanut sauce is to die for! In fact, I might start making batches of this sauce to keep in the fridge for multi-purpose dipping. Since I was grilling, I also skewered up some green peppers and onions and tossed those on the barbie. They took a few more minutes than the pork, but not long at all. The dipping sauce was great on them, too.

Pork Satay
Prep time:15 min  Cook time:6 min
Serves 4

1 lb pork tenderloin, partially frozen

Sauce:
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
3 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs creamy peanut butter
1-1/2 Tbs canola oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp ground ginger

In a small saucepan, bring all sauce ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until thickened. Set aside 1/2 cup mixture for sauce.

Cut pork in half widthwise; cut each half into thin strips (cutting the tenderloin into thin strips is easiest when meat is partially frozen). Thread pork strips loosely onto metal or soaked wooden skewers. Grill, uncovered, over medium-hot heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until no longer pink, basting occasionally with remaining mixture. Serve with reserved sauce.

296 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Sweet and Sour Popcorn Chicken

I just have to laugh at my kid sometimes. Like me, she likes to go out to eat and frequently has very strong opinions about where she does and does not want to eat when we do go out. What's so funny is that, no matter where we go, she always gets the exact same thing! McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Hardee's, Bojangles...it's always chicken nuggets. Any other restaurant...nuggets by another name! It really cracks me up when she says she's in the mood for Chinese food, because all she ever orders is sweet and sour chicken which is, you guessed it, chicken nuggets with sweet and sour sauce on the side!

This month, she asked me to put homemade sweet and sour chicken on the menu, and I was happy to oblige because I knew I had this great recipe she would definitely like. Now this sauce does not taste exactly like that red #5 goo they serve at most Chinese restaurants, but in my opinion, it's a lot better! Plus, I know exactly what's in it, unlike that restaurant stuff which probably contains more chemicals that actual food product. Now, this does call for store-bought popcorn chicken, but you could totally make your own if you were so inclined. Like any good Asian dish, you can personalize by adding any kind of vegetable or garnish, but it's super yummy all by itself too.

Sweet and Sour Popcorn Chicken
Prep time: 5 min  Cook time: 15 min
Serves 6

1 medium bell pepper, cubed (any color or a mix)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbs canola oil
1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks
3 Tbs white vinegar
2 Tbs soy sauce
3 Tbs ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbs cornstarch
1 pkg (12 oz) frozen popcorn chicken
3 cups hot cooked white rice
Peanuts and/or crispy chow mein noodles (optional)

In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry green pepper and onion in oil for 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Drain pineapple, reserving the juice in a 2-cup measuring cup; set pineapple aside. Add enough water to the juice to measure 1-1/3 cups; stir in the vinegar, soy sauce and ketchup.

In a large bowl, combine brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir in pineapple juice mixture until smooth. Gradually add to the skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in pineapple and heat through.

Meanwhile, prepare chicken according to preferred package directions. (Most brands can be microwaved, baked, or deep fried. Deep frying makes them crispy and less likely to get soggy when added to the sauce, so that's what I prefer.) Stir into pineapple mixture. Serve over rice. Sprinkle with peanuts and chow mein noodles if desired.

388 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Marissa's Pancit

Did you miss me?! It seems like I haven't blogged in forever! It's been a crazy couple of weeks for me at work and the stress followed me home like a stray puppy dog and took up residence in my brain like a flea infestation. I barely had the energy to make supper, let alone blog about it. Life is slowly normalizing again, so I decided I owed you all a really great recipe to make up for my month-long absence.

This dish is really nothing "special," but it is oh-so-yummy. This is a traditional Filipino recipe that I learned from my stepmother who makes it for my husband every time we visit because he loves it so much. I finally got the recipe from her and now I can make it for him whenever he wants--or at least whenever I can find pancit noodles at the Asian store. They were out for weeks! In a pinch you can use angel hair or rice vermicelli, but the real thing is always the best. Like all my favorite recipes, this comes together super quick and, amazingly, even my picky kid likes it!

Pancit Bihon
Prep time: 15 min  Cook time: 15 min
Serves 6

16 oz pancit bihon noodles
2 Tbs oil
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
2 chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in 2 cups water

1 onion, sliced 
3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1/4 cabbage, sliced into small strips
1 carrot, sliced into strips
3/4 cup snow peas (or red peppers)
3/4 cup diced celery
3 Tbs soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs lemon juice (juice from half a lemon)

Soak the noodles in water for 10 minutes to soften.

Meanwhile, saute chicken in 1 tablespoon oil till lightly browned.  Remove and keep warm.  Saute vegetables in remaining tablespoon of oil till slightly tender, about 5 minutes.

Return chicken to pan with vegetables. Drain noodles and add to chicken and veggies. Pour in bouillon water and soy sauce and simmer till noodles are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste and squeeze lemon juice on top.

353 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Cha-Chang!

Apparently, there is this hugely popular Asian chain restaurant out there called P.F. Chang's that everybody seems to love.  Believe it or not, foodie that I am, I have never been there.  I've just never lived that close to one!  That being said, I have absolutely no authority to discuss their food, but since their reputation precedes them, when I saw a copy cat Chang's recipe, I thought I ought to at least give it a try.  I'm really glad I did because these chicken wraps are perfection - salty with a touch of sweet, soft and chewy with a bit of crunch, simple with a hint of exotic.  With ground chicken instead of beef and lettuce leaves instead of tortillas, it's a little healthier than a taco, but just as much fun to eat.  Even my kiddo liked them (especially since I "forgot" to mention the onions when I blamed the crunch on the water chestnuts!)  These do require a few nontraditional ingredients like chili sauce and sesame oil, but these are great in any Asian recipe, so it won't take long to use them up afterwards.  You can usually buy them in the international foods section of the grocery store.  The original recipe says this only serves 2, but we got four good servings out of it and my hubby can eat!  I served it with a side of teriyaki noodles and vegetables and it was a great success.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps
link to original recipe 
Total time: 20 min.
Serves 4

1 lb ground chicken breast
1/2 onion, minced
salt & pepper, to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1″ knob ginger, peeled & minced
2-1/2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs + 1 tsp rice vinegar
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 Tbs peanut butter
1/2 Tbs water
1/2 Tbs honey
2 tsp chili garlic sauce
Dash of pepper
3 green onions, chopped
1 (8 oz) can sliced water chestnuts, drained & chopped
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
Large outer lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry

Heat a large, non-stick skillet on high. Add chicken, onion, salt & pepper, then cook until chicken is nearly done, stirring often to break up the meat. Add garlic and ginger then continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink.

Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, oil, peanut butter, water, honey, chili garlic sauce and dash of pepper. Microwave for 20 seconds, then stir until smooth. Add into the skillet and stir to combine.

Add green onions and water chestnuts into the skillet then cook for 1-2 minutes until the onions are soft and the water chestnuts are heated through. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, and serve with cold lettuce leaves for wrapping.

357 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Hoisin Happiness

Next to chocolate, peanut butter is one of my favorite flavors.  Everybody knows it's great in cookies and candy, but have you ever tried it in stirfry?  I'm telling you, PB takes regular stirfry to a whole notha' level!  It only takes a couple tablespoons, but it elevates even store-bought stirfry sauce to new heights of flavor complexity.  Now this recipe is slightly more complicated than pouring a bottle of sauce over some meat and veggies, but it's still really easy, and the flavor is so much better than what you can get in a bottle.  It requires a few specialty ingredients, but you can usually get them at Food Lion.  Heck, I think I got mine at Target - and not a super Target, either, just a regular one.  Like all stirfrys, this recipe is totally customizable.  Don't like pork?  Use chicken.  Prefer broccoli to carrots?  Go right ahead.  Wanna add a bag of stirfry vegetables instead?  Knock yourself out.  This recipe is more about the sauce than the stuff underneath it.  You can even leave out the peanut butter if you really want to, but why would you?

Hoisin Pork and Rice Noodles
link to original recipe
Prep time: 20 min Marinate: 4+ hrs  Cook time: 10 min
Serves 8

2/3 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup water

6 Tbs sesame oil

4 Tbs honey
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs fish sauce
6 Tbs vinegar
A squeeze of lime
8 cloves finely minced garlic
2 Tbs fresh grated ginger
1 minced hot pepper (i.e. jalapeno, chili pepper, etc)
6 Tbs hoisin sauce
6 Tbs peanut butter

2 lbs pork cut into thin strips

16 oz rice noodles
1 cup slivered carrots
1/2 cup diced green onions
3/4 cup chopped peanuts
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Whisk all the sauce ingredients together (first 13 items).  Reserve half in another dish. 

Marinate the pork in half the sauce overnight or for at least a few hours.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat and stir-fry the pork until browned on the outside.

Cook your rice noodles according to package directions.  Drain.  Stir in reserved sauce and heat through. Top with pork, carrots, green onions, peanuts, and cilantro.

563 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Since I shared my favorite peanut butter with you a few days ago, I figured I might as well share my new find with you, too.  Today at Aldi I found a jar of Lotus Biscoff Spread. It was touted as "The European Alternative to Peanut Butter," and being such a fan of peanut butter, I decided to try it.  Apparently, it's made from the same stuff as Biscoff cookies, which, if you're like me, you may have only experienced because you took an international flight.  Like the cookies, the spread tastes quite similar to the flavor of graham crackers, but the smooth, creamy texture is just like PB.  It's delightfully sweet and has a rich density.  I can't wait to try it in a sandwich, on celery, maybe even in my next stirfry!

Chinese Fake-Out Bourbon Chicken

Whenever I convince my husband to take me out for dinner, he always suggests the same thing: Chinese food. I guess that's because it's so hard to duplicate authentic Chinese flavors at home. I try every stirfry recipe I come across, but none of them are quite as tasty as restaurant-style Chinese (at least, the American version).

My hopes were a little higher when I ran across this recipe, though, because bourbon chicken doesn't have that typical Chinese flavor. I'm not really sure if it even IS Chinese because I read that it's named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans, so it's probably more like Creole or even French food, but hey, they serve it at Panda Express, so it's Chinese to me! Anyway, I gave it a try and it was super yummy--and surprisingly similar to what I get at the restaurant. The hubs suggested I add some peanuts and green onions to it next time for a little crunch, but otherwise it was great and I'll definitely make it again sometime, especially since they recently closed our local Panda Express.

Bourbon Chicken
Total time: 30 min
Serves 6

2 lbs chicken thighs, cubed 
1 Tbs olive oil
1 garlic clove; crushed
1/4 tsp ginger
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup bourbon (or apple juice)
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 Tbs ketchup
1 Tbs cider vinegar
1/2 cup water

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 Tbs cornstarch
3 cups cooked rice (if desired)

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned. Remove chicken. Add garlic to pan and cook till fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add remaining ingredients to pan, except cornstarch. Heat over medium heat until well blended and dissolved then bring to a boil.

Add chicken and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes uncovered. Stir 1 tablespoon cornstarch into 3 tablespoons cold water then add to pan. Cook sauce until thickened. Serve over hot rice, if desired. 

407 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!