take-out

Chicken and Broccoli Teriyaki

~ lk529 ~ 15 Comments

I think kids have a natural-born radar for sweets. The other day I was enjoying a homemade rice krispie treat and Firecracker walked over to me and took a bite of it right out of my hand. Now, he’s never seen a rice krispie treat before, how was he to know what it was?! He wouldn’t have done the same thing if it were celery in my hand instead. I was highly amused and slightly baffled.

While I’m on that note: Can someone please explain to me why if it comes out of a package or box my 2 year old will devour it?

As is normally the case if it comes from a restaurant. Chicken Teriyaki from the mall food court, perfect. Chicken Teriyaki made by Mom, no thanks. Maybe he sensed that the chicken wasn’t battered and fried…? My 8 month old enjoyed it at any rate. I think my husband enjoyed it most of all, if only just for the excuse to use his Darth Vader Lightsaber Chopsticks.

Chicken and Broccoli Teriyaki

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 C sugar
  • 1/2 C + 2 tbsp water, divided use
  • 1/3 C soy sauce
  • juice 1/2 lemon
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tsp canola oil
  • 1 large chicken breast, chopped or sliced
  • 2 C broccoli florets
  • 1-2 scallions, thinly sliced (optional)

Steps:

  1. Combine sugar, 1/2 C water, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer. In a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch and 2 tsbp water until smooth. Add to the sauce. Allow sauce to thicken over low heat.
  2. In a wok or large skillet, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken with S+P, saute chicken until browned and fully cooked. Add the broccoli to the pan and cook until tender.
  3. Add as much teriyaki sauce to the chicken and broccoli as desired, tossing to coat.
  4. Serve over a bed of rice and garnish of scallions.

*The sauce recipe is adapted from Kylee at http://www.kyleecooks.com/2016/06/homemade-teriyaki-sauce.html*

Chicken and Broccoli Teriyaki Sew You Think You Can Cook

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Sweet and Sour Chicken

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Hey everyone! Stir Fry Day Friday is back! Well, sort of. Sweet and Sour Chicken isn’t exactly a stir fry, but it’s meat and veggies cooked in a pan and tossed in a sauce.. close enough, right?

Now that Lent is over our Stir Fry Day Friday theme can continue more regularly. While there are great shrimp and fish stir fries out there I much prefer stir fries made with meat!

There are a LOT of recipes on the internet that boast that they taste exactly like restaurant or take-out, and while all of them are delicious I’ve always found something to be missing – usually that extra bit of sweetness that makes take-out not the healthiest option.

This sweet and sour chicken actually tastes like take out! I was so excited. Stuart and I both went back for seconds – and thirds. I’m not sure if it’s really healthier – it might have less sodium and no MSG, but there’s still a good amount of sugar in this delicious sauce. I forgot to coat the chicken in cornstarch prior to frying so maybe I cut out half a calorie there? I was afraid I’d miss that take-out fried chicken texture but I didn’t! I even enjoyed the bell peppers, which aren’t my favorite vegetable. I used yellow and red because the green did not look good at the store that day – use whatever you like.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 C sugar
  • 1/2 C apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 C ketchup
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 lb chicken tenderloin, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 bell peppers, chopped (any color you prefer)
  • 1/2 onion, chopped

Steps:

  1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, S+P. Bring sauce to a boil.
  2. In a small bowl whisk the cornstarch with 2 tbsp cold water until smooth. Whisk into the sauce. Reduce heat to low and allow sauce to thicken.
  3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with S+P and brown on both sides. Add the veggies to the skillet and cook until just tender and the chicken is fully cooked.
  4. Add the sauce to the skillet and toss to coat. Serve with white rice.

*This recipe is adapted from Tiffany at http://lecremedelacrumb.com/2014/12/healthy-sweet-sour-chicken.html*

Sweet and Sour Chicken | Sew You Think You Can Cook