Tag: spicy

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Not-Too-Spicy Chicken Enchiladas Suizas

I love a bit of spice, but it doesn’t love me! I’ve tweaked this recipe to suit my sensitive stomach, but you can add more chilis of various pain-inducing varieties to please your palate; just saute them along with the onions.

Ingredients

  • 3 Large Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 1/4 cup (half-stick) of Margarine
  • 1 cup Chopped Onion
  • 1 can Mild Green Chilis (4 oz.)
  • 1 cup Shredded Colby, Monterrey Jack, or Cheddar Cheese (or a blend of these cheeses)
  • 8 Flour Tortillas
  • 1 tbsp. Corn Starch
  • 1 cup Chicken Broth
  • 2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
  • Additional 1/2 cup Cheese
  • Sour Cream and Fresh Cilantro to garnish

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
  2. In a large pot, boil chicken breasts until just cooked through.
  3. When cooked, remove chicken from water an cut into small cubes. Place in large bowl and set aside.
  4. In a skillet, melt margarine over medium-high heat.
  5. Add onions to skillet and cook until translucent.
  6. Add cooked onions, chilis, and 1 cup cheese to chicken and mix to combine.
  7. Spray a baking pan* with cooking spray.
  8. Fill tortillas with chicken mixture, and arrange in pan.
  9. In a large bowl (or a plastic juice pitcher works great for this) combine corn starch and chicken broth and whisk until thoroughly combined.
  10. Add whipping cream to broth mixture and whisk.
  11. Pour chicken broth mixture over filled tortillas.
  12. Sprinkle with an additional 1/2 cup of cheese.
  13. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.
  14. Allow to cool for several minutes before serving. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of cilantro if you’re feeling fancy.

*Any size that will accommodate the width of your tortillas and will hold eight of them will do. The best part of this recipe is the creamy sauce, so leaving a little space for extra sauce is a good idea.

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Chicken Pad Thai

Pad Thai is one of my favorite take-out treats. So of course, I had to figure out how to make it at home, too! I’ve tweaked several recipes into this version, which mimics my favorite restaurant’s flavors, but without the styrofoam box and disposable chopsticks. 

Ingredients

  • 1/2 (12 ounce) Package Rice Noodles
  • 1 Large Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast (cut into bite-sized pieces)
  • 2 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1-1/2 tsp. White Wine Vinegar
  • 3 tbsp. Oyster Sauce
  • 1 tsp. White Sugar
  • 1/2 to 2 tsp. Hot Chili Garlic Sauce*
  • 1 cup Bean Sprouts
  • 2 tbsp. Peanuts (finely chopped)
  • 1 to 2 Green Onions (chopped)
  • 1 Lemon or Lime (sliced into wedges)

* Hot Chili Garlic Sauce is a powerful concoction, suitable for Asian cuisine or removing rust stains from a shower drain. Add it sparingly, and taste frequently so as not to damage your palate or your esophagus.

Directions

  1. Soak rice noodles in cold water for 40 to 50 minutes, or until soft. Drain, and set aside.
  2. As with much Asian cooking, once you heat the oil there’s not a lot of time to dilly-dally. So, before your noodles are finished soaking, cut the chicken, chop the green onions and peanuts, and slice the lemon or lime. Then get the remainder of your ingredients assembled and ready.
  3. Heat oil on medium-high heat in a wok or large skillet.
  4. Sauté chicken until just barely cooked. Remove chicken from pan, and set aside.
  5. Add additional oil to wok or skillet if needed.
  6. Beat egg and cook in hot oil until firm, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks.
  7. Return chicken to pan, and cook while mixing for 3 to 5 more minutes, until chicken has browned.
  8. Add softened noodles, vinegar, oyster sauce, sugar, and hot chili garlic sauce. (Adjust seasonings to taste.)
  9. Mix while cooking, until noodles are tender, about 5 minutes.
  10. Add bean sprouts and chopped green onions, and cook while mixing for 3 more minutes.
  11. Serve, and garnish with chopped peanuts and wedges of lemon or lime. Squeeze juice onto serving before enjoying.
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Charlie’s Chinese Chicken

I traded my Lemon Meringue Pie recipe with a co-worker whose parents had a very popular Chinese restaurant to get the secrets to this dish. You can customize it with more or different veggies, by varying the ratio of Hot Chili Garlic Sauce and Honey to increase or decrease the spiciness, or make it with different meats. 

Ingredients

  • Four Servings White Rice
  • 2 lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
  • ½ cup Corn Starch
  • Water (enough to create a thick batter)
  • 4 cups Vegetable Oil
  • 4 cups Frozen Asian Vegetables
  • 1 tbsp. Hot Chili Garlic Sauce
  • ½ cup Honey
  • ½ tsp. Sesame Oil
  • 1 tbsp. Sesame Seeds

Directions

  1. Prepare four servings of white rice.
  2. Heat oil in wok or a large skillet over Medium High to High heat.
  3. Cut chicken in to small, bite-sized pieces of equal size.
  4. Mix flour, corn starch, and water into a thick batter.
  5. Add chicken to batter and mix until all chicken is well coated.
  6. Confirm that oil is hot by flicking a few drops of water into the wok. It should be hot enough that you have the impulse to jump backward from the stove when the water hits the oil.
  7. Carefully drop individual pieces of chicken into the oil. Be brave! It’s a bit like dropping rocks into the mouth of a volcano. The closer you get the chicken to the oil before you drop it, the less it will splash, likely saving you a trip to the burn unit at the emergency room.
  8. Cook until golden brown.
  9. Remove chicken from oil and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
  10. Remove oil from wok but do not wash or wipe. You want to have a coating of oil remaining in the wok.
  11. From this point on, you will be flipping and stirring constantly, so have everything within arm’s reach!
  12. Return wok to heat and add frozen vegetables.  Cook until just hot. Do not overcook as they should still be firm and crisp.
  13. Add cooked chicken to vegetables in wok and combine.
  14. Add hot chili garlic sauce, honey, and sesame oil, and mix until chicken and vegetables are thoroughly coated. You might be thinking, “I just dumped out four cups of oil! Why add sesame oil now?” Charlie always said that adding sesame oil gives food “Real Chinese Flavor,” so don’t skip it!
  15. Remove from heat and serve over white rice.
  16. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
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