Chicken Fried Rice

The Passion Pit song "Take A Walk" is playing in my head as I write the post because instead of taking a walk, yesterday M and I bought a wok.  "We bought a wok..."

M made a yummy chicken fried rice with fresh veggies in our new cooking vessel.  He found a tutorial here.

We gathered and prepped our fresh ingredients (the tutorial shows frozen veggies).  It took longer to prep everything than it did to cook our fried rice in our Anolon 12" Wok with a copper bottom. 

We used:
2 eggs
2 chicken breasts, chopped
1/2 orange pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
baby bok choy, a few ounces chopped
1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks
1/2 can straw mushrooms 
1 small can of water chestnuts
1 cup white rice, cooked
fish sauce
Hoisin sauce
soy sauce
sugar
corn starch
pepper

Directions:

1. Marinate the chicken pieces in sugar, corn starch, fish sauce, and soy sauce.  Set aside.

2. Once all the ingredients are prepped, fry the eggs in the wok with a dash of sesame oil. Do not cook all the way through.  Remove from the wok and set aside for later.

3. Add a bit more sesame oil and cook the chicken.  Once cooked, remove from the wok and set aside for later.

4. Add more oil and cook the onion, garlic, and ginger until translucent.  Next add all other veggies, chicken, egg, and white rice.  Then add Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and fish sauce to taste. Blend all the ingredients together.  Enjoy!

Note - next time we'll add green onions/scallions.  We made fresh white rice, but from what we read, day-old rice is best. 

Coconut Soup with Chicken (Tom Kha Gai)

On Sunday M made a delicious Thai coconut soup with chicken (also known as Tom Kha Gai).  He included chicken, coconut milk, shrimp stock, carrots, broccoli, bamboo shoots, baby corn, mushrooms, fish sauce, Thai chili paste, basil, cilantro, ginger, lime juice, lime zest, lemon grass, butter, salt, and sugar. 

Kielbasa, Shrimp, and Chicken Gumbo

M made a heavenly, scrumptious gumbo for our camping trip; he prepared it at home and then we reheated it over the campfire.  This hearty dish warmed our bones and we'll be eating it again - camping or no-camping.

The base recipe was from campingcafe.com and M added a few other ingredients, like kielbasa, chicken, diced tomatoes, sauces, and spices. 

For Kielbasa, Shrimp, and Chicken Gumbo you'll need:
1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 box (14.5 oz.) chicken broth
1 box (14.5 oz) beef broth
4 cups water
1/2 lb. kielbasa, cut into bite-size pieces
diced chicken breast from 2 chicken breasts
1 can diced tomatoes, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon celery flakes
1 teaspoon Chesapeake Bay Style seasoning 
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 lb. medium shrimp, seasoned with Chesapeake Bay Style seasoning and cooked
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
Splash of Tabasco 
1 box Zataran's jambalaya rice cooked, or rice of your choice
cornbread muffin

Directions:
1. In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Gradually add in flour and stir. Cook until it's light brown, stirring often so the mixture does not burn, about 10 minutes. Pour in the chicken and beef broths and mix until blended.

2. In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and heat until hot. Add celery, garlic, green pepper, and onion.  Cook until vegetables are tender.

3. Add all veggies, including the diced tomatoes, to the broth.  Next add the kielbasa, chicken, herbs, salt and pepper, Worcestershire and Tabasco.  Simmer for 15 minutes. 

4. Then add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for about 1 hour.

5. In another pan, season the shrimp with Chesapeake Bay Style seasoning and cook.  Add to the gumbo.  Simmer for another 20 minutes.

6. Place the rice at the bottom of your bowl.  Top with Kielbasa, Shrimp, and Chicken Gumbo and serve with a corn muffin.  (We used Trader's Joe cornbread mix and made it into a dozen muffins.)

Chicken Bacon Alfredo Pasta

For this dish you'll need:

1/4 box of pasta
olive oil
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 cup butter
1 cup cream
1 and 1/2 freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup cream cheese
Salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
1 can peas
2 cooked chicken breasts, chopped 
4 slices cooked bacon, chopped
handful of fresh chopped basil

Directions:

1. Boil your choice of pasta in salted water.  We used angel hair.  Drain and lightly toss is olive oil.

2. Saute 2 cups of sliced mushrooms and onions.  Set aside. 

2. In a separate sauce pan, melt a 1/4 cup of butter over medium heat.  Whisk in cream, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and cream cheese.  Add salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes to taste.  Add a can of peas, cooked chicken, mushrooms and onions. 

3. Add cooked noodles to the sauce pan and toss to coat.

4. Plate and add crispy, chopped bacon and basil. 

Cooking note - The Parmesan cheese was challenging to melt.  Next time we might use a cheese that melts easier, like Provolone, an Asiago blend, or Gruyere. 

Chicken Tikka Masala

The other night I was craving chicken on the grill.  My boyfriend suggested we make chicken tikka masala.  I wanted a recipe that was easy to make and one that did not require too many ingredients that we would never use again if the dish was a flop (which is was not - please keep reading).   So we bought a new propane tank for the gas grill and a few ingredients for our Indian meal.

Chicken Tikka Masala with Sautéed Greens (upper left)

I found a great recipe here, which we tweaked. This recipes serves 4, which we ate for dinner and still had enough a left-over lunch the next day.

Marinade:
1/2 cup yogurt
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice 
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
3 thin boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (less than a pound of meat)

Grill: We added the marinated chicken and 1/2 onion - chopped in large pieces - onto 4 wooden skewers.

Tikka Masala Sauce:
1-1/2 teaspoons butter
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1-1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1 can of peas
small can of tomato paste

Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro

Procedure: 

1. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon cumin, cinnamon, paprika, black pepper, ginger, and 2 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken pieces, cover, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes. 

2. Preheat grill on high heat. 

3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken and chopped onion onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill about 5 minutes on each side. 

5. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic and jalapeno for a few minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon cumin, paprika, and 1-1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce, cream, and tomato paste. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 15-20 minutes. 

6. Add the grilled onion to the sauce and blend with an immersion blender.   

7. Fold in the grilled chicken and peas into the tikka masala sauce. 

8. Place chicken tikka masala over jasmine rice and  garnish with fresh cilantro.

COOKING NOTES: The peas added a great textural element to the sauce.  We're thinking of incorporating potatoes and/or cauliflower next time as well. 

I cannot express how delicious this Indian dish was.  My boyfriend stated that it was even more impressive than some of the chicken tikka masala meals we had in actual Indian restaurants.  If you enjoy Indian food, than you must try this recipe!!!  We've been talking to all our friends about it and will definitely be making it again.