Lemon Chicken

We celebrated Valentine's Day and the Chinese New Year this weekend with one of the best dishes I've ever made!! I found this recipe on one of the many cooking blogs I read (not sure which one, otherwise I would credit it), and I had to try it right away... especially since Lemon Chicken is one of Boyfriend's all time favorites. It was time consuming, and a true labor of love, but the end result was definitely worth it!!

Main Ingredients: 2 pounds of chicken, cut into small pieces & vegetable oil for frying.

Marinade
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
4 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Batter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Lemon Sauce
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup honey - this came to a whole small jar.
9 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice - about 5 lemons.
6 tablespoons light corn syrup
6 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons ketchup
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (Mine turned blue. Not sure why?)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
Dash of white pepper
Peel of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons corn starch
3 tablespoon cold water

1. Marinating Chicken: Place cut up chicken in glass baking pan. In separate bowl, put together the ingredients for the marinade. Turn chicken to coat both sides. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until you're done with the sauce.

2. Lemon Sauce: While chicken is in the refrigerator, mix the lemon sauce ingredients (except the cornstarch and the water) in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil. At this point, in a small prep bowl, add the cornstarch and water together and mix very well. (Remember that old science experiment with the cornstarch and water where it ended up being not a solid, but not a really a liquid? Yeah. That's what you're making.) Then add the cornstarch mixture to sauce. Cook and stir until sauce is thickened; about 10-20 seconds. Remove from heat and discard lemon peel.

3. Deep Frying: Heat vegetable oil (about 2-3 inches) in a Wok to 350 degrees. (I found this on Med/Low end. If you get it too hot you will burn you little chicken nuggets. Trust me. I set off the fire alarm. Twice.) Dip the chicken, one piece at a time, in the batter. Fry 8-10 pieces at a time, until lightly brown -- about 2-3 minutes, then flip. When cooked, place on a paper toweled plate to help with the grease.

4. Plate and top with fresh lemon, and either pour or dip the lemon sauce. Serve with sticky rice that can be found in the ethnic section of your local grocer.

5. Enjoy!!

ps I'm pretty sure that this sauce can be used on grilled chicken as well to avoid the whole frying mess, but then you loose the batter that is oh-so-good!!

Chicken Stir-fry

I'm pretty sure it doesn't get any easier than this homemade dish that easily serves 4! Serve it with an eggroll (found in your grocer's freezer case) and you have a complete Asian-inspired meal. And, hey--there are so many good-for-you ingredients in this one, too! The vegetable mix I used includes broccoli and pea pods, and something else that I'm not sure about!

You need:

1. 1 tbsp vegetable oil
2. 12 oz. package fresh stir-fry veggies (produce section)
3. 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
4. 1/2 cup sliced purple onion
5. 1 lb. chicken, cut into small pieces
6. 4 cups cooked whole-grain or white rice
7. 1/2 cup orange juice
8. 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
9. 1 tspn soy sauce
10. 2 squirts of ketchup
11. 1 tspn corn starch

You do:

1. Heat oil in large skillet or saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add vegetables to pan (bell pepper, onion, and stir-fry mix). Cook for 5 minutes, or until veggies are slightly tender. (If you so desire, you can add a can of mini corn, or carrot matchsticks at this point as well.)
3. Add chicken to pan with veggies. Stir frequently and cook about 8 minutes, or until all chicken is cooked.
4. Meanwhile, whisk together orange juice, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, and cornstarch.
5. Once chicken is cooked, add juice mixture to pan.
6. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low.
7. Allow mixture to simmer, tossing from time to time, for about 5 minutes.
8. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Nam! Nam!