Juicy chicken breast

Tested recipe for juicy and not dry chicken breast

1. Flatted each chicken breast with a back of a glass bottle

2. Seasoned salt and pepper

3. Heat pan with olive oil

4. Once heated, placed chicken breast on medium heat for 1 minute

5. Flipped over and cook for 10 minutes covered on low heat. Do not lift cover

6. After 10 minutes, remove from heat and leave chicken covered for another 10 minutes

Buttermilk Chicken strips

Adapted from :
http://wishfulchef.com/oven-baked-buttermilk-chicken-strips/

Ingredients:

1kg chicken strips

600ml buttermilk

3 teaspoon paprika

3 teaspoon sugar

3 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon pepper

A lot of breadcrumbs, panko seasoned with garlic salt, garlic powder, onion powder

Olive oil

Brine:

Mix buttermilk, paprika, sugar and salt together with chicken and soak overnight

Cooking method:

Mix all breadcrumbs, panko with seasoning. Coat chicken evenly and bake at 230C for 15mins

Thermomix Skinless Sausages

Inspired from Thermomix recipe community.

Ingredients:

500gm chicken mince

1 carrot

1 knob ginger

1 garlic clove

1 tablespoon chicken stock, Thermomix made

Breadcrumbs -1/2-1 cup

1 egg

20g grapeseed oil

Herbs of choice

Method:

Place garlic and ginger. Chop for Sp 6, 5 seconds. Scrap down and sauté for 2 mins, Sp2, 100 C

Let it cool before placing all other ingredients. Mix 30seconds, Sp 6.

This amount makes 8 sausages. Roll into cling wrap

Cook Varoma, 15 minutes, Sp 2.

Finished off in oven for another 15 minutes

Chicken schnitzel

I made chicken schnitzel to freeze for the boy's lunch box for this term

Ingredients:
3 large chicken breast
2 cups bread crumbs
dash of onion powder and garlic salt
1 cup of Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs

Method:
Sliced the chicken breast into 3 thin layers
Coat the chicken slices with egg
Then coat with the breadcrumbs seasoning and Parmesan cheese
Fry in the air fryer for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown

Good for sandwiches

Chicken Pie

Another great recipe for the kids lunch box

Ingredients:

• 3/4 shredded roast chicken
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup chopped celery (1 large stalk)
• 1/3 cup chopped carrot (1 carrot)
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth 
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Stored bought shortcrust pastry

Method:
1. Me;t the butter, add in onions and fry till it is soft
2. Add in celery and carrot and fry till soften
3. add in chicken broth and let it simmer down
4. Lastly, add in chicken and cheese
5. Let the filling cool down before wrapping
6. once cooled, get the pastry ready. i cut one large pastry sheet into 4
7. Pile 2 large tablespoon of the filling on each of the 4 squares
8. Cut another 4 squares from another pastry sheet and pile it on each of the filling.
9. Fold in the edges into a circular shape and pinch them tightly. Crimp the edges with a fork and make a cross cutting on top for the air to release during baking
10. I freeze the pies at this stage but if baking is required, bake it for 180C for around 20 minutes

This pie is very tasty with the chicken broth. I have used homemade chicken broth, and vegetables from the garden. 

Stir Fry Udon Noodles

Adapted from :
http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2013/02/shanghai-fried-noodles.html

I love her website but some of the recipes are hit or miss for our family's taste buds.

This one is a hit for the eldest boy. No pics as dinner was served very late to very hungry peeps in the household.

I have tweaked the recipe according to the amount i am serving up.

Ingredients:

• 500 gm pork, shredded
• 1 TBsp garlic, minced
• 2 packets of Trident Udon Noodles. 400gms each
• Half a wombok sliced

Marinade:

• 1 TBSP light soy sauce
• 1 tsp cornflour / corn starch
• 1 tbsp sugar
• white pepper, to taste
• sesame oil, to taste

Sauce:

• 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp oyster sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 4 Tbsp water
• sesame oil, to taste

Method:

1. Mix pork with marinade and leave it for about 20 minutes.
2. In the meantime, cook the noodles in boiling water according to the instructions on the packaging, until tender, but still firm. Drain thoroughly. Rinse with cold water, drain well again. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a frying pan. Add marinated pork and cook over medium heat until cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Add some oil if necessary, sauté garlic. Toss in the cabbages, add a little of water if you find it’s too dry. Add the noodles, then pour the sauce and stir to coat the noodles. Add the pork stir to combine well. Serve immediately.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients

• 600g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2cm diced, coat with flour and salt, set aside
• 4tbsp of vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, cut into thin wedges
• 1 green capsicum, sliced
• 1 can of pineapple , drained with juice reserved
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 tbsp of sugar 
• 3 tbsp white vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tbsp cornflour combined with 1 tbsp water

Method:
1. Shallow fry the chicken strips in batches. Set aside on a paper towel
2. Whisk the pineapple juice, tomato paste, sugar, white vinegar, soy sauce and Worcestershire Sauce in a bowl
3. Heat 2 tbsp of oil and stir fry the garlic and onions till fragrant.
4. Add in the chicken, capsicum, pineapples.
5. Stir in the sauce and cook until capsicum are done
6. stir in the cornflour and water as the final step and cook till sauce thicken. My family likes lots of sauce so i lessen the cornflour to make a runny sauce.

 I think it is a decent meal for the family. I served this with a nice pot of cabbage soup.

Ginger wine Chicken

My all time favorite dish.

Ingredients:
1. 4 pieces of chicken thigh
2. handful of black fungus soaked overnight to soften
3. 3 tablespoon of goji berries
4. finely sliced ginger. I used around a thumb size ginger. Hubs say needed more ginger but the kids are also having this so i did not want to make it too hot
5. 350 ml mirin (sweet wine) and 200ml Chinese cooking wine
6. 1 cup water
7. Salt to taste
8. Sesame oil

Method:
1. heat up wok with sesame oil. Fry the ginger till it is soft and fragrant
2. Add the chicken and cook for around 2 minutes
3. add in the wine and cook open until it boils
4. once boil, cooked covered under low heat for 30 minutes
5. add in water, goji berries and black fungus. Season with salt
6. Cook for another 10 minutes. Serve with warm rice

If you don't like it sweet, try to reduce the mirin and use more chinese wine ratio. Either way this dish will please during the cold winter nights.

Soy Sauce Chicken with Mushroon

Adapted from: http://dailycookingquest.com/by-category/main-dish/braised-chicken-and-shiitake-in-soy-sauce

The website above has some pretty good recipes. I tried this yesterday night and it was not bad. Was not salty enough but good enough for a healthy alternative.

I used chicken drumsticks and cooked for a long time to ensure it is all cooked. Followed the recipe to the dot. Good menu choice for a cold winter night.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken, each cut into 8 pieces (about 1½ kg) - i used drumsticks
• 4 dried shiitake mushroom (about 50 gram)
• 50 gram ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (Chinese: Shao Xing Hua Tiao Jiu)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce (Indonesian: kecap manis)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon corn starch dissolved in 1 tablespoon drinking water

Instructions

1. Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in hot boiling water until soft and spongy, about 1 hour. Reserve the soaking liquid, remove the shiitake stems, and cut each shiitake into 4 wedges.
2. Heat cooking oil and sesame oil in a pot, fry the garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add chicken pieces and cook until no longer pink.
4. Add shiitake mushroom and 1 cup of the soaking liquid and bring to a boil.
5. Add Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, salt and sugar. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, until chicken is tender and fully cooked.
6. Pour the corn starch liquid and stir until the sauce is thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
7. Turn off heat, and serve immediately with steamed white rice

Chicken Sausage Rolls with Vegetables

Adapted from:
http://foodforlittlesouls.com/2013/06/18/chicken-pumpkin-leek-sausage-rolls/

 Ingredients:
- 1 kg of chicken thighs (minced)
- 1/4 butternut pumpkin
- 1 large zucchini
- 1 large leek
- 3 small apples cored and grated
- 2 cloves garlic
- 25gm butter
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2.5 cups of breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs (1 for egg wash)
- salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon vegetable stock
- sesame oil
- sesame seeds (garnish)

Method:
1. I used the thermomix to do all the mincing. First goes the pumpkin. After mixing at Speed 5 for 2-3 seconds, remove and set aside. Then place the apple and zucchini together and mix on Speed 4-5 for a few seconds
2. I sliced the leek manually into small pieces and set aside
3. First cook all the vegetables. I wanted to make sure the vegetables juice are dried off before mixing into the sausage mix. I have been having issues with very soggy homemade sausage rolls, so trying out a different method this time as compared to mixing them raw into the meat mixture.
4. In a non stick frying pan add butter and oil. Over a low-medium heat, saute the leeks for 10 minutes or until they are soft and golden. Add the zucchini, pumpkin and apple. Cook for a further 10-20 minutes until all the moisture has evaporated out of the pan and the vegetables have collapsed. Set aside and cool completely.
5. Once cool, add the chicken minced, breadcrumbs, thyme egg,vegetable stock, dash of sesame oil and seasoning. Add the egg as well and mix with hands till well combined. I used a hand glove to get them all well mixed up.
6. Defrost frozen puff pastry sheets. Cut each square of pastry in half to make two rectangles. Using a clean spoon, place mince mixture along the middle of each rectangle. roll them up nice and tight, seal the ends by pressing with a fork. Then brush the bottom and top of the rolls with egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and then place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes at 180C. Remember to pre heat the oven first and line up baking trays with baking paper. I tried the first batch with the cooking raw as i wanted to make sure all the moisture drips to the bottom of the tray and pastry stays dry and flaky but it did not turn out well as the pastry got stuck in between the racks. So lining them flat is a better idea

7. I used up 10 pastry sheets for this volume of meat/mix. The pastry were not soggy due to the egg wash and because i have rolled them tight. Finally a good recipe for getting nice crispy sausage rolls.

8. those sausage rolls were very yummy and moist, too much herbs and must cut down on them next time.

Chicken Nugget with CornFlake crumbs

This is the easiest chicken nuggets I have prepared and taste just as yummy. I omit the flour and egg step and the less mess makes a happier me.

Ingredients:

Minced:

1kg chicken thigh fillet (minced up in the Thermomix till resembles mince)

1 large zuchinni

1 bunch of kale leaves

Garlic Salt -a few shakes of this and to suit taste

Dried parsley- another few shakes

Salt and pepper

Crumbs coating:

3 cups of smashed up corn flakes. I use the Thermomix for half of the cornflakes and found it disintegrated into powder form, so for the other half i manually squashed them to give it that crunchy texture when i coat the chicken.

at least 1 cup of breadcrumbs- i used all my leftover breadcrumbs

Onion powder- just a dash

Garlic powder- another dash

Method:

prepare the bed for coating your chicken first. I mixed all the coating together and place it in a large baking tray

Prepare all trays for baking and line with baking paper

Next prepare the mince. I minced all the vegetables in the Thermomix for a good Speed5-6 for couple of seconds. Then in another bowl goes the chicken, Speed 10 and longer as the chicken was hard to get into a nice minced texture. 

Then mix them all up with the seasoning. The mixture should be wet so you do not need to coat with flour and egg and crumbs.

 The mixture goes straight into the coating. I rolled them up in ball sized and dip them in the coating.

make sure they are nicely coated

Bake for first 10 minutes at 200C and the next 10 or until cooked at 180C.

My kids gobbled them up despite seeing all the green vegetables in them. They are truly yummy with the crunchy cornflakes. 

 

Stir Fry Chicken and Kale

Ingredients:
500gms of chicken strips
8 ounces kale (peeled only the leaves and leave the branch)
Handful of Shitake Mushrooms (soaked till soften)

Sauce:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon sesame oil
pinch black pepper
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
 
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil for stir-frying

Method:
1. Combine the sauce ingredients

2. marinade the chicken pieces in the sauce for around 15-20 minutes
3. Heat a large non-stick skillet or wok over high heat with a tablespoon of the canola or vegetable oil. Add the chicken pieces and stir fry until they are no longer pink, 2 - 3 minutes. The chicken does not need to be cooked through at this point.

4.Add the kale, mushrooms and the remaining sauce. Continue to stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through and the kale and mushrooms are softened, 4 - 5 minutes. Serve hot on top of rice or with a separate bowl of rice. I added a few tablespoon of the water used to soak the mushroom as i wanted more sauce in my dish.

My Chicken Nugget Recipe

Ever since youtube and media has released so many creepy stories about chicken nuggets, I have avoided any nuggets bought outside. Even the frozen ones. My only solution is to make my own chicken nugget.

Honestly, the ingredients are simple. The steps and the preparation is the messy part. But seeing the exact goodies that goes into my chicken nuggets, it is worth while.

Ingredients:

-2kg chicken breast (i like to make this in bulk and freeze)

- one large zuchinni

- one large carrot

- one large onion

- 3 cloves of garlic

- Salt & pepper to season

- Breadcrumbs (i made alot of breadcrumbs due to lack of bread popularity in my household)

- 4 eggs ( this is the amount i needed to make all my chicken nuggets)

- flour (add this as you go)

- Chia seeds (optional)

Method:

-Make sure you have all the largest pan, plates ready with the ingredients

- I required 2 baking trays ( one to spread my breadcrumbs and chia seeds mixture, another one for the flour)

- I had one bowl of eggs whisked

- I used at least 3 large plates to store the nuggets temporary

- First step, minced the chicken meat. I turbo this in my Thermomix for a few seconds. I remove the meat aside

- Second step, minced the veggies, onions and garlic. I turbo this as well in the Thermomix for few second. I added the seasoning at this stage. I only added around 1 tbsp for 2kg of meat. I realized I do not need a lot of salt for this as my breadcrumbs were already pre seasoned with salt when i made them.

- Third step, mix the chicken and veggie mixture. I like the veggies really minced up as the kids will be picking on them if the are not small enough. Again, i used the Thermomix to do a quick mix on Speed 5.

Now, the preparation. I believe this is the long and messy part.

Take a scoop of minced mixture and roll into a ball. I had to oil my hands as it was very sticky. I rolled them all up and place them on plates before the next step.

Once all the mixture is done, I started coating them in the flour and flattening them into a nugget shape. I finished all the flouring too before moving to the egg part (the tricky part).

At this stage i would have all my containers lined up on my kitchen bench. Start with dipping the floured nuggets in the egg mixture and then putting them in the breadcrumbs mixture. I try to do a batch of 5 egg dips until i have no space in my breadcrumbs mixture tray.

Make sure the nuggets are well coated in the breadcrumbs. Once they are well coated i transferred them to the containers.

I made around 25 semi large sized chicken nuggets with this amount of ingredients. I think if you rolled them up smaller you will get more. My were looking more like a chicken steak. I got lazy. :)

Just bake the nuggets straight from the freezer. No need to thaw them. I sprayed some olive oil on them to give them a nice golden brown colour.

This is just some of the nuggets we had for dinner. They tasted good. the kids enjoyed it and I had extras for lunch the next day. this fed the entire family of 4 plus 2 lunch boxes. My little one himself had 4 nuggets. They were massive size!

After baking in the oven at 180C for 15-20 minutes. Love Love them.

You can also add any type of vegetables in the chicken nugget. I only used what i could get hold on at that time.

Buttermilk Baked Chicken

Adapted from http://www.carnationmilk.ca/recipe-details.aspx?rid=1457

This recipe is super yummy. I tried this yesterday and it is a winner. I found this recipe as i had a can of evaporated milk left in the pantry and what a brilliant way to make buttermilk out of it. 

My variation is i used the chicken thighs with skin on and it has that nice golden brown crunch after baking in the oven.

I followed the rest of the steps to the dot.

Ingredients:

1 can (370ml) of evaporated milk 

1/4 cup (50ml) of white vinegar or lemon juice

1 kg of chicken breast, thigh

2 cups of all purpose flour - I did not follow any measurement, just add as the batter thins out.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

Combine evaporated milk and vinegar in a large bowl. It will thicken up. Add chicken pieces and make sure the pieces are covered in the milk mixture. Cover well and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place flour in a shallow dish. Remove chicken from milk mixture. Dip chicken pieces into flour, shaking off any excess. Place on prepared baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper.

Bake in preheated oven 50 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Turn chicken over after 30 minutes and continue baking

Left this to sit overnight.

Coating it with flour

After baking in the oven for an hour. It is so yummy. Please try it :)

Honey Soy Chicken Wings

Another easy dish when I do not feel like making anything fancy. It is quick and simple.

Marinade chicken wings with Honey and Soy Sauce and a dash of pepper. I left this to marinade in the fridge for more than 5 hours. I think it will be much better if left overnight.

Came back from work, pre heat the Air Fryer, pop half of the chicken in and fry for 15-20 minutes. I did the first batch for 20 minutes and it turned rather black. Second batch was placed in the fryer for only 17 minutes and it was cooked perfectly . Also sprinkle some olive oil before frying. That's all the oil used in this chicken wings.

I used to bake this in the over at 180C for around 35-30 mins. It works as well but i think the Air Fryer makes it taste more delicious.

Served with white rice.

Tomato Chicken with Basil and Zuchinni

Adapted from :
http://menumusings.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/tomato-basil-chicken.html

Ingredients: (4 servings)

• 2 chicken breasts
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
• 2 tsp minced fresh garlic
• 4 Tbsp cold butter
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• freshly grated Parmigiano reggiano cheese, for garnish

Written Directions :

Season chicken breasts with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Add a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to your skillet. This may seem like quite a bit, but it will form the base for the sauce. While waiting for the oil to heat up, go ahead and get your water going for the pasta. When the oil is HOT, add the chicken breasts. After about 4-5 minutes, the chicken breasts should be ready to turn. 

After the second side has been cooking for about 4 minutes, go ahead and add in the fresh tomatoes that you have chopped up. Next, add the fresh basil that you have chopped into ribbons, the cold butter, the minced garlic, and you will probably want to add some more kosher salt and black pepper to season the sauce. Now give it all a good stir so all those flavors will marry together.
When your chicken is "done," turn the sauce down on the lowest setting to keep it all warm until the pasta is cooked, which should be any minute now. At this point, if still waiting for the pasta, you can remove the cooked chicken to a cutting board, and after resting just a couple of minutes, cut the chicken into slices on the bias. Divide the pasta among individual bowls, and top each with half of a chicken breast, sliced into pieces, and equal portions of the tomato basil sauce. Top with more fresh basil and freshly grated Parmigiana reggiano cheese.
 

I tried this recipe yesterday. The flavour is really great and tasty.

I tweaked it alot. I used 3 chicken breast with skin on. It took longer to cook as the chicken breast were massive.

I also used white wine to enhance the flavour and create more sauce. I also added zucchini in this dish and added 3 teaspoon of garlic instead of 2 from the recipe.

 Verdict: super yummy. I love the garlicky taste and the basil from our garden. Truly a keeper.

I also use macaroni instead of spagetti. As requested from the kids. Mix of wholemeal and normal elbows.

Doritos Chicken Nuggets

adapted from:
http://www.theblackpeppercorn.com/2013/04/doritos-crusted-chicken-fingers/

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 large bag of Doritos, nacho flavor (or flavour of choice)
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 cups flour
• 1-2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 4 eggs
• cooking spray, optional

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken into thin ½ inch strips.
2. Place the chicken in a bowl and pour in the buttermilk. Stir so the chicken is coated in the buttermilk. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for about 2 hours.
3. Using a food processor, crush the Doritos so that they are a texture similar to panko or coarse bread crumbs. Set aside in a large bowl.
4. Place flour and optional cayenne pepper in one bowl and eggs in another. Whisk the eggs so that they are well scrambled.
5. Preheat oven to 400F and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
6. Set up the four bowls in order: 1. bowl with the chicken, 2. bowl with the flour, 3. bowl with the beaten eggs, 4. bowl with the crushed Doritos.
7. Using a fork, lift out a few chicken strips and let excess buttermilk drain off. Place them in the flour and dredge them in so they are all coated in flour. Lift the chicken strips out of the flour and shake off any excess. Place them in the egg wash and turn them so they are evenly coated in egg. Lift them out of the egg and then dredge in the crushed Doritos. Place the coated chicken fingers on the baking sheet. Do this with the remaining chicken strips.
8. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through.
9. Serve with buttermilk ranch dip, bbq sauce or your favorite dip.

Chicken and Carrot Stew

Chicken Potato and Carrot Stew. My mom used to make this all the time and i hated it but it does pack all the necessary balance diet needs in a single dish. Now i understand why this is such a frequent menu in the house last time. It is easy to make and i added in chinese mushroom too. Recipe below



http://www.thehungryexcavator.com/2012/11/soya-chicken-and-potato-stew-recipe.html

Ingredients:

3 tbsp cooking oil

5 cloves of garlic (sliced)

800g chicken drumsticks (chopped to bite-sized pieces) *
3 medium or 2 large potatoes (chopped to approx 2cm cubes)

2 medium carrots (chopped roughly)

3 tbsp light soy

400ml water

1 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce

3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

1/2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp sesame oil

Chicken with Tomatoes and Garlic

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/04/chicken-with-tomatoes-and-garlic/

 Take 2
Ingredients (adapted for my own taste)

    8 pieces Chicken Legs Or Thighs
    Salt And Pepper, to taste
    3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
    1 Tablespoon Butter
    1 can (28 Ounce) Diced Tomatoes
    4 large fresh tomatoes
    2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
    Fresh Herbs: Basil,  Rosemary - one big bunch of them
    10 cloves Garlic
    16 ounces, weight Macaroni or Steamed white rice
    3/4 cup White Wine (or Red Wine)
    1/4 cup of water just to get more sauce out of it. I find the previous recipe lack of sauce when mixed with the macaroni


Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Salt and pepper chicken legs.

Heat ovenproof skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and butter. When oil/butter is hot, add chicken legs to the pan. Using tongs, brown on all sides, about 2 minutes. Remove chicken from pan.

Pour in wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any bits. Cook for 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes with their juice and add tomato paste. Add salt and pepper to taste, stirring to combine. Bring sauce to a boil, then turn off heat. Add plenty of fresh herbs, 8 cloves of peeled (but whole) garlic, and the chicken legs. Put lid on pot and cook in the oven for 1 hour.

Remove pot from oven and allow it to sit on the counter with the lid on while you boil the pasta.

Cook the pasta to al dente, Drain and add to a large serving bowl.

Remove lid and check sauce. If it's overly thin, remove the chicken from the pot and boil the sauce on the stovetop for 5 to 10 minutes. Check seasonings and adjust as needed.

To serve, pour sauce over cooked pasta, then arrange chicken pieces over the top. Sprinkle generously with fresh Parmesan and serve with crusty French bread.

Stir Fry Pineapple Chicken

Monday's dinner was simple stir fry and omelet.

Lots of peppers and the sauce is very easy and tasty to make. Cut the sugar down to make it more sour. Kids like it overall, had extra for lunch today.

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 2 inch strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (16 ounce) package frozen stir fry vegetables
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained, reserve 1/4 cup juice
hot cooked rice

http://chinese.food.com/recipe/chicken-pineapple-stir-fry-24306

Directions:

1
Mix first 7 ingredients with reserved 1/4 cup pineapple juice in small bowl.
2
In large skillet, stir-fry chicken in hot oil 5 minutes.
3
Add vegetables, stir-fry 4 more minutes.
4
Stir in pineapple and sauce, heat through.
5
Serve over rice.

Read more: href

="http://chinese.food.com/recipe/chicken-pineapple-stir-fry-24306?oc=linkback">http://chinese.food.com/recipe/chicken-pineapple-stir-fry-24306?oc=linkback