Korean Sticky Chicken

 A delicious recipe for our new Instant pot! Adapted from here.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 Tbsp Gochujang
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 600g chicken breast, chopped
• sliced green onion (garnish)
• sesame seeds (garnish)

Procedure:

Thoroughly mix sauce in bowl of Instant Pot. Add chicken. 

Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Release steam and cook on sauté setting until sauce reaches desired thickness.

牛丼 (Gyu-don)

 An instant family favorite! Serves 4-5.

Ingredients:

• 2 onions, thinly sliced

• 500g beef, thinly sliced (ribeye or similar)

• 2 tsp sugar

• 2 Tbsp mirin

• 2 Tbsp soy sauce (or more - can add up to 4)

• 1 cup dashi (or beef/vegetable broth)

• 4 eggs

• 4 cups rice (cooked)

• Toasted sesame seeds 

• 3-4 stalks Green onion, sliced

Method: 

Sauté onions in vegetable oil until soft. Add beef and sugar, and cook until mostly browned. Add mirin, soy sauce, and dashing, and simmer 10 minutes.

In separate pan, fry 4 eggs, sunny side up. Remove from heat while still soft. 

Serve meat and sauce on bowls of rice. Add egg and green onions and sesame seeds as garnish. 

Thai Peanut Chicken

Maybe not authentic Thai, but pretty delicious. This recipe has double the amount of sauce as others, but I still like to add a little extra, so it doesn’t come out too dry.

Makes 4 small servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 3 Tbsp chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger (or 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh ginger)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli
• 1/2 red bell pepper cut into strips
• 1/3 cup peanuts
• 5 Tbsp soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp peanut butter
• 3 tsp white wine vinegar (or rice vinegar)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 5 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Brown in olive oil and add garlic and ginger. Once chicken is browned, add green onions, broccoli, bell pepper, and peanuts. Cook until vegetables are soft.

Mix soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, cayenne, and olive oil. Pour sauce over chicken and allow to simmer, at least 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

Oyakodon (親子丼)

A favorite Japanese comfort food. The name means “mother and child rice bowl,” speaking to the fact that it’s made with chicken and egg (macabre, I know, but also delicious!).

I mix the broth to taste, and end up putting in quite a bit more soy sauce than the recipe says by the end. It’s better with dashi, but I rarely have that on hand, so chicken stock or vegetable stock are a reasonable substitute. The sake is optional, but it really does add a nice richness to the flavor. I sometimes substitute a dry white wine.

Some recipes suggest cooking each serving individually, in which case, divide up ingredients and cook in a small fry pan. This allows for better presentation, but is less practical for serving a family.

This recipe makes 4 small servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1 small onion
• 2 large eggs
• 2 stalks green onions (garnish) 
• 4 cups cooked rice

Broth

• 1 cup dashi (can use chicken/vegetable stock)
• 2 Tbsp mirin (rice vinegar)
• 2 Tbsp sake 
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce (or more)
• 1 Tbsp sugar

Directions:

1. Thinly slice onion. Slice chicken into bite-sized strips. Slice green onion in 1/2 inch (or less) angled pieces and set aside for garnish.
2. Mix ingredients for sauce and set aside.
3. In a large fry pan, sauté onions until just soft. Add chicken and brown the outsides. Add broth and simmer covered for 5 minutes.
4. Beat eggs and drizzle evenly over chicken. Cover and cook for 1–2 minutes until egg reaches desired level of doneness. 
5. Serve over bowls of rice. Garnish with green onion.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Reposted from Barefoot Contessa

Serves 12

8 split chicken breasts (bone in, skin on)

Good olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound asparagus, ends removed, cut into thirds diagonally

2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded

4 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally

2 tbsps white sesame seeds, toasted (dry sauté pan for 5 min over med-high heat or until brown)

Dressing:

1 cup veg oil

¼ cup good apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp dark sesame oil

1 tbsp honey

2garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp peeled, grated fresh ginger

1 tbsp white sesame seeds, toasted

½ cup smooth peanut butter

4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Place chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub the skin with olive oil.  Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  Roast for 35-40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked.  Set aside until cool enough to handle.

Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin and shred the chicken in large, bite-sized pieces.  

(Alternatively, use boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Rub with a little oil and sparingly with salt and pepper.  Place next to each other on aluminum foil and seal into a packet (make 2 or 3).  Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes until chicken is just cooked through. Open packets and set to cool.  Shred chicken into large, bite-sized pieces.)

Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3-5 minutes, until crisp-tender.  Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking.  Drain,  Cut the peppers into strips about the size of the asparagus pieces.  Combine the shredded chicken, asparagus, and peppers in a large bowl.  

Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables.  Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste.  Serve cold or at room temperature.