General Tso's Chicken

I have a confession to make.

When a client of mine recently asked if I could make General Tso's Chicken as part of his weekly menu.   I emphatically said,

"Of course I can!"

And in my head I said,

"I have never made it before, but how hard could it be?"

I have made Asian Beef and Noodle Bowls, Sesame Chicken and Stir Fried Bok Choy, Sweet and Sour Pork with Snow Peas and Carrots, and Beef and Sugar Snap Peas, as well as dozens of other Asian inspired dishes, but never General Tso's Chicken.  That is when a small amount of panic set in and my research began.

I scoured my cookbooks, culinary magazines and endless sites on the Internet and I combined a few recipes to come up with my own version of the popular Chinese take out entree.  After giving it a test run in my home kitchen (and with thumbs up all around the dinner table), I set off to my client's kitchen on a crisp winter morning to prepare General Tso's Chicken along with Pork Tenderloin Marsala, Creamy Chicken Enchiladas, and Grilled Bison Steaks with Balsamic Reduction.  The assembling and cooking of the General Tso's Chicken went off without a hitch.  A little background prep on a recipe and a dose of confidence in the kitchen helped me create a memorable dish.

Occasionally you need to go out on a limb and try something you never had before.  Some might think that trying a new recipe is not a big deal.  But people get in a rut and cook the same dishes night after night after night.  If you have not made General Tso's Chicken before, give it a try this week.

Confidence is key.

General Tso's Chicken

serves 4

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup cornstarch plus 2 teaspoons, divided

1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders, cut in 1-inch chunks

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

3 tablespoons rice wine

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ginger

3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

safflower or peanut oil

8 dried chili peppers

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 cups cooked jasmine rice

In a large bowl, combine the eggs and 1/2 cup cornstarch.  Add the chicken and toss to coat.  Set aside.

To make the sauce, in a small bowl combine the 2 teaspoons cornstarch, rice wine vinegar, rice wine, sugar, ginger, and soy sauce.  Set aside.

In a large saute pan, heat about 1 inch of oil over medium high heat.  Add the chicken in batches (do not crowd the pan) and cook until just cooked through and lightly browned.  Remove from pan to paper towels.  Drain out all but about 1 tablespoon of the oil.

Over medium high heat, add chicken back to the pan and add chili peppers.  Cook for 30 seconds being careful not to burn the peppers.  Add in the sauce mixture and toss with the chicken and peppers for about 1 minute.

Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes and serve over jasmine rice.

Orange Glazed Chicken with Toasted Almonds

Orange Glazed Chicken with Toasted Almonds

In a dinner jam?  Get a little help from a breakfast staple to make your ho hum chicken breasts shine as the star of your dinner.  Orange juice is the main ingredient in the velvety sauce which coats pan sauteed chicken breasts.  Add in the crunch of toasted almonds and dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes.

Toasting almonds is an easy way to add another taste dimension to your dish.  A simple way to toast nuts is in a small pan over the stove.  Place the nuts in a pan over medium high heat and stir or shake the pan often so the nuts do not burn.  In about 5 - 6 minutes you will smell the toasty almonds that will be lightly browned and ready to enjoy.  Remove the almonds from the pan immediately as the hot pan will continue to cook the nuts and they will burn.

The inspiration for this recipe came from the Cuisine at Home Weeknight Menus cookbook which I got as a free gift when I renewed my subscription a couple years ago.  I am a cooking magazine junkie and Cuisine at Home magazine is one of my go-to sources for quick dinner recipes for my family and my EAT! A Personal Chef Service clients.  The recipes offer impressive results with minimal effort.

By using ingredients you have in your refrigertor and pantry, dinner can be on the table in a flash.  Serving a dish that is a little out of the ordinary keeps dinner time interesting and your family will be coming back for more.


Orange Glazed Chicken with Toasted Almonds

adapted from a recipe in Cuisine at Home Weeknight Menus cookbook

serves 4

4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless about 6 ounces each
salt
pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup orange juice
1/3 cup white wine
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons butter
4 thin orange slices, halved
3 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

Season chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.  Heat a nonstick saute pan to medium high heat and add the olive oil.  Add the chicken and saute for 3 - 5 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.  Remove from pan and keep warm.

In the same pan over medium high heat, add orange juice, wine and mustard.  Whisk to combine and reduce liquid by half.  Turn heat to low and whisk in the butter.  Return chicken to pan and add orange slices and heat through.  Sprinkle with almonds and parsley and serve.

Chicken Parmesan Sliders



Chicken Parmesan Slider

We are getting back to the family dinner table at our house.

After a busy few weeks surrounding Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's, we fell out of the habit of eating dinner together as a family.   Sure we were all together for feasting on Christmas Eve and Day (I missed our family Thanksgiving dinner with an unfortunate case of the flu), but our typical weeknight meal was replaced with work, a track meet, or grabbing a quick bite at the local diner with friends.  I would love to say that each night at 6 p.m. we gather around the table for a well rounded meal with all family members present, but that is not typically the way dinner time flows in our kitchen.  We, like any other family, have made choices to participate in these activities and sometimes our family dinner time suffers.

When we returned home from visiting family in the Midwest, I made dinner for our family on Sunday night.  My Oldest had an invitation to go out with friends but declined.  She informed her friend,

"My Mom is making dinner tonight.  I am staying home."

So at 7:30 p.m. on a unseasonably warm winter evening in northern New Jersey, we all sat around our kitchen island and enjoyed conversation and Chicken Parmesan Sliders.  Smal, thin chicken cutlets were panko and Parmesan cheese coated and pan fried to a crunchy crispiness.  Topped with a homemade marinara sauce, melted mozzarella cheese and served on mini buns, we chatted about our day's events and the upcoming week when most of the family would be going back to work and school.

For a half hour, we shut out the technology-filled world and just ate dinner.  We may make eating dinner together more than a weekly habit.

Chicken Parmesan Sliders

makes 16 sliders

for marinara sauce --
marinara sauce (either make your own with my recipe or use your favorite store brand)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced onions
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (28 ounce) can whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand or a potato masher
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt

for chicken --
4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
2 cups panko
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper
about 1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
16 mini buns

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

To make marinara sauce --

In a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat add oil, onions and garlic.  Saute, stirring occasionally until translucent, about 6 - 8 minutes.  Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, and salt.  Stir to combine and continue cooking over low heat for 15 minutes.  Season to taste.  Keep warm.

To make chicken --

Place chicken on a cutting board and slice lengthwise into 2 thin cutlets.  Slice each cutlet into 2 smaller pieces.

Place a cooling rack over a baking sheet and set aside.

In three separate shallow dishes place (1) panko, (2) eggs, and (3) flour, Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, and a 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  In a large saute pan over medium high heat, add the olive oil.  Dredge the chicken pieces first in the flour mixture then the eggs and finally the panko.  Pan fry the chicken for about 2 - 3 minutes per side or until lightly browned and the chicken is cooked through.  Remove to cooling rack and sprinkle lightly with salt.  Continue frying chicken in batches until all have been cooked.

To assemble the sliders, leave chicken on the baking rack on top of the baking sheet and top each piece with about 2 tablespoons each of the marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.  Bake in oven until cheese is melted; about 3 - 5 minutes.  Remove chicken from oven and place in buns.  Serve.

**Note - to make Chicken Parmesan Sliders ahead of time --  Prepare the chicken and marinara sauce, cool and package for the refrigerator until dinner time.  Reheat the chicken topped with the marinara sauce and cheese in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes before serving on buns.

Overnight Creme Brulee French Toast

New Year's Day breakfast and a house full of kids = Overnight Creme Brulee French Toast.

It will take all of 10 minutes for you to prep this divine breakfast for your next overnight guests.  While my kids and their friends are still sleeping after a late night of New Year's fun with fireworks, ping pong, and Dance Dance revolution, I popped this overnight casserole in the oven for 30 minutes and breakfast is ready.  This French Toast is TO DIE FOR!  Thick slices of crusty bread soaked overnight in a creme brulee sauce and baked with brown sugar and butter.  It is a decadent dream come true!

Good thing it reheats well because I am not sure when they will wake up to enjoy it.

Happy New Year!!


Overnight Creme Brulee French Toast

serves 6

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 loaf (unsliced) crusty white bread
5 large eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon triple sec

In a small heavy saucepan melt the butter with the brown sugar and corn syrup over moderate heat, stirring, until smooth and pour into a 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking dish. Cut six 1 1/2-inch thick slices from the center portion of the bread, (reserving the ends for croutons). Arrange the bread slices in one layer in a baking dish or casserole, squeezing them slightly to fit.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, and triple sec until well combined and pour evenly over the bread. Chill bread mixture, covered, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. and bring the bread to room temperature.

Bake the french toast, uncovered, in the middle of the oven until puffed and edges are golden, 30 to 35 minutes.

Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar and topped with berries.

*recipe adapted from one by personal chef Jim Gray