Chicken in Plum Sauce and Pad Thai Noodles

Cook some Thai food tonight! It’s easy, versatile, quick, and so dang tasty. You can throw in whatever veggies you have on hand—that’s exactly what I did and tweak the flavors to suit your style. I love cooking Asian food. Makes you feel like you're having take-out at home.

Chicken in Plum Sauce -

Normally, we cook this on the grill but since Mother Nature didn't cooperate, we cooked it in the oven and tasted incredible.

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 small onion coarsely chopped and 5 cloves of garlic coarsely chopped and cook until wilted. Add 1 tablespoons of coarsely chopped ginger, 1 Thai chile pepper coarsely chopped, 1/2 teaspoon of Chinese Five Spice Powder and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 8 ounce jar of plum sauce, 1/4 cup of honey, 1/4 cup of soy sauce and juice from one lime. Cook until mixture has thickened. Place entire contents of sauce pan into a food processor and mix until smooth. Let cool.

Grill - Preheat grill Season 5 chicken thighs and 5 dumsticks, bone in, skin on with salt and pepper to taste. Grill, on 1 side for 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn the chicken over, brush with the sauce and continue grilling for 3 to 4 minutes, turn over and brush with sauce. Continue grilling and brushing with the sauce until the chicken is cooked through.

Oven - Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Season same quantity of chicken as in grilling method with salt and pepper. Place chicken in a 9 x 13 oven safe dish and cook for 30 minutes. Brush with plum sauce and cook for 15 minutes longer. Continue baking and brushing with sauce until chicken is cooked through.


Pad Thai Noodles -

Soak 8 ounces of the dried wide rice noodles in warm water for 30 minutes. Drain the noodles thoroughly in a colander and set aside.

Heat a wok or large high sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the skillet and scramble 2 eggs. Remove eggs from skillet and set aside. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of Hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons of tamari sauce or regular soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of water and set aside. Add 1 more tablespoon of vegetable oil to the skill and add one package of frozen stir fry vegetables. Cook vegetables for about 3 minutes, then add the softened rice noodles. Stir fry for about 4 minutes and a a drizzle (About 1 teaspoon) of sesame oil. Stir to combine. Add Hoisin sauce mixture and keep stirring to thoroughly combine. Add scrambled egg and 2 shallots, roughly chopped, give it a quick stir, squeeze a lime over the top and serve.

One more thing - have a great weekend!

Savory Chicken Stir Fry with Glass Noodles

We spent the weekend at the soccer field watching our tween play her season opener jamboree. I didn't cook all weekend and when I got home from work yesterday afternoon, the homegirlz gave me a MapQuest to the kitchen and I had to re-learn how to use that vittle fixin' thing with the knobs and the big black glass screen on the front.


This chicken dish is a work-in-progress and the first time I've cooked glass noodles. The real challenge with the glass noodles is there are no directions on the package on how to cook the darn things. If any of you know, I would welcome your advice! Also, once I played with the sauce and the veggies, I always think of things I could have added....like shitake mushrooms, broccoli, water chestnuts...all things the homegirlz would turn their noses up at. I"ll add them anyway next time.



Savory Chicken Stir-Fry with Glass Noodles -

Cut 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes.

In a medium bowl, combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1-1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (Tamari), and 1-1/2 tablespoons corn starch. Whisk all ingredients together and add cut up chicken. Coat the cubed chicken with the sauce and set aside for about 20 minutes.

In another bowl combine 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup chicken stock, 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce (or 1 teaspoon of garlic juice from a jar of minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne), 2 teaspoons sugar. Whisk together and set aside.

Heat a skillet or wok over medium-high heat, add 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Once oil is heated, add 1 teaspoon powdered ginger or 2 teaspoons grated ginger, 2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 scallions finely chopped. Cook for about 30 seconds and then add 1 thinly sliced red bell pepper and 1/2 yellow onion thinly sliced.

Add chicken and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved sauce to the pan and make sure you coat everything in the pan with the sauce. Stir in 1 teaspoon sesame oil.

Ok, now for the glass noodles or bean threads - side note you can serve your chicken over lo-mein or rice.

Pour about 16 ounces of chicken stock into a large pot and bring to a low boil.

Place noodles in the warm chicken stock, cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 7 minutes. The noodles absorb the chicken stock, so I added about 1/2 cup more chicken stock and turned the noodle nests over and cooked for another three minutes.

Talk about delicious! The homegirlz cleaned their plates! I couldn't keep the tween out of the pot.

Lemon Chicken

I've been really busy in the Smoky Mountain Cafe test kitchen tweaking flavorful recipes to share with all of you. I don't care much for the yellow, thick, gooey lemon sauce found lemon chicken in a lot of restaurants. This has a more delicate lemon taste and a less gooey sauce. Ok boys and girls, let's make one of the easiest and best tasting versions Lemon Chicken I've found.

Lemon Chicken -

Slice 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in this strips.

Place about a cup of cornstarch in a medium size bowl.

In another bowl, mix 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon of Asian Five Spice powder. I started with one egg and wound up needing 2...so use 2 eggs.

Coat the chicken strips first dusting each strip one at a time in the cornstarch, then dredging it through the egg mixture then again in the cornstarch. Fry the strips at medium-high heat in a large skillet or wok in about 1/3 cup of vegetable or peanut oil, 3 minutes per side Be careful not to crowd the skillet. Remove the strips from the skillet to a paper towel lined platter.

While the chicken is cooking, whisk together in a medium bowl, 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice and 4 tablespoons tamari (aged soy sauce) or regular soy sauce and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together 1-1/2 teaspoons of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water and set aside.

When the chicken is cooked, lower the heat just a notch and add 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and 2 finely chopped shallots to the skillet and stir fry for about 30 seconds, then add the lemon/soy sauce and let it come to a boil. Once the sauce comes to a boil add the cornstarch/water mixture and stir until sauce has thickened.

Return the chicken strips to the skillet and coat the strips with the sauce. Simmer for about 5 minutes and serve. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve some fried rice (http://smokymountaincafe.blogspot.com/2008/02/asian-in-mountains.html) on the side.

Lo Mein

Today I'm in the mood for an Asian dish for dinner. You might remember in one of my previous posts, I mentioned it ain't easy finding good Asian food in a small town located in the foothills of the Smokies. Of course the home girlz will fuss. They like Lo Mein, they just don't like when I add mushrooms or sprouts to any dish - to them it's unnecessary and gross. To their dad and me, mushroom are always a welcomed treat. I guess we're unecessary and gross ~sigh~.

Lo Mein - First in a small bowl make your sauce, which is 3 tablespoons hoisin, 3 tablespoons Tamari (aged soy sauce - you can use regular soy sauce), 3 tablespoons water and 2 teaspoons hot sauce (don't use Tabasco). Blend with a wire whisk and set sauce aside. Cut into thin strips, about 2 to 3 inches long, one package of chicken breast fillets and 3 or 4 thin pork chops. Season with salt, black pepper and coriander and reserve. Boil one pound spaghetti in salted water. While spaghetti is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium high heat in a large non-stick pan or wok. Once oil is heated add 3 large eggs and scramble until just cooked and not runny. Remove from pan and set aside. Add 2 more tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pan and add seasoned meat and stir fry for 4 to 5 minutes and remove from pan. Add one red or green bell pepper (or half of both - great color) cut into thin strips, 2 inches of fresh grated ginger (or 1 teaspoon dry ginger), 1/2 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice, 4 cloves minced garlic, 1 small can of drained water chestnuts, 4 oz. bella or shitake mushrooms, sliced, and 1 big handful of bean sprouts (optional). Stir fry veggies and seasonings for 3 to 4 minutes, add meat back to pan and blend together, then pour the drained cooked spaghetti on top of meat and veggies and blend together. Now add 3 green onions cut into thin strips about 2 inches long and scrambled eggs (break scrambled eggs into smaller pieces while tossing) and toss. Remove pan to a cool burner and pour sauce over everything and toss to coat everything with sauce and serve.

I bet when I take leftovers to work tomorrow for lunch, my lunch goes missing. ;)