Short Notice, Grilled Chicken, Mash and Baby Carrots

Dinner with Q and Bryna and Alice:
Q was visiting for the week, and I had talked to Bryna this morning about getting flights to Baltimore for Thanksgiving. I asked if Bryna and Q wanted to do a dinner tonite, and we decided to have it at our place and not eat out - just cook in. So on short notice, we cooked up this menu: Grilled Herbs de Provence Chicken, Dijon Mashed Potatoes, and Grilled Honey Thyme Carrots.


Grilled Chicken With Balsamic and Herbs
Recipe #293789 | 45 min | 30 min prep | add private note


By: Alison J.
Mar 24, 2008

From License to Grill, with Rob Rainsford. This is a quick and easy dish, and goes really well with Grilled Honey Tarragon Carrots and Grilled Potatoes and Herbs for a well-rounded menu. Prep time includes 20 minutes to marinate.

SERVES 4 (change servings and units)

Ingredients

* 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (substituted 4 Half chicken with ribs), doubled the remaining recipe)
* 2 teaspoons herbs de provence
* 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
* 1 teaspoon onion powder
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
* 1 pinch salt
* 1 pinch pepper

Directions

1.
1
In a small bowl, combine herbes de Provence, Dijon, onion & garlic powder, evoo and balsamic vinegar. Mix to combine evenly. Season with salt and pepper.
2.
2
Place chicken breasts into a zip-top plastic bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken. Seal the bag and shake gently to coat the chicken. Marinate in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes (you might want to turn the bag once during this time).
3.
3
Preheat barbecue to medium.
4.
4
Remove chicken from marinade and pat lightly with paper towel to remove excess moisture.
5.
5
Place chicken directly over heat on a well-oiled grill. Cook for about 7-8 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through.
6.
6
Remove chicken from heat and cover with foil for 5 minutes before serving.



http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetails.aspx?dishid=7634
EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy
Ingredients:
Grilled Honey Tarragon (thyme substitute) Carrots

* 7 Small fresh carrots with stems on peeled
* 1 tablespoon sesame oil (15ml)
* 1 tablespoon honey (15ml)
* 2 tarragon sprigs torn
* 2 teaspoons chopped ginger (10ml)
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* salt and pepper to taste


Directions:
Grilled Honey Tarragon Carrots

1. Cut the tops of the carrots off leaving only an half an inch at the root. Clean the carrots and cut them in half lengthwise. Place into a sealable plastic bag and drizzle with sesame oil, honey, ginger and tarragon. Toss to coat and place in refrigerator until ready to cook.

2. Preheat barbecue to medium heat.

3. Oil the grill. Place carrots flat side down over direct heat and cook for 2-4 minutes per side. Carrots should have golden char marks.

4. Remove from heat.

Spicy Cauliflour - From Pizzeria Delfina

This recipe is from the Pizzeria Delfina restaurant in San Francisco. This cauliflower is a combination of chewy, crunchy, soft, spicy, mild, and briny all at once. The end result is excellent!

More of Linda's delicious Cauliflower Recipes.
Spicy Cauliflower

1 large head cauliflower (about 3 pounds)
Extra-virgin olive oil or mixture of canola and extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt to taste
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup drained capers, dried
2 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 teaspoon chile flakes
Thinly sliced pickled Calabrese peppers (optional)*

* Peppadew Sweet Piquanté Peppers may be substituted.
Cut the cauliflower in large even-size florets by cutting around the core, down around the stem. Dry well with a clean dish towel if wet or damp. NOTE: As cauliflower breaks down as it cooks, keep it in large segments of about two clusters each. If the cauliflower doesn't fit in the pan without crowding, fry one batch first, drain, then fry the second batch and follow with the parsley, capers, and garlic.

Place a metal strainer over a bowl; set aside.

In a wide shallow pan with a heavy bottom, pour 1/2-inch olive oil. Heat the olive oil on high heat until very hot but not smoking.

Place the cauliflower in the pan and cook on high heat until it begins to brown, about 1 minute, then reduce to medium/medium-high and continue cooking until it is deeply brown all over, flipping over to fry all sides, 8 to 10 minutes total. Season well with salt. NOTE: The oil should stay bubbly hot. By the time the cauliflower is deeply browned, it should be pretty much cooked through.

When the cauliflower is 1 to 2 minutes from being done, add the parsley, capers, and garlic. Cook until the garlic has browned, then add the chile flakes.

Remove from heat and immediately drain into the strainer. Allow to drain well before seasoning with salt to taste and tossing with the peppers, if using.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Old-Fashioned Pancakes

8 Pancakes (4 People):

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon white sugar
* 1 1/4 cups milk
* 1 egg
* 3 tablespoons butter, melted


DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Best Onion Rings Ever

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Old-Fashioned-Onion-Rings/Detail.aspx


RECIPE RATING:
The reviewer gave this recipe 322 stars. This recipe average a 4.8 star rating.
Read Reviews (264)
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PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 3 Min
READY IN 18 Min
SERVINGS
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Servings


US METRIC
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* 1 large onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices
* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 egg
* 1 cup milk, or as needed
* 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
* seasoned salt to taste
* 1 quart oil for frying, or as needed

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DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
2. Separate the onion slices into rings, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture until they are all coated; set aside. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture using a fork. Dip the floured rings into the batter to coat, then place on a wire rack to drain until the batter stops dripping. The wire rack may be placed over a sheet of aluminum foil for easier clean up. Spread the bread crumbs out on a plate or shallow dish. Place rings one at a time into the crumbs, and scoop the crumbs up over the ring to coat. Give it a hard tap as you remove it from the crumbs. The coating should cling very well. Repeat with remaining rings.
4. Deep fry the rings a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Season with seasoning salt, and serve.

Thai Fried Rice

http://www.thaitable.com/Thai/recipes/Fried_Rice.htm
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-thai-fried-rice

Orange Chicken

For 2:
****Chicken***
2/3 pound chicken breast, 1" cubed
1/3 egg (•1 egg substitute = 2 Tbsp. water + 1 Tbsp. oil + 2 tsp. baking powder)
1/2 teaspoon salt
White pepper

***Breading***
1/6 cup cornstarch
1/3 tablespoon flour

***Heating Medium***
Oil (Canola oil)

***Flavor***
1/3 tablespoon minced ginger root
1/3 tablespoon minced garlic
1/3 tablespoon Mirin (rice wine)
1/3 teaspoon sesame oil

***Orange Chicken Sauce***
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon water
5 tablespoon brown sugar
5 tablespoon white vinegar (substitute White Balsamic)

***Optional***
1/3 dash crushed hot red chilies (optional)
1/12 cup chopped green onions (optional)
1/12 cup OJ (optional)
Orange zest (optional)

***The Magic Instructions***
-Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes and place in a bowl.
-Stir in egg replacement, salt, white pepper and 1 tbsp oil and mix well.
-Stir in 1 teaspoon flour. Stir in more cornstarch.
-Add in chicken and stir to coat.
-Heat oil for deep-frying in wok or small saucepan to 375 degrees (or until it sizzles furiously once a drop of water is dropped in)
-Cook the chicken in small batches for 3-4 minutes, (turning once if the oil does not cover the chicken ie. if you don't want to use as much oil for deepfrying), until golden brown. Remove the chicken to a plate with towels as soon as it is browned, or it will be tough from overcooking.
-Heat a saucepan with a tablespoon of oil and brown the garlic and ginger till fragrant.
-Add Chilies and green onions optionally.
-Add a splash of mirin (rice wine) and stir for a few seconds.
-Add orange sauce as prepared above and bring to a boil.
-Add 1 tbsp flour or 1 tbsp cornstarch (stickier) to thicken the sauce. -Bring to a boil and reduce to 4 tbsp or so.
-Add in a touch of orange juice here if you have it.
-Stir in sesame oil.
-Add in orange zest if you have it.
-Add chicken and toss to coat.
-Sprinkle sesame seeds and garnish with green onions if you have them for some presentation flair.
-Admire and eat till you're full.
-DELISH!


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Original recipe: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recipetemplate.php?scale=6&mid=10271
Original notes:

You have to modify this recipe a little bit. As it reads for 6 servings you Must reduce the amount of ginger to 1/2 tsp.
Use 2 egg whites instead of 1 egg.
Next substitute brown sugar for the sugar and reduce to 4 Tbsp.
Next substitute orange juice for the water, 1 and 1/2 Tbsp.
I also substituted chili paste for the dash of dried chili pepper
Added a green pepper cut into chuncks.
These small modifications to the ingredients will make a huge difference!

For those that like a crispier chicken in the final dish, try reversing the proportions of corn starch and flour. Also, highly recommend doubling the amount of orange sauce (also the water/cornstarch and sesame oil at the end) and letting it reduce just a bit. Very good over fried rice.

It's only "basic sauce"(pre maid to keep recipie a secret), sugar (lots), water, and vinigar. Thats it! But man, it tasted great!!!

Definitely need to double up the sauce for a good flavor. Also, cut the chicken smaller as well. That way the flavor can coat/soak into the meat more.

Add the orange juice and green pepper. How about peanuts too?

-Rice wine for cooking is often called Mirin (or Aji Mirin). Do not use rice vinegar or sake. Mirin should be available in any large grocery store that has a half decent Asian food section.

-Add 1/4 cup of brown sugar to the 'orange' sauce. It helps balance the flavor of the ginger.

Cook the chicken for 2.5 minutes per side, until lightly browned, in small batches. Change out the oil in the wok after every batch or it'll turn the coating a dark color.

When simmering the sauce down in the wok, add the water and cornmeal before putting the chicken back in the wok. It only takes a minute or two to thicken it; this way it won't make the chicken too soggy. (Putting crispy chicken into a wok and pouring water over it would make it soggy... DUH!)

-uhh yes I too work for panda and that is the recipe they use for the sauce...They have now added a very small amount of orange extract. Its about 1/8 tsp for 7 quarts of sauce or something like that. The only difference is panda uses a basic sauce instead of soy sauce...the basic sauce is soy sauce with a few other things added.Not sure what else is added because we just get it in 5 gallon buckets.

-CRISPY CHICKEN: When making the sauce for the chicken, first bring the sauce up to a boil, and add about about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of flour. Mix and let the sauce thicken up. Then toss the chicken in. This mill make the sauce thicker, and the chicken more crispier because it does not make it as soggy.