Let's Cook Chicken

By Sheryl Ingwer

My favorite thing to do with honey that you might not thing of is to use it in a chicken marinade. I combine two tablespoons of honey, four tablespoons of soy sauce, half a teaspoon grated ginger, a half teaspoon minced garlic and a dash of cayenne pepper in a sealable plastic bag. I mix it up well then toss in boneless skinless chicken breasts.

If you like the item to be free of salt, just substitute soybean sauce with cider vinegar or employ soy sauce that contains low amount of sodium. I keep it in the refrigerator for approximately one hour before placing it on the grill. I prefer to perform this with the George Foreman grill, but, you can grill it on the oven if you like. I notice that the murky savor from the grill really goes well with this drench.

The secret to this recipe for Chinese Chicken is Rum. Many Chinese restaurants use a similar recipe for both Chicken and Shrimp.

Scrumptious! You'll need 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast per person. Rinse, dry, and slice into quarter inch wide pieces. Next get together your favorite stir fry vegetables. I like to use carrots, broccoli, water chestnuts, bamboo, snap peas, and snow peas, but you can use whatever vegetables you like best.

The vegetables you use can be of any type - these may be precut or frozen or you may go for fresh vegetables like carrot, broccoli etc or you may choose canned things like water chestnut, bamboo etc. The vegetable to be used are to be cut into identical pieces. If you are using canned items, wash them well. Then stir fry them. Next part is more enjoyable and for that you have to use some garlic and some peanut oil. Of course you have to avoid peanut oil, if nuts cause allergy to you.

Coat the chicken strips with a combination of flour and any spices of your choice. Add a small amount of corn, canola, or olive oil to a wok or fry pan, coating the bottom and sides.

Heat up 2 tablespoons of oil in your pan and then add the chicken strips. Keep an eye on them - you want to brown all sides evenly and lightly, and this does not take long! Once you've done that, use a slotted spoon to lift the chicken out of the pan and into a paper-lined bowl. Set that aside for a while. Then saute 3 cloves of finely chopped garlic in your pan, being careful not to burn it.

As soon as the garlic is sauteed, add your vegetables and saute them. Do not allow them to get too well done but any firm vegetables like the broccoli or carrot should be fork-soft. At this point, add back your chicken strips and lower the heat. Now comes the fun part. Add 2-3 tablespoons each of soy sauce, garlic infused rice wine vinegar and some fresh shredded ginger root (about 1 inch peeled and chopped finely).

Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of warm water also, put the top on it, cook on low heat for approximately 5 minutes; stir at regular intervals to prevent burning. Use salt and pepper to season according to your preferences. Just before serving, put approximately 1/4 cup of the highest quality unflavored rum you have. Stir regularly to prevent a flare.

One of the best and easiest ways to cook chicken is in a crockpot. There are hundreds of different recipes for chicken using a crockpot. You can use any, or all, parts of the chicken. You can even use a whole chicken. The best part of cooking with a crockpot is that you put your ingredients in, cover, and come back hours later. Just add salad, maybe some rice or potato, and dinner is ready!

Add your choice of vegetables to the chicken, pour in one can, or about 14 ounces, of chicken broth, cover and simmer for 8 hours, or until chicken is tender. This can be done in a covered pan on top of the stove but a crockpot is usually easier.

Serve with buttered noodles, rice or mashed potatoes. The chicken will be very juicy and soft. You can also purchase a packet of brown gravy and make to serve over the chicken for added taste and texture. - 30241

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