Honey Sesame Chicken

Mar 5, 2012 by Lindsey

Welcome back, readers! I am back from the cold, gray world of defeasible fees and presentment warranties. The kitchen is re-stocked with ingredients and my cookbooks are tabbed and ready. There are so many plans for Overcooked in the works right now - please continue to visit often for more great recipes and projects from my kitchen. Is there something you’d like to see featured on the site? Comment and tell me what you want to read!

Dinner last night was easy as 1-2-3.

Have you ever felt lazy about what to do for dinner? Despite my “lofty” plans for Overcooked after taking the bar exam, the rigor of last week continued to take a toll on me by Sunday night. My brain was still mush and dinner was the farthest thing from my mind! There was only one solution for what to cook in this situation: I pulled out my slow cooker, grabbed some chicken and veggies, and created this recipe for honey sesame chicken. This recipe for  will be right up your alley on days where you need to cook, but don’t feel like cooking.

Here is the recipe for slow-cooker Honey Sesame Chicken. The sauce is a nice, easy combination to remember for future stir-fry dishes. I forgot to take step-by-step photos because the slow cooker takes all of the drama out of cooking! You will be fine to follow the recipe as written.

INGREDIENTS (makes 4 servings)

1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs

salt and pepper

1 cup honey

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp red pepper flakes

for serving:

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

2 cups of broccoli florets

1 cup cooked white rice

Instructions

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Place in a slow cooker with honey, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Mix well and cook on high for two hours.

When the chicken is finished, uncover and cut into bite-sized pieces. You can remove the chicken from the sauce to cut it, or simply use a knife and fork to pull it apart as it sits in the slow cooker. Add the cornstarch and sesame seeds to the sauce and stir well. Let everything sit uncovered to cool and thicken while you prepare the remaining two ingredients.

Prepare the rice according to directions.  While the rice is simmering, stir-fry the broccoli with a little vegetable oil. The broccoli is done when it is a bright green hue and crispy on the tips.

Serve the chicken and broccoli on top of rice.

We loved this recipe. The sauce has perfect balance of bold and sweet flavors, which cooks into every molecule of the tender chicken thighs. The cornstarch took it up a notch by making the sauce less runny and the perfect partner to white rice. Even diners who do not love asian food will find that the flavors of this dish are more like barbeque: sweet, spicy, bold, and thick. This is a delicious supper that will add some ”wow” to your weekly recipe rut, and it barely took 2 brain cells to throw together.

What are you doing in the kitchen this week? The seasons are changing and all new produce is popping up in the grocery store – reminding me that it is time to plant my spring garden!

See you next week!

Lindsey

 

 

read more

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Cheddar Grits

Jul 12, 2011 by Lindsey

Every so often, I feel obliged to cook my boyfriend something that I think classifies as “man food.” This usually involves LOTS of protein and cheddar cheese, coupled with some sort of transportation device for the two, like noodles or sandwich bread. Real fancy, huh? At least it’s a simple equation. Last Sunday (a “man food” day),  I made BBQ Pulled Pork sandwiches with cheddar grits and some pan-fried broccol for something green. It was really easy, inexpensive, and made the “favorites” list of things that I cook by Jason. Although my pictures didn’t turn out perfectly, I wanted to share this recipe for everyone to enjoy! It is super easy!

Ingredients for the BBQ Pork Sandwiches

A 2-4 lb pork shoulder (bone-in recommended)

Diced onions and garlic

BBQ Sauce of your choice

Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Mustard Powder, Chili Powder

 

Directions

Season the pork shoulder on all four sides with whatever spices you have on hand. I used about a tablespoon of salt, pepper, garlic salt, mustard powder, and chili powder.

Sear the shoulder on a skillet so that all sides have a nice brown crust. This locks the flavor inside the meat while it cooks.

Put your diced onions and garlic in the slow cooker. The quantity depends on your taste- Jason is an onion hater so I used them just enough to create an aromatic for the braise, maybe 1/4 cup? Put the pork shoulder on top of the onions and garlic and pour about 1/3 of a bottle of your BBQ sauce on.

Now, cover it up and cook it on low heat for 10 hours! Just walk away and go have your day off! I’m going to be honest here, I was  feeling the effects of my Saturday night margaritas at 9AM on Sunday when I had to prepare this, so seeing that “10:00″ timer was like winning the lottery! I proceeded to crawl myself to the sofa and watch about 4 hours of “Say Yes to the Dress” on TLC while Jason golfed. It was that kind of a Sunday. I was all better by dinner, thank goodness!

When it’s all done, it will look like this:

I used the pork as sandwich filling and served sides of Cheddar Grits and pan-fried broccoli.

For the grits, I will point you to the recipe I always use from the Food Network (this is better than writing it out myself!): Alton Brown\’s simple approach to grits really appeals to me. He uses whole milk, cheddar cheese, 1/2 stick of butter, and some water and simple spices. If you want to get fancy with it, use chicken stock instead of water. They’re great, gluten free, and cook in a snap!

That’s all there was to it! I hope you enjoyed this recipe. It is one that I will keep in my recipe box and probably be cooking for the next 40 years for the people I love.. I’m about to have some leftovers tonight!

Thanks for visiting, y’all! I hope you are staying cool this summer! Discussion question: Do you call it a “slow cooker” like me, or do you call it a “crock pot”? I think “crock pot” sounds unappetizing!!

Lindsey

 

 

read more