Chicken Fried Rice

Photo from Butter 
Your biscuit

Fried rice is one of the menu options I always order when eating out for Chinese food. But, not all fried rices are made the same. I prefer mine to be savory, not sweet. 

I've made a couple of versions of fried rice and I have to say, I prefer making my own. Part of the problem though is I often forget to make the rice the day before and let it sit over night. THAT is key

This is an easy recipe and delicious. I think it'd also work well with left over chicken. In fact, it'd be a great option for left over chicken. 

Chicken Fried Rice

Recipe from Butter Your Biscuit

Serves 4

• 2 T butter
• 3 eggs whisked
• 3 medium carrots peeled and diced
• 1 small white onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 c frozen peas
• 4 c cooked and chilled rice
• 5 chicken tenders cooked and diced
• 4 T soy sauce or more to taste
• 2 T teriyaki sauce optional

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in skillet add egg and cook until scrambled. Set aside

Add an additional tablespoon of butter to the skillet add carrots, onions, peas, and garlic. Saute until onions and carrots are soft about 5 minutes.

Increase the heat to med-high and add the cold rice. Add cooked chicken, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and stir until combined. Fry for 3-5 minutes add scrambled eggs back in and toss..

Garnish with sliced green onions and serve hot!

Asian Ginger Marinade for Grilled Chicken

Oh boy! This was an amazing marinade. I'll make this again and again for sure. 

I used chicken tenders instead of breasts, but I don't think that makes any difference 

The ginger flavor in this recipe was just right. But DO use fresh ginger! It makes all the difference. 

I did just realize that I didn't add the onion. Somehow skipped right past that. Frankly I think it was fine without it. 

Asian Ginger Marinade for Grilled Chicken

Recipe from Oh Sweet Basil

Serves 4

• 1/4 c Onion, Minced
• 1/2 c Peanut Oil
• 1/4 c Rice Vinegar
• 2 T Water
• 2 T Ginger, Minced Fresh
• 1 T Carrot, Finely Shredded
• 2 T Ketchup
• 4 tsp Light Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Brown Sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
• 1 Clove Garlic, Minced
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• 4 Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless

In a large measuring cup, or jar, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until well combined.

Pour 2/3 of the marinade into a zip top bag along with the chicken breasts. Seal and place in the fridge for 2- 24 hours. We prefer a longer marinade time.

Place the remaining marinade in a bowl in the fridge.

Heat the grill to high heat.

Remove the chicken from the fridge to rest on the counter for 5 minutes.

Drain the marinade and place the chicken, top side down on the grill. Turn the heat to medium.

Cook the chicken for 5-7 minutes, flip over and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes or until cooked through. The last few minutes brush some of the reserved marinade over each chicken breast.

Remove from the grill and let rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing.

Blue Cheese Dressing

Tonight was Sunday dinner. We did build your own pizza and I felt it needed a salad or something to go along with it. I thought a wedge salad would be perfect. 

I needed a blue cheese dressing though and I'm not a fan of store bought blue cheese. I searched my recipes to find one and I found this one that was attached to a chicken chop salad. 

This recipe was SPOT on! It was the perfect blue cheese for a wedge salad. It's tangy and creamy and will be on my list to make again. 

Blue Cheese Dressing 

Recipe from The Mom 100

• ½ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1 to 2 tablespoons whole milk half and half or heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 finely chopped scallions
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a small bowl mix together the sour cream, mayonnaise, blue cheese, 1 tablespoon milk, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, scallions, and salt and pepper. If the dip is still thicker than you’d like, add the extra tablespoon of milk (or whatever dairy product you chose).

Creamy Ranch Chicken

Photo from The Cooking Jar

You know, I'm very confused by the RANCH thing. I like ranch dressing just fine, but I don't understand why "ranch" has to be in everything these days. And yet, I find myself wanting to try it and every time I'm just - meh about it. 

Aside from my weird ranch problem, this wasn't a bad recipe at all. The sauce that you make is quite flavorful and compliments the chicken nicely. Watch the salt though. Ranch packets can be high in sodium. I've learned to not salt anything until the end of the cooking process.

The sauce comes together quickly. I used half and half instead of milk because, well, I was out of milk. It just made the sauce more luxurious and creamier. 

Pro tip: take it off the heat and THEN add the sour cream. Adding it with everything else to a hot sauce made the sour cream sorta curdle. It was fine, but looked a little funky. 

Creamy Ranch Chicken

Recipe from The Cooking Jar

Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (5–8 oz. each)

Salt and pepper

3 T butter, divided

1 T olive oil

1 T flour

Fresh parsley, to garnish (optional)

SAUCE

1 c low sodium chicken broth

1/2 c milk

1/4 c sour cream

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 (1 oz.) packet Ranch seasoning mix

Pound the chicken breasts to an even 1” thickness using a meat mallet and season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add olive oil. Sear the chicken on each side until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Reduce heat to low and add the remaining butter. Stir in flour and cook for about one minute.

Pour in chicken broth and scrape up the browned bits stuck to the pan.

Add milk, sour cream, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and ranch seasoning mix. Stir to combine until the sour cream and ranch seasoning has fully dissolved into the sauce.

Add chicken and plate juices back to the pan and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Simmer in the sauce until the chicken is heated through and the sauce has reduced slightly.

Dish and serve hot topped with fresh parsley (optional).

Enjoy!

Creamy Pesto Parmesan Chicken

Pesto, I find, is either a love or hate food. I am on the love side. BUT...a little bit goes a long way for me. Sometimes recipes call for too much pesto for me. I just adjust.

This was a pretty basic and simple recipe. Good in all areas. It's a quick 30 minutes to make this and you will not be disappointed. 

I put it over pasta and was happy that I made that decision. 

Creamy Pesto Parmesan Chicken

Recipe from Crème De La Crumb

Serves 4

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts - pounded to even thickness
• ½ cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ⅓ cup basil pesto
• ⅓ cup chicken broth
• ⅓ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup shaved or grated parmesan cheese - plus more for topping
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh basil - for topping (optional)

Grease a large skillet and cook chicken over medium heat 5-8 minutes on each side until browned on the outside and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Add garlic and mushrooms to pan and sauté over medium heat until garlic fragrant and mushrooms are tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Add pesto to pan and sauté 1-2 minutes. Add chicken broth and stir to combine with pesto. Add cream and continue to stir over medium heat until sauce is smooth. Add parmesan cheese and stir until melted and combined with sauce. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed, to taste.

Return chicken to pan and toss in the sauce to coat. Sprinkle additional parmesan cheese over the chicken and garnish with fresh basil and serve.

Soy Ginger Chicken

I did it again. I found another chicken marinade that is a show stopper. Every now and then I find one that hits all the marks. This one was definitely that. 

I marinaded it for 5 hours (the limit when citrus is involved for me). Cut the chicken into chunks then marinaded. Skewering them and grilling them. Man! So good.

I paired it with these Spicy Asian Cucumbers that were to die for. Fantastic combo of food tonight. 

This on, like the cucumbers, are being added to the Favorites list this year. I'll make both again.

Soy Ginger Chicken

Recipe from Two Peas in a Pod

Makes 4

• 1/3 cup lite soy sauce, or Tamari for gluten-free
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• Juice of 1 Lime
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Siracha, or more if you want it spicy
• 2 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, can use chicken breasts or drumsticks
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Sliced green onions and chopped cilantro, for garnish

First, make the marinade. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, ginger, lime juice, garlic, and Siracha.

Pour the marinade in a reusable freezer bag with the chicken. Press out the air and seal shut. Place the bag in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat the grill to high heat. Carefully brush the grill grates with oil to prevent the chicken from sticking. Place the chicken on the hot grill and discard the marinade. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through, the internal temperature should be 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Transfer the chicken to a platter and garnish with sliced green onions and cilantro. Serve warm.

Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad

I can't not express just how amazing this recipe is. Ah-MAZE-ING! 

I did not bother with making them spiral. I just got out the mandolin (and the protector so I don't cut off my finger) and sliced those bad boys up. I marinated them for about 4 hours. Oh I also didn't let them sit in salt because, well I missed that part of the recipe. I just sliced them up and plopped them in the marinade. So good. 

This will be a staple for me for sure. I bet it'll be even better tomorrow. Oh...I can't wait. 

Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad

Recipe from Kenna's Cook

Serves 4 ish

• 6-8 Persian cucumbers
• 2 tbsp salt
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 green onion
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• tbsp gochutgaru
• tsp brown sugar
• tsp sesame seeds

Start placing a chopstick on either side of the cucumber. Make 45 degree slices into it, the chopsticks should help make sure you don’t slice all the way through. Next rotate the cucumber to the other side and make straight 90 degree cuts through it. You should be left with a spiral shape!

Add all the spiral cucumbers to a bowl and add the salt. The purpose of the salt is to draw out as much moisture as possible out of the cucumbers. Massage the salt in between the slices and let sit for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile mince your garlic and thinly slice the green onion.

Next rise the salt off the cucumbers quickly and drain. It may seem counter intuitive to get the cucumbers wet after drawing out moisture, but as long as you rise them quickly they won’t reabsorb the water. Pat the cucumbers dry with paper towel.

Next add the garlic, green onion, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, gochugaru, brown sugar, and sesame seeds to the bowl. Massage well into the cucumbers.

They are best to enjoy right away while still crunchy, enjoy!