Slow Cooker Adobo Chicken with Bok Choy

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How often do you use your slow cooker?  I tend to use mine once or twice a week.   I find myself using it for weeknight meals, putting the ingredients in the cooker in the morning and then letting that cook all day so dinner is ready when we come home.  That sometimes takes a little pre-preparation the night before so I don't spend all morning chopping the ingredients when I'm rushed to get to work.

I also find that I'm using it more and more on the weekends so that I free up some of my time to run around and not worry about "what to make for dinner"!  Soups such as this one and this one are great for the weekend.  

About a month ago I bought this great cookbook, Stock the Crock, by Phyllis Good.  She is the creator of the Fix-It and Forget-It series, which I'm sure you've heard of.  Well let me tell you, this book is amazing!  I did a quick read through it and marked so many recipes that I have to try it's unreal.   The one that really caught my eye was: 

ADOBO CHICKEN WITH BOK CHOY

This is not your average slow cooker meal.  You've seen thousands of recipes for typical Mexican dishes, copycat Asian dishes (ala Panda Express) and all the comfort food you can handle, but this Asian dish is different.  Chicken cooked in a tangy sweet sticky sauce low and slow and then shredded and mixed with the flavorful crunch of bok choy.  Deliscious! 

This dish is a flavor bomb for your taste buds!  It's really that good.  The sauce is popular in Filipino cooking and is basically vinegar, soy, sugar, and some aromatics.  You are gonna love this recipe.

It' soooo good I suggest you go out and make this over the weekend.  It cooks in the slow cooker on low for 4 1/2 to 5 hours.  You don't want to overcook the chicken so I suggest you don't make this during the week unless you are home to start the dish later in the day.  I made this on a Sunday afternoon while we had a little fun at the bookstore, and when we got home, dinner was ready.

Let me know how you liked this dish.  We thought it was a keeper!
Enjoy!






Slow Cooker Adobo Chicken with Bok Choy

source:  Stock the Crock
serves 4

1 red onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 c apple cider vinegar
1/3 c low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbls brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1- 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp paprika
2 heads baby bok choy, cut into strips
cooked rice

Spray the inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray.  Places the onions, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and bay leaf in the slow cooker.  Place the chicken on top and sprinkle with paprika.

Cover.  Cook on low 4 1/2 to 5 hours.  Shred the chicken in the cooker.  Turn the cooker to high and add the bok choy.  Cover and cook 10 minutes.  Discard the bay leaf.  Serve over rice.

Baked Honey Soy Chicken Legs

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Need a quick weeknight meal?  Let's make a quick hot meal using the oven.

Baked Honey Soy Chicken Legs is a weeknight wonder!  Just a few ingredients and some chicken legs and you'll have a tasty dinner on the table in no time.  One that the whole family will love.  

Tender, juicy chicken legs doused with a wonderful honey soy sauce served over a bed of fluffy rice.  What could be more comforting than that? 

Chicken legs are used hear as you can buy them cheaply and in bulk.  Everyone loves a good chicken leg!  They are the perfect vehicle for this mouthwatering sauce too.  They soak up the sauce perfectly while the chicken bakes and it gets in to all the nooks and crannies of the chicken, making for one boldly flavored chicken leg.

Enjoy!


Baked Honey Soy Chicken Legs

6 chicken legs
salt and pepper
1/4 cup Asian rice wine
1/4 honey
1/4 low sodium soy sauce

Pat the chicken legs dry with a paper towel and place them in a baking dish.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl add the rice wine, honey, and soy sauce.  Stir to combine.  Pour over the chicken coating all sides.  Allow to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.  

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees while the chicken marinates.  Cover your pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and turn the chicken over.  Uncover and bake another 15 minutes until golden brown on top.  Serve warm over rice if desired.

Spicy Apricot Glazed Chicken

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We're having and Indian Summer here and to go with my Indian Summer Fresh Corn Salad I turned to Pinterest for the main dish.

I love Pinterest and my goal is to actually 'make' the recipes that I pin!  Crazy huh?

So I found a wonderful grilled chicken dish that sounded perfect and quick for our Indian Summer Cookout.  Taste of Home's Spicy Apricot Glazed Chicken caught my eye with it's spicy yet sweet glaze.  I just love that flavor combination. 

The good thing about this dish is that is use stuff you may already have in your refrigerator like, chili sauce, hot mustard, and apricot preserves.  (I actually had to go buy the chili sauce as I don't use that often)

Now this recipe calls for broiling the chicken, but since it is too hot to cook inside I opted to grill the chicken on our outdoor grill.  The ingredients are simple and come together quickly. It's done in about 20 minutes so it make a great weeknight meal or it's perfect for a weekend get together.

Indian Summers call for gilled food that's sweet and spicy in one bite and done in 20 minutes!  How perfect is that.  You're gonna love the flavor.  What a great way to jazz up your everyday chicken!

Enjoy!

print recipe

Spicy Apricot Glazed Chicken

by Beth - Slice of Southern October-2-2017

Indian Summers call for gilled food that's sweet and spicy in one bite and done in 20 minutes!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup apricot preserves
• 1/4 cup chili sauce
• 1 Tablespoon hot mustard
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

Instructions

Preheat your grill to medium heat.  In a small saucepan, combine the first five ingredients; cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Grill chicken for 6-8 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 165°. Brush occasionally with preserves mixture during the last 5 minutes of cooking. 

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 20 mins Yield: 4

Simple Asian Salad

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When I put a meal together I usually try and theme all the food around the same nationality.  The other day we decided to grill some Spicy Thai Chicken Satay with Grilled Pineapple.  This spicy hot dish called for something cool as a side dish, so I decided to whip up a salad using a mix of Asian and other known vegetables.

In preparation, I headed to the local Ralph's grocery store to browse the Asian produce section.  I picked up Napa Cabbage to use as the base for the salad.  Napa Cabbage has a long shape and closely packed, pale green leaves attached to wide white stems.  It has a delicate mustard-like flavor which marries perfectly with other vegetables. 

Adding sugar snap peas, carrots, and small Japanese cucumber to the cart I had a good start.  I also added some sweetness to the salad with mandarin oranges.  I'm a sucker for those baby oranges!  Adding a little garnish or cilantro and chow mien noodles for crunch the Simple Asian Salad was born.

Top this off with you favorite Asian dressing.  We used Girard's Chinese Chicken Salad dressing, which I love.  It's lighter and a little more sweet than the typical sesame based dressing. 

Simple Asian Salad is the perfect side dish to spicy food.  I would also make a great lunch entrée.  You could even add chicken or beef to the salad for extra protein if you'd like.

Enjoy!






Simple Asian Salad

1/2 head Napa cabbage, chopped
4 oz. sugar snap peas (or snow peas), chopped
1/3 cup carrots, shredded
2-3 Japanese or Persian cucumbers, halved lengthwise and sliced
3 oz mandarin oranges
2 Tbls cilantro, chopped
handful of chow mien noodles for garnish
2-3 Tbls Girard's Chinese chicken salad dressing

In a large bowl add cabbage, snap peas, carrots, cucumbers and mandarin oranges.  Toss to mix.  Top with cilantro and chow mien noodles.  Drizzle salad dressing over the top and serve.

Shredded Chicken Week: Chinese Chicken Salad

It's Shredded Chicken week and here is my second recipe using the scrumptious shredded chicken I made in my slow cooker to use in different meals.

Hands down, Chinese Chicken Salad has to be my favorite salad.

I have had a love affair with this salad since my teens.  I think it really is all the juicy mandarin oranges, and I love a sweet Asian dressing.  They make the best Chinese chicken salad in my book!  

I love this salad so much that if it's on the menu, I'm sure to order it.  The best salad I've had was at a wonderful restaurant called Stanley's in Sherman Oaks.  It was famous, I mean it actually had a following.  Tender chicken tossed in a romaine salad with crunchy bites of won ton noodles along with sweet mandarin oranges.  All of this was doused in a sweet Asian dressing.  Heaven!  Sadly Stanley's has closed after many many years.

So what's a girl to do?  Make my own version that's what!  I dare say that this salad is just to my liking.  It's easy to put together using my Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken and the whole family will love it.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I do!



Chinese Chicken Salad

serves 4

4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 8 oz can of mandarin oranges, drained
1/3 cup sliced almonds
2 cups of shredded chicken
1/3 cup chow mien noodles
3 Tbls green onion, chopped
1/3 cup Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing (I used Girard's)

In a large bowl or platter place chopped lettuce.  Add oranges, almonds, shredded chicken and toss to combine. Toss with dressing and plate.  Top with green onions and chow mien noodles.  Serve.

Mongolian Beef

Everyone loves Chinese food don't they?  I know we do, and by the popularity of the stir fry dishes I've posted I'm going to take a leap and say that you do too.  Even better is that it's a great take-out dish. It's easy to order and pick up on the way home.  Well let's just say that making your own "take-out" is just easy.  Don't believe that?  Well just read on.

Mongolian Beef is a favorite dish of mine to order when we go to a certain Chinese restaurant in our neighborhood.  I just love the spicy and deep flavors the brown sauce lends to it.

I've been craving some lately and we just haven't had time to stop by the restaurant to pick some up, so I set out on a mission to recreate my own version of this dish. Let's forget the take-out and have take-in instead!

If you plan on making Chinese stir frys at home it is best to invest in some pantry items that you have on hand whenever the craving strikes.  Items such as soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and sriracha sauce are some of the ingredients I use regularly and try to always keep on hand.  These items are easily picked up at your local grocery store in the Asian section and I've even seen them at Trader Joes.   Tip:  make sure to keep the sesame oil in the refrigerator as it WILL go rancid if left out (speaking from experience...) yuk!!! You don't want to ruin your dish.

Mongolian Beef is our quest today.  It's a classic Chinese-American dish that has no reference to Mongolia except for the name. But who cares!  When you put a gingery-garlicky brown sauce together with strips of beef and vegetables I'm in heaven.  You will be too!

I took a nice sirloin steak and sliced it thinly and added some vegetables (onion and mini bell pepper mix) for some texture and crunch.  Make the wonderful sauce first so that you are ready to add it at the end when it's almost done.  Stir frys cook very quickly in a hot skillet or wok.  Having your items all ready to go prior to cooking is very helpful in these fast paced dishes.  No one wants to be frantic when cooking, and you've forgot to make the sauce!

Serve this mildly spiced dish over rice or wide rice noodles to catch all the sauce. I served it with rice and my Asian Cucumber Salad.  Great for a summer evening.  

Enjoy!



Mongolian Beef

serves 4

2 T low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp dry sherry
2 tsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sriracha sauce
2 tsp oil
1 T minced ginger, fresh
1 T garlic, minced
1 pound sirloin steak, cut across grain into thin slices
1/2 yellow onion sliced thinly
2 bell peppers, julienne sliced (mixed colors, red, yellow, and orange)

To make the sauce,  combine the soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, sherry, hoisin sauce, vinegar, sriracha sauce in a small bowl.  Whisk until smooth. 

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add ginger, garlic, and beef and cook about 4 minutes or until beef is browned. Remove beef from the skillet to a plate. Set aside.  

Add the onion and peppers to the skillet and cook, stirring often about 3 minutes until crisp tender.   Add your meat and any collected juices back to the skillet and stir. Add the sauce mixture to pan. cook 1 minute stirring constantly, or until thickened. Serve over rice or noodles.

Asian Cucumber Salad

This is 4th of July week and I have a million things to do to get ready for the big day.

We always have a pool party and do some grilling with friends.  Then it's off to watch fireworks and I can't forget the dessert, which is something that involves fruit such as grilled pound cake and peaches or berries, or a delicious parfait.   But, we can't forget to top it with a scoop of homemade ice cream.  It's a tradition in our family to make ice cream on the 4th of July, and it would be sorely missed if we didn't make it. 

I have a lot of recipes ready for you this week to choose from for your Independence Day bash.  Let's start with a nice fresh side dish that has been in our family for quite some time. Our Asian Cucumber Salad is so refreshing and make the perfect side dish to sliders, chicken, burgers, and even ribs. Let's just say that this didn't last long in my house.  I even caught MGG in the kitchen later eating my leftovers I had saved for lunch!

Kitchen Tip:  If you use English or Hot House Cucumbers, you won't have to peel them (love that!). For regular cucumbers, you will need to peel them like I have done in these pictures.

I know you will enjoy this.  It's easy to put together, and you can make it ahead, which is always a plus in my book!

Be on the look out for more dishes over the next several days.  You won't want to miss them.
Enjoy!




Asian Cucumber Salad

Serves 8

4 large cucumbers, sliced, peeled if necessary, and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
Ground black pepper

In a large bowl, add cucumbers and salt and allow to stand 5 minutes to draw out the moisture. In a small mason jar add the vinegar, ginger, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Shake to combine and set aside. Drain your cucumbers of any collected liquid. Pour the dressing over the cucumbers and then cover and chill 1 to 24 hours. Before serving add your chopped mint, and toss to combine. Season with black pepper and serve.

Honey Lemon Chicken Stir Fry

What a busy week!

My laptop was dying a slow death and I finally decided to wipe it clean and allow MGG to install a different operating system, Ubuntu.  

I was so hesitant to do this cause I've always been a Windows girl and going to a Linux based platform was so opposite, plus I'm possessive of getting rid of things that are familiar.  So, I took the leap and spent most of the week getting used to the new format.  Finding and loading new applications so that I can continue to blog, format pictures etc...  

They say change is good....so far, so good, but we're not quite at the comfortable stage.  So the verdict on this 'change' is still being debated.

Which leads me to today's post.  I had mentioned that I was on an Asian kick lately.  Which is true.  Needing a dinner that was quick to make, yet tasty was a must (since I spent most of my time formatting the laptop).

Stir frys are one of my quick go-to meals.  I love the ease of them.  You can make them simple or complex.  It's your choice.  Using what's on hand is perfect for making this dish.  Just chicken, cashews, some lemon, and honey.  Items I always have on hand.  Mixed together they are outrageous!!

This is a basic recipe that you can tweak and enhance by adding your choice of veggies.  Served over fluffy rice this is a crowd pleaser, and a simple weeknight meal!  Perfect for the Chinese New Year holiday coming up soon and a 1000x better than takeout!

Why not give it a try!  Enjoy!


Try another great takeout recipe:   Teriyaki Beef and Sugar Snap Stir Fry



Honey Lemon Chicken Stir Fry

serves 4

Honey Lemon Chicken Stir Fry


1 Tbls. canola oil
1 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/3 c cornstarch
kosher salt and pepper
1/3 c roasted cashews
Honey Lemon Sauce (recipe below)
Honey Lemon Chicken Stir Fry

Toppings:  sesame seeds, chopped scallions, minced cilantro (optional)

Honey Lemon Sauce:

3/4 c chicken stock
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
3 Tbls. honey
2 Tbls. cornstarch
zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp ginger (I use this ginger)
1-2 tsp Siracha sauce

Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
 
Place the cornstarch in a flat bowl or plate and roll the chicken pieces in the cornstarch.  

Add chicken to the skillet and cook, stirring often, 6-7 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. Season with kosher salt and pepper.  Meanwhile make the Honey Lemon sauce.  To a small bowl add the chicken stock, lemon juice, honey, cornstarch, zest, ginger, and Siracha sauce.  Whisk until well combined.  Set aside.

Add cashews to the skillet and cook 1 minute until toasted.  Make sure to not burn the nuts!   Add the Honey Lemon Sauce and stir to coat.  Allow to come to a bubble and thicken. 

Serve over fluffy rice and top with any of the optional toppings or not!  Enjoy!

Dinner to Go: Asian Pasta Salad with Hoisin Grilled Chicken

Last week MGG and I got to do one of our favorite summer things...taking in a concert at the Hollywood Bowl!

It was a night of Hitchcock.  There is nothing better than listening to music under the stars.  The program was absolutely amazing.  They showcased 17 Hitchcock movies taking popular scenes from each and showed them on the big screens while the LA Phil Orchestra played the music in time with the movie. FABULOUS!!!  

We arrived early to eat alfresco while the sun was setting. Sometimes we buy hot food to share for our picnic, but quite often I cook our meal, planning out a great dinner and dessert.

This time I decided to fix a dish that would be delicious either cold or at room temperature.  Flipping through my memory I recalled a dish that a wonderful chef taught me that I fixed for a concert my mom and I attended.  This Asian Pasta Salad is filled with good things such as Hoisin flavored chicken, carrots, and strips of crunchy sweet red peppers among spaghetti.  This is all tossed in a Ginger Cilantro dressing that is to die for.  This meal is really all about the dressing....trust me and don't skip this part!

It's the perfect item to pack in individual containers making it travel ready and also easy to eat.  I served it along with some small appetizers to round out the meal.  MGG was bragging about the flavors of this dish for about 1 week. Now that's a compliment!

So if you are eating under the stars, in a park, or the backyard, this dish is perfect.  

Enjoy!

Asian Pasta Salad with Hoisin Grilled Chicken

source:  slightly adapted from Phillis Carey "Fast and Fabulous Summer Chicken"

serves 4

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 c vegetable oil

2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon dry sherry

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

12 oz spaghetti, uncooked

1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil

1 small red bell pepper, cut into julienne strips

1 small carrot, cut into julienne strips

Ginger-Cilantro Dressing:

2 garlic cloves, peeled

3 slices fresh ginger, peeled

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Instructions:

Trim chicken and pound to an even 1/2 inch thickness.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place in a zip lock bag.  In a small bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, Hoisin sauce, sherry, soy sauce and ginger.  Pour over chicken, turning to coat.  Let chicken stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

For dressing, using a mini food processor add garlic and ginger and process to mince.  Add the cilantro, vinegar, mustard, sugar, and oil.  Puree until well blended. Remove chicken from marinade and grill for 3-5 minutes per side or until chicken is cooked through.  Set aside to cool slightly and then cut into thin strips.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti until tender.  Toss noodles with sesame oil in a large bowl.  Add the peppers and carrots to the warm noodles.  Set aside for a few minutes to cool slightly.  Add enough dressing to coat noodles well. Serve at room temperature or may be served cold.

Beef & Noodle Slaw Stir Fry

I'm on an Asian kick lately.

this dish was born out of odds and ends that needed to be used up from the refrigerator.  I had some carrot juice, a small sirloin steak and a bag of broccoli slaw.  Hence the slaw in the title.  

So I decided to make another stir fry.  Since my last one using chicken and noodles turned out so well I decided to make this version with beef, and noodles, and broccoli slaw for the veggies.

The sauce is made from a mixture of a store bought peanut sauce (another item from the frig) and my leftover carrot juice.  Add in some Asian spices and my every present cashews and the rest is history!

Simple and easy....tasty too!

Enjoy this simple creation and come back and tell me how it turned out.


Beef & Noodle Slaw Stir Fry

serves 4

1/3 cup peanut sauce
1/3 cup carrot juice
1 tablespoon ginger, minced

6 oz multi-grain spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil

6 oz sirloin steak, thinly sliced
1 16 ounce package broccoli slaw
3/4 cup shredded carrots

1/3 c whole unsalted cashews

 In a bowl whisk together peanut sauce and carrot juice; set aside.  Break spaghetti in half and cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile in a wok or large skillet stir-fry beef until browned about 5 minutes.  Remove from the skillet. Add ginger and broccoli slaw and carrots. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Add cashews and stir until slightly roasted.  Return beef to the skillet.  

Add peanut sauce mixture. stirring to coat. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Add noodles. Using tongs, toss to coat. Serve warm.

Asian Style Fried Rice and Beans

I was visiting with some friends recently that are from Louisiana.  A place I've dreamed of going, but haven't had the chance to get there yet.  Bucket list!

Inevitably when the conversation turns to food there is a lot of talk about Red Bean and Rice.  I mean a LOT.  A symbol of Creole cuisine and thought of as major comfort food.  It uses simple ingredients that may even be leftover from a previous meal.

So why not make a variation of this comfort food displaying the comforts of a different global cuisine.  Let's take this to Asia.  Fried Rice is a popular and common dish.  So why not jazz it up, add some beans, and create another comfort dish sensation.  PLUS...let's use leftover rice.

Do you ever make leftovers?  Rice is a great dish to make a little extra.  It keeps well, you can freeze it, and you use it in so many other dishes from soup to salads, to stir fried rice!

This dish came out so well that everyone loved it.  Second helpings were all around.  There might even have been thirds if you are truely counting.

The pineapple lends some sweetness, the bean protein, and the different sauce ingredients used help make the dish.  There are no eggs in this dish as in the typical one.  The beans are the protein substitute.

It's very easy to whip up and good for you.  Hearty enough for a main course dish.  I hope you enjoy the flavors and a new spin on rice and beans.

Asian Style Fried Rice and Beans

Serves 4

8 ounce can pineapple slices

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

2 medium of carrots, thinly sliced on the bias

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons of grated fresh ginger

2 cups of cooked brown rice or white rice

1 14 ounce can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained

1 cup of frozen peas, thawed

3 tablespoons of reduced-sodium soy sauce 

1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons of sesame oil

1/3 cup of snipped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

1 lime, halved

Quarter pineapple slices. In a large skillet heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over medium heat. Add pineapple; cook about 2 -3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove from skillet. 

Pour the remaining 1 teaspoon oil into the hot skillet. Add carrots and cook for about 5 minutes until tender.  Add garlic and ginger; cook for 30 seconds.

Stir in brown rice, garbanzo beans, and peas. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil. Cook and stir about 4 minutes or until heated through. Stir in the 1/3 cup cilantro. Return pineapple to skillet; heat through.

To serve, squeeze lime over rice. If desired, top with additional cilantro leaves.