Category Archives: asian

winner winner chicken dinner

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chicken with snow peas

WE’VE GOT A WINNER!

This chicken with snow peas is one of the top 5 recipes I’ve made over this past month – and since I’m only sharing my favorites with you then here you go! This tastes so good you won’t even know that it’s good for you – in fact I’ll be making it over and over again even after I finish this whole “diet” ordeal.

As most of our recipes come about – FH had been begging for chicken and snow peas. However, good luck going to a Chinese restaurant and not ending up with mystery ingredients (or soy sauce) in your meal – So my mission began.

What was my mission exactly? To find a way to make FH’s beloved chicken and snow peas Whole-30-approved. I found this recipe on All Recipes (remember that site? apparently it’s still a thing!) and it looked pretty easy to modify to fit our diet… and I was right! Swapped the corn starch with arrowroot powder, used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, and added/subtracted whatever veggies I wanted and voila (is there a Chinese word for “voila”?) DELICIOUS CHICKEN AND SNOW PEAS WAS BORN.

Only six days left on the Whole 30 and I can see ice cream on the horizon (although, honestly, I’d settle for a bowl of rice or quinoa at this point!). Aren’t you excited to see Wee Eats get back to normal with photos taken with something besides my iPhone? And recipes including our beloved friend Mr. Sugar? I am.

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chicken with snow peas

Ingredients

    For the sauce
  • 1 cup chicken broth (I use Imagine brand)
  • 3 Tablespoons coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
  • 1 Tablespoon arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh ground ginger root
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
    • For the stir fry
  • 1 pound chicken breast, thinly sliced
  • 1 Tablespoon coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 large carrot, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 9 ounces snow peas, washed and dried
  • 1 Tablespoon sesame oil; divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
  • Scallions, diced, for serving
  • Cauliflower rice or regular rice, for serving

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl combine the ingredients for the sauce, set aside.
  2. In a separate bowl, slice chicken breast and toss with 1 Tablespoon of coconut aminos.
  3. Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil over medium-high heat.
  4. Add chicken (in batches, if necessary, to avoid over-crowding the pan) and cook until lightly browned and cooked through. Set aside in large bowl.
  5. Add remaining sesame oil to pan and add the onions and carrots to the pan. Cook until onions are translucent (about 5 to 7 minutes). Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds more.
  6. Add chicken and snow peas to pan, sprinkle with white pepper and toss to combine.
  7. Add sauce to pan and stir to combine. Heat to a boil and reduce to a simmer, cooking until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 more minutes.
  8. Taste and add salt or pepper (or even a hint of red pepper flakes) if needed.
  9. Serve with rice or cauliflower rice, or eat on its own (it's that good).

Notes

Recipe adapted from All Recipes

https://wee-eats.com/2014/06/24/chicken-with-snow-peas-and-a-whole-30-updat/

chicken with snow peas | wee-eats.com

teriyaki chicken sandwich

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teriyaki chicken sandwich

I’ve got a treat for you, and it’s not just this amazing chicken sandwich.

I’m part of an elite, top-secret baking team hand-picked by Stefanie of The Cupcake Project. Together, we are testing what may just be the world’s ultimate chocolate cupcake recipe. I can’t tell you much, just that I CAN’T WAIT to tell you ALL ABOUT them!!! But I can’t do that yet…
I CAN tell you all about Stefanie’s “Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake” recipe, which I plan to make today as well. The chocolate ones, though… those ones you will have to wait for. Assuming, of course, that it is deemed the “ultimate chocolate cupcake recipe.”
These sandwiches, though. These are another thing entirely. BF said he wanted “chicken sandwiches” for lunch one day, and then I came home and made these. I’m not sure if they are exactly what he had in mind, but they have quickly become one of our favorite meals.
It’s grilled teriyaki chicken breast with avocado, tomato, lettuce, onion, and spicy sriracha mayo sandwiched between a crisp and toasty ciabatta bun. You need to make these. Like now. When I tried to complain to BF about posting it, because I didn’t have any “amazing pictures” he said “WHO CARES!? IT’S SO GOOD!” … so you have him to thank for this post. 🙂 He was very concerned about you being able to enjoy these sandwiches.
Oh, and let’s not forget our virtual picnic on pinterest! If I don’t respond to your tag (Pinterest can be a little wonky sometimes), feel free to send an e-mail requesting to be a contributor to me at wee.eats@gmail.com or you can just comment on this post with a link to your pinterest account. 🙂
Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
Your favorite teriyaki marinade (I think I just used a bottled one – Lawry’s or something)
1 avocado, sliced
4 scallions, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
Lettuce of your choice (Romaine is ok, but I think arugula would be great)
Cilantro (optional)
4 ciabatta buns, split
Sriracha Mayo
1/4 cup mayo
1 Tablespoon sriracha
Drizzle olive oil (about a teaspoon)
1. Marinate chicken according to marinade directions. I marinate it for about 45 minutes.
2. While chicken is marinating, make the sriracha mayo and slice the toppings.
To make the mayo – Mix the sriracha, mayo, and oil. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Other flavorful (optional) mix-ins include sambal olek (chili-garlic paste), splash of lime, scallions, or cilantro.
3. Preheat grill and cook chicken until done. Tent loosely with foil.
4. Spread sriaracha mayo on ciabatta buns and grill, mayo side down, until toasted.
5. When ready to assemble sandwiches, cut chicken breasts int strips at a 45 degree angle. Assemble sandwiches – I like to sprinkle scallions on the bottom bun, top with the avocado, then tomato, then chicken (3 to 4 strips, depending on how big of strips you cut), and lettuce on top.

asian steak salad

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So, despite my last post being insanely delicious, I’m told that it is the start of a “new year” and that some people have things called “resolutions” and that in these “resolutions” some people, so I’m told, are trying to be more healthful. Silly me. Ruining your diets before you even start them. How dare I.

So, in your honor, those of you who have what’s called “self control” and are trying to be more healthful, I give you a (relatively) “light” meal. All the benefits of salad – being full of healthy veggies and having lots of greens to fill you up, with the added taste of a nice (LEAN) juicy steak right on top.

Now, please do not make the same error I made. Do not walk away from the grill with no concept of what time it is and allow your steak to just cook and cook away. Is it a big deal? Not really, but this steak really should have been medium-rare to medium. So be a good girl (or boy) and cook your steak over high heat for about 5 – 6 minutes per side, then tent it with foil and let it rest about 10 minutes afterward. Slice against the grain and lay atop your bed of greens.

Asian Steak Salad

[ Printable Version ]

For the meat:

  •     2 Tablespoons soy sauce
  •     2 Tablespoons oil (olive oil or vegetable will do)
  •     1 Tablespoon red wine
  •     3 cloves garlic, minced
  •     2 teaspsoons brown sugar
  •     1 1-pound flank steak

For the dressing:

  •     2 Tablespoons soy sauce
  •     2 Tablespoons oil
  •     2 Tablespoons sugar
  •     1 Tablespoon lime juice
  •     2 cloves garlic, minced
  •     1 Tablespoon ginger
  •     1 scallion, finely diced

For the salad:

  • Salad greens
  • 1 cucumber, sliced
  • ½ medium red onion, sliced

1. Marinate your meat by mixing together the soy sauce, oil, brown sugar, wine, and garlic. Pour over meat and let marinate at least 30 minutes. (I do this while it’s coming to room temperature)

2. While the meat is marinating, make your dressing by combining all of the dressing ingredients, including the scallion, mixing well. Taste and adjust, if it tastes flat try a dash of vinegar.

3. About 10 minutes before you’re ready to get cookin’, turn on your grill. Heat to high heat (about 550 degrees F). Cook the flank steak to medium-rare (about 5-6 minutes each side). Once done, transfer steak to plate and tent with foil for ten minutes while it rests.

4. Once the steak is done resting, cut against the grain into thin slices. For more even distribution, you can toss your salad with some of the dressing before plating, then place the steak over your salad veggies and drizzle with additional dressing if necessary.

Eat & enjoy… maybe think about using the left over steak for stir fry tomorrow… now that you think about it, that marinade would probably make a pretty good stir fry sauce… Let’s use brown rice instead of white, in the interest of being “healthful”. 😉

simple hoisin noodles

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dsc_2571Boyfriend absolutely loves asian food. I don’t mean to generalize, I know there is a lot of variation between the different asian cuisines, but I’m telling you – this boy has never met an asian dish he didn’t devour. So, naturally, I’m always on the lookout for new recipes. I don’t know what it is about asian cuisine, it’s just one thing I can’t seem to conquer at home. Yeah I can make something that tastes good, but it doesn’t taste like it came from an asian restaurant. Maybe I’m lacking some mystery ingredients or special cooking technique, maybe I need to not be too lazy to break out my wok, I don’t know.

This particular recipe stood out because of its simplicity. Of course, I have to make everything complicated, so I provided extra steps that you’re welcome to do if you also enjoy making things more complicated. 🙂 It’s the first time I’ve ever used ground chicken in a recipe, I’d recommend making it in a stainless steel pan (in batches, if necessary) as it has the same issue as ground turkey (it doesn’t like to brown), or you could use diced chicken if that’s what you have on hand. I can’t imagine it’d really matter.

The original recipe called for ramen noodles, which I thought had a funny taste to them. (Maybe it’s just how they taste and I just haven’t eaten them enough since college to know). Either way, I would recommend yakisoba or even thin spaghetti in its place. BF thought the green beans were “unnecessary”, but they were a bit over-cooked so I think if I had put them into an ice bath to keep them crisp (like I usually would do) they would have been better. I also think the dish would benefit from the extra flavor of sauteed onion and/or red pepper, so feel free to saute those along with your chicken if you like. I definitely will next time.

Hoisin Chicken Noodles – adapted from Kitchen Simplicity

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  • 2 C (handful or two) green beans, cut in half (+ additional stir fry veggies if desired)
  • 1 package yakisoba noodles or thin spaghetti
  • 1/2 C hoisin sauce (you’ll find this in a jar in the “asian food” section)
  • 1 small lime, juiced
  • 3 Tbs thai sweet chili sauce
  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 green onions, sliced
  1. Bring salted water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add green beans and cook for 10 minutes until tender-crisp. Immediately use a spider to transfer the green beans to an ice bath, but keep water boiling.
  2. Add noodles to water and cook according to package to directions.
  3. Mix together hoisin sauce, lime juice and chili sauce. Set aside.
  4. Cook chicken over medium-high heat in a small amount of oil until cooked through.
  5. If you’re adding extra veggies, transfer cooked chicken to a large bowl, and sautee veggies in small amount of oil. Reduce heat to medium-low, add garlic and cook one minute or until softened.
  6. Add chicken back into the pan and stir in hoisin mixture. Cook until bubbly and sticky. Stir in cooked noodles, green beans and green onions. Serve immediately. (This is easiest to do with tongs)

*Tips

*Reducing the heat before you add the garlic will help you avoid burning the garlic, which will make it bitter and yucky-tasting.

*If you add a lot of extra veggies, make double the sauce recipe so you can add more if your stir fry looks too dry.

*I served this with quick-pickled cucumbers (+ red onions) to give it a refreshing crunch.

Teriyaki Chicken with Momofuku’s Ginger-Scallion Noodles

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teriyaki chicken noodles

“Teriyaki” hails from Japan and is just a general term that applies to pretty much any type of sweetened soy sauce mixture. The sweetener can be anything from honey, to pineapple juice, to plain old sugar (which is what this recipe uses). Feel free to experiment and find what you like.

While teriyaki is extremely popular in the US, I’m not sure how “authentic” it is to asian cuisine. Nevertheless, it shows up on menus nationwide for us to enjoy at asian and non-asian restaurants alike (even ‘Jack in the Box’ has a teriyaki bowl). Once you see how simple it is to make, you’ll understand why.

I made Momofuku’s ginger-scallion noodles with quick-pickled cucumbers to accompany our chicken tonight, which I was fortunate enough to experience in person on my NYC trip last year at Momofuku Noodle Bar. I received the cookbook from mom this past Christmas and had yet to actually make anything from it.

Despite sounding fancy, the sauce comes together rather quickly, and ends up looking like a pile of wet scallions. The noodles are very ginger-y, so if you’re not big on ginger, you may want to scale it back a bit. You could also use Megkat’s noodle recipe (at the end of this post), which is super tasty as well.

Teriyaki Chicken – Adapted from Megkat

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  • 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 1/3 C soy sauce
  • 1/3 C sugar (I’m sure you could substitute honey, agave nectar, or pineapple juice to taste)
  • ¼  C cider vinegar
  • ½  tsp garlic powder
  • ½  tsp powdered ginger (There was plenty of ginger in the noodles, so I left it out of the sauce this time)
  • ¼ tsp ground pepper (couple grinds)
  • ¼ – ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
  1. Preheat oven to 425F and line a 9×13 baking pan with aluminum foil (this will make clean up much easier). Place chicken strips in pan.
  2. Mix water and cornstarch into slurry and add to saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in remaining ingredients and simmer until thickened, whisking to avoid burning.
  3. Once sauce is thick and syrup-y, pour over chicken and toss to coat. Bake in preheated oven 20-25 minutes, stirring about halfway through.

*Alternatively, I think it might taste even better if you saute the chicken in a pan and pour the thickened sauce over it, toss and serve, since baking the chicken results in a different texture than sauteeing does. Just be sure not to over-crowd the pan, saute in batches if you have to.

Ginger-Scallion Noodles –From Momofuku Cookbook

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  • 6 oz cooked noodles (ramen, yakisoba, or in a pinch- thin spaghetti)
  • 6 Tbs ginger scallion sauce (recipe follows)
     

ginger-scallion noodles with quick-pickled cucumbers

Ginger Scallion Sauce –Makes about 3 cups

  • 2 1/2 C thinly sliced scallions, greens and whites (1 to 2 bunches)
  • 1/2 C finely minced peeled fresh ginger
  • 1/4 C grapeseed or other neutral oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp usukuchi (light soy sauce)
  • 3/4 tsp sherry vinegar
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt, or more to taste

Mix together. Good from the time its made for 2 days. (It will look like a bowl of wet scallions)

Quick-Pickled Cucumbers

  • 1 large seedless (“English”) cucumber
  • 1 Tbsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp salt

Slice cucumber thinly (I used my mandolin), toss with sugar/salt and let sit for 20 minutes. Serve with ginger-scallion noodles

Garlic Noodles – Adapted from Megkat

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1 lb cooked noodles
4 TBS butter
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 C green onions, chopped (more for garnish, if desired)
2 1/2 tsp fish sauce (her’s calls for Tbsp, but that seems a bit much)
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs brown sugar

1. Melt 2 Tbs butter in large skillet. In small bowl, mix fish sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar.

2. Add garlic and green onions, saute until fragrant. Add soy sauce mixture to pan, along with 2 more Tbs butter, melt while stirring. Once sugar is dissolved and butter is melted, toss with pasta & serve.