Sesame Chicken

Today’s recipe is a guilty pleasure treat. Chinese food! I really enjoy getting sesame chicken when back home in Canada, but it’s a lot harder to find in Korea, although not impossible. There are a few places that have popped up this year in Seoul. Both Panda Express and P.F. Changs now have locations in the city if you’re looking for a quick fix. However, if you’ve got an oven or toaster oven then try out this delicious recipe below.

Sesame Chicken
Recipe adapted from The Recipe Critic

Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts
3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
4 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 ̊F or 160 ̊C. Cut the chicken breasts into one inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add cornstarch to the chicken and stir until all the pieces are well coated. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs together with a fork. Dip the coated chicken pieces into the eggs. Heat oil in a large frying pan or wok, over medium high heat. Cook the chicken pieces until browned. Place the chicken in a greased baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine both vinegars, sugar, soy sauce, garlic powder and ketchup. Wisk until well mixed. Pour sauce over chicken and bake for 45 minutes. Stir the chicken every 15 minutes. Serve over white rice and broccoli. 

Lemon Chicken Fillets

Today’s post is a quick and easy dinner option for you; Lemon Chicken Fillets. They are delicious and easy to make. You can serve them with a variety of side dishes and vegetables. Check out the recipe below.

Lemon Chicken Fillets
3 large chicken breasts
zest of 2 lemons
2 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp parsley flakes
oil for frying

Cut your chicken breasts in half lengthwise Tip: If the chicken breasts are still a bit frozen they are a lot easier to cut in half. Season with salt and pepper. Heat about a 1/2 inch of oil in a pan over medium high heat to shallow fry your fillets. Combine panko, lemon zest, and parsley flakes in a large bowl or shallow dish and set aside. Pour flour into another shallow dish. Wisk eggs together with a fork in one last dish. Dip each fillet into the flour, then the egg, and then the panko mixture. Last, fry in oil for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve with a lemon slice.

Makes 6 fillets.

Chicken and Basil Pizza

Yesterday, the Simmering Seoulmate and I were craving a nice homemade pizza. We had some red onion, red peppers and fresh basil left in the refrigerator, so we decided to combine them. The basil was a lucky find from a small grocery store at D-Cube in Sindorim. I’ve added it to pasta dishes and really enjoyed it. Fresh herbs are hard to come by in my area, so I’d hate to see them go to waste. We also found fennel! I can’t wait to make one of our favorite sausage and fennel pasta dishes soon.

I hope you are having a great month and enjoying some cooler weather. This pizza is easy and delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 ball of pizza dough (I used this recipe from Bobby Flay which makes enough dough for 2 pizzas)
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 cups shredded pizza cheese
2 chicken breasts cooked and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 red onion cut into thin slices

1 roasted red pepper finely chopped
handful of fresh basil

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 ̊F (200 ̊C). Roll out your dough and place it in your desired pan. Spread tomato sauce over the dough. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the pizza. Add red onion and roasted red pepper. Spoon the chicken over the pizza. Cook pizza for about 25 minutes. Add the fresh basil leaves after the pizza is removed from the oven.

Makes 1 pizza.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

What do when you've bought a 3.78 liter jug of Franks Red Hot? Buffalo all the things!!! Besides making classic buffalo wings and chicken fingers, the Seoulmate and I decided to make a buffalo chicken pizza. 

After a long day yesterday, which included a baseball game, and dinner and drinks with friends, it was nice to relax today and cook a delightful meal at home. Surprisingly, the Simmering Seoulmate and I work extremely well together in the kitchen. We divide up the tasks and try to clean as we cook, in order to avoid a daunting mess at the end and to have available space to work in our tiny Korean kitchen. 

This pizza was super simple to make and dinner came together quite quickly. We enjoyed our slices with a nice side of broccoli, but I think it might have gone better with a nice crisp salad to balance out the spiciness of the pizza.

Ingredients

2 large chicken breasts
3/4 cup Franks Red Hot sauce
2 tbsp butter
2 cups shredded pizza cheese
1/2 of a red onion finely chopped
Italian seasoning

1 ball of pizza dough

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 ̊ F (200 ̊ C). Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes and cook in a pan over medium high heat with a little olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper.  While the chicken is cooking, prep your pan and add the dough.  Next, create your buffalo sauce. Melt the butter and stir it into the hot sauce. Pour about a 1/4 of the buffalo sauce onto the pizza crust. Sprinkle the cheese over and add red onion. Add all but about 2 tbsp of the remaining buffalo sauce to the chicken, and fold so the chicken so it is nicely coated with sauce. Spoon the chicken over the pizza and drizzle what’s left of the buffalo sauce across the top of your pizza. Cook pizza for about 25 minutes and enjoy! This pizza is quite spicy so make sure you’ve got a nice glass of something to wash it down.

Makes 1 pizza.

Chicken Tacos for Two

This is a super easy lunch that tastes delicious. I made this twice last week, because both my boyfriend and I loved it so much. Beef is pretty expensive here in Korea, so I thought chicken would be a good twist on a regular taco. I enjoy the texture of shredded chicken, but you could make a variation of chicken tacos with chopped chicken if you prefer. See how I made this yummy lunch below.

All the toppings

The yogurt I used in place of sour cream. Couldn't tell the difference!

The seasoned, shredded chicken

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
1 tbsp taco seasoning
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp water
5 small flour tortillas
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup lettuce
1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
8 cherry tomatoes
any other taco toppings you would like

Directions
Place chicken in a pot filled with water and boil for about 15 minutes. While chicken is boiling, prepare your taco toppings. I chopped up some lettuce and cherry tomatoes, and grated about a half of a cup of cheddar cheese. I didn't have sour cream, but I found a plain yogurt at my local mart, that had a low sugar content and tasted almost identical to sour cream. Win! After your chicken is cooked through (check the inside with a knife, if it is still pink, boil for another 5-10 minutes), use two forks to shred the chicken. Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat and add shredded chicken. Sprinkle the seasoning over the chicken and add about 3 tbsp of water. Stir. Heat the chicken until it has a good crisp to it. Assemble your tacos and enjoy!

Makes 5 delicious tacos.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

Filling: 2 medium chicken breasts cubed 1 cup chopped potato 1 cup frozen mixed veggies 3 tbsp butter 1/ 4 medium onion chopped 3 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp of freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp Italian seasoning pinch of salt pinch of cayenne pepper 3 cups of chicken broth 1/2 cup milk

Crust: 1 3/4 cups sifted white flour 1 tsp salt 7 1/2 tbsp canola oil 7 tbsp super cold water

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 ̊F (200 ̊C). In a medium pot, combine chicken, potatoes and frozen veggies. Add enough chicken broth cover and boil for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from heat and drain (save the chicken broth). Set aside.

In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour and spices. Slowly stir in 3/4 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup milk. Simmer over low heat until thick. Add the chicken mixture. The mixture should be thick like a stew.

Crust

Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Pour the oil and water into a well in the center of the flour mixture. Use a fork to stir it together until it just sticks together into a ball. Use about 2/3 of the dough for the bottom crust and the remaining 1/3 for the top. Roll out the larger section and lightly press it a round pie or cake pan. Fill each up with the chicken mixture. Roll out the smaller section and place over top. Press the edges together with a fork and cut small slits into the top to let steam escape.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Wait about 10 minutes before cutting into the pie and enjoy!

Recipe makes one delicious pie.

*Note*
You can substitute frozen veggies for fresh ones if you’d prefer, I just used a frozen mix of carrots, peas, green beans, and corn, because it’s what I had on hand. 

White Chicken and Spinach Pizza

I Love Pizza.

Seriously, though who doesn't? One of my former kindergarten students was literally the only person I'd ever met who didn't like pizza and I was both shocked and applauded. To be fair the kid was 6. He'll change his mind. 

Throw chicken, onions, and sooooooo much garlic into a pan and cook.

While that was cooking, I chopped up some delicious fresh spinach.

Then, my lovely go to guy, rolled out the pizza dough, because he's so much better at it.

Now, assemble!

 

Pop in the oven for 10ish minutes and then resist the urge to eat immediately.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts (chopped into small pieces)
5 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 small onion chopped
sprinkle of salt and pepper
1 cup of fresh spinach chopped
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese (or more if you love cheese!!)
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp of dried basil
sprinkle of Italian seasoning
sprinkle of cayenne pepper
1 ball of pizza dough (homemade or prepacked)

Preheat oven to 475   ̊F or 220   ̊C. Toss chicken, onions, salt/pepper, and garlic in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil and cook over medium heat. Once chicken is cooked through, remove from the heat and set aside. Roll out your pizza dough and brush the olive oil across the top of your crust. Next, spread your chicken mixture evenly across the top of the pizza. Sprinkle the dried basil on top. After that, spread the chopped spinach over top. Finally, sprinkle your cheese across the top. Place the pizza into the oven about 9 - 11 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown around the edges.

Serve it up with a little parmesan, or hot sauce for extra seasoning.

Makes one pizza.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

As a busy kindy teacher, pre-making lunches ahead of time is helpful. At our school we only get 40 minutes for lunch. However, by the time we walk home and account for the time it will take to walk back, there is little time to prep and eat lunch. This weekend I cooked one of my favourite lunch time dishes. Soup! This soup from Sophistimom has been one of my go to soups for the past year. It's filling, delicious, and doesn't really take that much time to make. There are a ton of ways to add your own signature with this soup, by adding different spices, pasta, or rice. Try it!

 

Chicken Soup with Wild Rice

Ingredients

4 small chicken breasts

1/2 cup of wild rice blend
2 large carrots chopped into 1 inch pieces
3 stalks of celery chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/2 of a red pepper chopped
6 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of water
1/2 tbsp of vinegar
1 medium onion chopped
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 dried rosemary
3 or 4 dried bay leaves
A pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
To cook the chicken, place in a large pot of water and boil for about 20 minutes. You may need longer if you are cooking from frozen. When the chicken is cooked through, use two forks to shred it into small pieces. In another pot, cook your rice according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium low heat, pour in oil and add carrots, onions, celery, thyme, and rosemary. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add red peppers, chicken broth, water, and vinegar. Next, add cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes. Taste and add more water or salt and pepper if needed.

Place chicken and rice into individual bowls and cover with a ladle or two of soup.

Makes 8-9 individual portions