Cooking it up Chinese Style

OK...so my husband wanted chinese...I didn't feel like going out, yea thats right...I opted to COOK instead of taking a night off from it :) So we compromised. I made Sweet and Sour Chicken Skewers (recipe from Sandra Lee) and Chicken Fried Rice :) My house smelled like a chinese restaurant. These recipes were a little on the complicated side, really just because I had so many things going on at once to make sure that everything was ready at the same time. The family all gave me great reviews, especially the kids...they LOVED IT! I had no leftovers! And that is always a good thing :)

Sweet and Sour Chicken Skewers

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
  
• 1/2 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water
• 1 red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken boneless thighs about four thighs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Directions

Put the vinegar, sugar, reserved pineapple juice and cornstarch slurry into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Reserve half of the sauce in a small serving bowl to be used as a dipping sauce alongside the skewers.

Quarter the red pepper and remove the core and seeds. Slice each quarter into 6 pieces. Cut each chicken thigh into 6 pieces.(I actually used boneless, skinless chicken breasts because that is all I had on hand)

Preheat a grill pan or an outdoor grill to medium heat.(I used my new indoor grill!)

On each of the 8 skewers, place 1 chunk of pineapple, then a piece of chicken thigh, followed by a piece of red pepper. Repeat with another piece of pineapple then chicken, then red pepper. Season skewers with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill the skewers on oiled grill, cooking for 4 minutes on each side. Brush the sweet and sour sauce all over the skewers and grill and additional 2 minutes per side. Remove to a serving dish and serve with the reserved sweet and sour sauce, for dipping.

The biggest problem I had with this was getting the pieces to stay on the skewers, but with a little work, they stayed and came out great :) I had some left over pineapple pieces and a few pieces of chicken, so I just threw them on the grill along with my skewers, basted them with the sauce and served them along with the skewers.

Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 4 cups cold, cooked rice
• 6 green (spring) onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish, optional
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions

Beat eggs with a whisk in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat very little oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat and make an omelette using half the beaten eggs. Turn out onto a plate to cool (do not fold omelette). Repeat process with remaining beaten eggs. Place 1 omelette on top of the other, fold and coarsely chop. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, toss chicken strips with the sesame oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over high heat in large frying pan or wok and stir-fry the prepared chicken strips until lightly golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until onion has softened. Add 2 tablespoons more vegetable oil and when hot, stir in the cooked rice and green onions, tossing and mixing thoroughly until very hot.

Sprinkle with soy sauce and mix evenly. Remove from heat and stir in chopped cooked egg. If desired, garnish with additional sliced green onions.

This was awesome rice! I am wanting more of it now that I am sitting here typing it out. : P The skewers will be about 4 servings or so....and the rice is about 6 to 8. And Please be sure you use FOUR CUPS OF COOKED RICE, this does not mean measure out four cups of rice and cook that....again, just trust me on this. :)

Enjoy these recipes and please remember to give me your feedback!

Oh, and sorry there are no pictures for this one :) Just use your imagination!