Food for thought: GDS-free Ginger Grape Chicken Breasts and Jalapeno/Lime Chicken Tenders
By Kyra Hoggan
Finally, I’m going to talk about actual food (bet you were starting to wonder if THAT was ever going to happen!)
One of the problems, for me, is that over the years I’ve stopped measuring ingredients – I just chuck stuff in until it looks right, or smells right, or tastes right, depending on the recipe (and on my mood).
So now I have to cook the recipe from scratch, with my newly-bought measuring cups and spoons, scratching my head and thinking, “hmmmm, how much of that would I usually add?”
Then scratching out my first guess when I have to add more. Then doing it again, then …
Good thing I provided that wine ingredient tip last column, no?
So, do you have your special wine glass in hand, are you ready to cook something?
Let’s start with the easiest recipe on the planet: Ginger Grape Chicken Breasts. I serve this on a bed of rice (I prefer Jasmine rice for this) and with a salad of cubed tomato and cucumber, maybe with some olives thrown in for fun, oil and vinegar dressing.
Ingredients:
3 or 4 (roughly 2 lbs) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (although it would probably work with thighs or legs, too … but I’ve never tried it).
3 tbsp grated fresh ginger (ground does NOT yield the same results)
2 or 3 cups of white grape juice (depending on the size of your pan)
3 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Handful of green grapes (optional)
Slice chicken into tenders (strips about three inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Don’t be anal about it, just cut it up some, is all I’m saying. Sharp knives make this an easy job. If you can’t figure out how to sharpen knives – like me – get a StaySharp knife. It makes such a huge difference, you’ll be shocked!)
Brown chicken over high heat in olive oil – just browning, not cooking through. Lower heat, add ginger (I just grate it right into the pan. How much you use should depend on how much you like ginger. I like it A LOT! If you want the flavour to be a little more subtle, add a little less). Let ginger saute for 30-60 seconds. Add enough white (it HAS to be white, not purple) grape juice to cover, turn down heat, and let simmer until cooked through.
Dissolve cornstarch into a few tablespoons of water, add to pan and bring to a boil until thickened, stirring constantly. If you want a thicker sauce, add more cornstarch until it reaches your preferred thickness.
Serve over a bed of rice.
A nice garnish for this is a handful of green grapes, sliced in half and scattered over the top – but it’s totally not necessary.
How easy was THAT!
I bet you didn’t even finish your wine!
You need an excuse to knock that nectar back, so let’s learn how to make a savoury chicken recipe – Jalepeno/Lime Fried Chicken Tenders. This is a recipe I found online and adjusted to my family’s tastes – feel free to do likewise. Add more heat or less, throw in your favourite spice, have fun with it!
Ingredients:
3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into tenders (see above, remember not to get all anal about making them perfectly uniform, you’re gonna chew them up anyways)
2 egg whites
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice (you can get it at any grocery store)
2 tbsp corn starch
1/4 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes (I like my food, when I bite into it, to bite me back. If you don’t like it hot, reduce this)
2 cups oil (I prefer sunflower oil for this, olive is too heavy. Safflower, corn, anything like that should work fine)
1 lime, cut into eights
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and thinly sliced cross sections
Get two big bowls and a frying pan (or wok). Throw the lime and jalapeno into one bowl. Throw the oil into the frying pan at med-high heat (my burner says ‘8’ at that heat). It’s hot enough to start frying when you can put your hand in water and flick some droplets at the oil and it sizzles. (By the way, don’t cook this naked, no matter how much wine you’ve had by now. In fact, I recommend long sleeves).
Whisk remaining ingredients in remaining bowl. Thrown in chicken and mix it all together.
You let chicken marinate for an hour at this point, but I never do – I’m hungry, dammit!
Gently add enough chicken for a single layer in your pan – you’ll have to cook it in batches, which is fine – don’t let it overlap.
Cook for about five or six minutes, turning at least once, until it’s a deep brown, then set on paper-towel-lined plate to drain excess oil. Add new batch. While that cooks, toss into bowl with jalapenos and limes (the heat will draw the oils, thus the flavours, from both – the more you toss, the hotter they’ll get). When all the chicken’s done and tossed, I squeeze one of the lime wedges over the bowl for good measure.
Because this is fairly greasy, I don’t bother serving a carb with this – I just make a massive salad with a ton of veggies to go with it.
This batter is also fantabulous for onion rings – just slice up an onion, throw it in the batter, deep fry (but only for about a minute), and YUM!
Please let me know how these work out for you, and please feel free to share any of your favourite recipes with me!
See you next Sunday!
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