Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken (San Bei Ji)

Because my husband served his LDS mission in Taiwan, I have been wanting to make more Taiwanese food for dinner. Pinterest makes it so easy! I found this recipe and made it last week. My family LOVED it. The flavors are so wonderful. The only change I would make is to use boneless chicken next time.

Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken (San Bei Ji)
Ingredients
1/4 cup Asian sesame oil
One (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds
12-15 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1-2 fresh Thai red chilis, stemmed and halved (I omitted these)
2 pounds skin-on chicken drumsticks, thighs, and/or wings, either chopped into 3-inch, bone-in pieces, or thighs halved along along the bone, wings split at the joint, and drumsticks left whole
1/2 cup white grape juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups fresh Thai basil leaves (from 1 large bunch)
Steamed white rice, for serving
Procedures

Heat sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add ginger, garlic, and chilis and cook until very fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add chicken pieces to the skillet in a single layer and cook, tilting the pan if necessary to submerge all pieces in the oil, for 1 minute. Flip chicken pieces and cook for 1 minute longer.

Add white grape juice, soy sauce, and sugar and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat to a simmer. Partially cover the skillet to prevent splashes of oil and cook, turning the chicken pieces every few minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Stir in Thai basil and remove from heat. Serve immediately with rice. Make sure you spoon some of the sauce over the rice. That's liquid gold!

Note: My kids didn't like eating the garlic cloves or the ginger slices. You might consider removing those before serving. I also might mince the garlic next time for more flavor.

Teriyaki Chicken with Pineapple Rice

I made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit with every single member of my family. Tyler was excited he even had some leftover for lunch tomorrow. This is definitely a keeper! I found the recipe here.

Teriyaki Chicken with Pineapple Rice
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups white rice
2 cups canned pineapple chunks, undrained (must be juice, not syrup)
2/3 cup chopped chives
6 tablespoons butter or oil
12 tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon brown sugar
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

HOW TO PREPARE:
In a rice cooker, pour in 2 cups white rice. Use the pineapple juice from the can as part of the water you put in the rice cooker. Cook rice in rice cooker. When the rice is done cooking, stir in pineapple chunks, chives, and butter. Close the lid and keep it on warm.

In an electric skillet, whisk next 3 ingredients. Add chicken, cover and cook over medium, 8 minutes. Uncover, turn chicken and cook over medium-low, basting, until sauce thickens and chicken is firm and cooked through, about 7 minutes. Serve with rice.

Orange Chicken

I was craving some Chinese food a few months ago and saw this recipe on Pinterest. I tweaked it a bit, to make it my own. I have made this twice and it never looks as pretty as the picture from where I got it, but it tastes fantastic! To go with the chicken, I cook some rice in my rice cooker. I substitute out some of the water with orange juice and I add some orange peel, too. I like to mix frozen peas into the rice, as well.

Picture found here.

Orange Chicken
INGREDIENTS:
2 cup chicken broth
1 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup gluten free soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp orange peel
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

For the chicken:
3 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into 1" chunks
1 1/2 c. cornstarch
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 c. vegetable oil

HOW TO PREPARE:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees, lightly spray two 9x13 inch glass pans, set aside.

In a medium size mixing bowl (or a 4 c. measuring cup), whisk together the chicken broth, orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, orange zest, ginger, and black pepper, set aside.

Place the cubes of chicken into a bowl with the whisked eggs, toss the chicken (taking care to let the egg drip off it) into a large ziplock bag full of the cornstarch. Zip and shake until evenly coated.

Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Working in batches (3-4), add the chicken and fry until golden brown and cooked through, about 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

Add the fried chicken to the prepared 9x13 pans. Whisk together a slurry of 2 tbsp. of cornstarch and 2 tbsp. of water, add to the sauce and then pour over the chicken. Place in the oven and bake uncovered for 50 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Remove and serve immediately.

NOTES
-This dish is best baked to help develop the flavor of the sauce, to thicken it and to make the chicken nice and tender. If you're in a time crunch, you can fry the chicken and heat the sauce (with the cornstarch and water) in a small saucepan until thick, then pour over the chicken and eat immediately.

Longevity Noodles

I found this while looking on Pinterest for a good noodle recipe for Chinese New Year. They were fantastic! I used Thai Flat Rice Noodles. Hen Hao Chi!

Longevity Noodles
INGREDIENTS:
8 ounces rice noodles
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil + more if needed
3 small cloves garlic, finely minced
1-2 tablespoons GF soy sauce
Sea salt and ground white pepper; to taste
diced green onions for garnish
sesame seeds for garnish
HOW TO PREPARE:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and salt it generously. Add the noodles, stir, and cook for about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water and set aside in a large serving bowl.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce and salt and white pepper, to taste, until combined well. Pour the mixture over the noodles and toss well to coat. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt/pepper and/or soy sauce if necessary. Garnish with diced green onions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Slow Cooker Char Siu Pork Roast

Photo found here.

Slow Cooker Char Siu Pork Roast

Prep Time: 2 hrs
Total Time: 10 hrs
Servings: 8

"Chinese version of barbecue done in a crockpot. A great and easy way to have some asian flavored pork for dinner. From Cooking Light magazine."

INGREDIENTS:
¼ cup GF* low sodium soy sauce
¼ cup Dynasty** Hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoons gingerroot, peeled and grated
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
½ teaspoon five-spice powder
2 lbs pork shoulder

HOW TO PREPARE:
Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl; stirring with a whisk.
Place in a large zip top bag; seal. Marinate 2 hours, turning occasionally (can skip this step).
Place pork and marinade in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
Remove pork from slow cooker using slotted spoon; place on cutting board or work surface and shred.
Can thicken sauce and serve with meat.
Serve with sticky rice and some stir fry veggies.
I found this recipe here.

GF* = Gluten Free

Dynasty** = This brand is Gluten Free

Lion House Sweet and Sour Chicken

I made this recipe and it was FABULOUS! We gobbled up the leftovers, too. It seriously tastes like takeout Chinese chicken. Yum. And I made the first version - totally worth it! We ate ours over rice, but you can put them in tortillas or eat plain. I found the recipe here.

Lion House Sweet and Sour Chicken

MIX THESE INGREDIENTS INTO A MED. SIZE BOWL:

2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 beaten egg
4 to six tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 cup chicken GF* Broth
7 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoon GF soy sauce
7 to 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt & pepper. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

1st Version: Dip chicken in beaten egg, then in cornstarch or flour. (cornstarch makes chicken crispier). Brown in hot oil. Place in baking dish. Cover with the following sauce: Mix sugar, vinegar, chicken stock, ketchup, and soy sauce in medium bowl.

Pour over chicken. Bake uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Turn chicken once or twice.

Faster, easier version – When time is limited

Same recipe as above, only eliminate frying your chicken, and add 3 large tablespoons cornstarch to the above sauce recipe.

Layer raw chicken breasts in glass dish (9×13). Mix all sauce ingredients in bowl, (plus 3 TBSP corn starch) with wire whisk. Pour directly over chicken breasts.

Bake uncovered at 325 for about 1 1/2 hours, or until sauce is thick and dark in color.

So Easy, and so good! This dish is great for company. Leftovers are wonderful.
The chicken needs to be (fall apart) tender! Serve this over rice.

GF* = Gluten Free

Shrimp Corn Cakes

I found this recipe and knew I needed to try it out. I love corn and shrimp, so it seemed like a good fit. My family went crazy for this recipe. Give it a try. The original recipe includes a dipping sauce recipe, but we liked these plain.

Shrimp Corn Cakes:

24 ServingsPrep: 30 min. Cook: 5 min./batch

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1 small)
• 1 tablespoon oil plus additional for frying, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 pound uncooked peeled and deveined shrimp, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup corn flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup cream-style corn
• 1 cup whole kernel corn
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• • In a large skillet, cook and stir onion in 1 tablespoon oil over
  • medium-high heat until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add
  • shrimp; cook and stir until shrimp turns pink. Remove from the heat.
  • In a large bowl, mix the flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, baking powder,
  • salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix the corn, egg and shrimp
  • mixture; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
  • In an electric skillet, heat 1/4 in. of oil to 375°. In batches,
  • drop corn mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls into oil; fry 1-1/2
  • minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
  • Yield: 2 dozen

Snow Peas & Beef Stir-Fry

This recipe is so tasty and I have altered it to also be gluten-free! Woo-hoo! I found the recipe here.

This is my picture.

Snow Peas & Beef Stir-Fry
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup GF* soy sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 beef top sirloin steak (1-1/2 pounds), thinly sliced
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms, optional
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
8 ounces fresh snow peas
Hot cooked rice

HOW TO PREPARE:
In a small bowl, whisk soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch and sugar. Transfer 1/4 cup mixture to a large bowl; stir in 1 tablespoon oil and garlic. Add beef; toss to coat. Let stand 15 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the beef mixture; stir-fry 1-2 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove from pan; repeat with remaining beef.
In same pan, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add mushrooms and onion; cook and stir until mushrooms are tender. Add snow peas; cook 2-3 minutes longer or until crisp-tender.
Stir remaining soy sauce mixture and add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Return beef to pan; heat through. Serve with rice. Yield: 6 servings.

GF* = Gluten-Free