Firecracker Chicken

printed from melskitchencafe.com

 

*Note: This dish packs a bit of a kick and depends mightily on what type of hot sauce you buy. Apparently (thought I haven't tried it), if you buy the buffalo flavor it's a bit more mild and less spicy. Also, I cut down on the sugar by 1/2 cup from the original recipe. If you really want to minimize the spiciness, you can consider adding that extra 1/2 cup back in (I just had trouble bringing myself to use 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a dinner recipe). Either way, the spicy/sweet combo is delicious!

*Serves 4-6

Chicken:

2-4 tablespoons canola oil

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)

Salt and pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 large eggs, beaten

Sauce:

1/3 cup hot sauce (like Frank's brand for hot wings, for instance)

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon water

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

While the oil is heating, cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces.

Season with salt and pepper.

Place the cornstarch in a gallon-sized ziploc bag.

Put the chicken into the bag with the cornstarch and seal, tossing to coat the chicken. Whisk the eggs together in a shallow pie plate.

Dip the cornstarch-coated chicken pieces in the egg and place them carefully in a single layer in the hot skillet.

Cook for 1-2 minutes and then flip each piece over to cook on the other side until nicely golden but not all the way cooked through.

Place in a single layer in a 9X13-inch baking dish and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and pour over the chicken in the baking dish.

Bake for one hour, turning the chicken once or twice while cooking to coat evenly with sauce.

Serve over hot, steamed rice.

 

Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken Stacks

Recipe Source: from www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com


2 cups frozen corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 large frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 cups salsa
cilantro ~ chopped

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of the slow cooker.
Pour frozen corn into the bottom of the slow cooker and place the frozen chicken breasts on top.
Cover with beans and salsa.
Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.
Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with forks.
Return to the slow cooker and stir until the chicken, corn, beans and salsa are combined.

Serve on a bed of lime tortilla chips
Top with additional garnishes:
     lettuce,
     green onion
     tomato,
     avocado,
     sour cream,
     cheese, etc.

Cream Biscuits

Honey Lime Enchiladas

Trade Secrets: I followed Brittany’s recipe closely, the only modifications being the addition of cream to the remaining enchilada sauce to add a bit of depth and creaminess. Since the chicken was cooked while marinating, I also poured the leftover marinade into the enchilada sauce and cream to blend all the flavors together. And finally, I added a bit more lime juice than the original recipe because that’s what my lime produced! Next time (because there WILL be a next time), I might saute some onions and garlic and add that to the chicken mixture.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
recipe via Kitchen Cafe

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used 3 small chicken breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream (to lighten them up, I have substituted sour cream with good results)

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (I tossed mine together in a ziploc bag in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator all day). Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

*Freezable Meal: Freeze prior to baking. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake enchiladas, covered (without thawing first) for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, until brown and crispy on top.

We always double the marinade – it is great. This time we followed your suggestion and added sauteed onion and garlic