Well Christmas just flew right by, didn’t it? Of course the last few days have been an absolute hurricane at my house, however today I managed to get a few things in order. My oldest son is home from school this week, so you know what that means, I’m officially a referee now! I think I heard the words “He hit me” more times today then I ever really wanted to hear them. Actually, I’d be totally fine if I never had to hear those words again! 🙂
Amongst all of the chaos I somehow managed to muster up the energy to put dinner together tonight and it was one of those Ohhhh-Soooo-Takeout inspired dishes that did the trick BUT was made with all real, healthier ingredients then you would typically find in takeout food. I was surprised how great the consistency of the sauce turned out because it reminded me of something JUST LIKE you would get from Panda Express. Three Cheers for creating a great sauce with a few simple ingredients that would surely rival Panda Express!
Speaking of Panda Express, I actually looked for their ingredients online and wasn’t able to find ANYTHING. Being tight-lipped about ingredients? Not cool Panda Express! Of course, I know their food is GMO-laden, and probably contains a lot of soybean oil and high fructose corn syrup, but I’d be curious to see what else is hiding in there. They do claim that they only use “natural forms” of MSG so that makes me think they use yeast extract or other flavor enhancers instead. Tricky, tricky! If anyone knows where to find their ingredients shoot me a comment! 🙂 Or better yet forget about them all together and make your own!
I put this delish Coconut Chicken over fried rice, but it would also go great with sticky white rice (GASP!) or brown rice. Ok, I know… the white rice. But there is just something about it that is so wonderful and amazing in every way that makes it perfect for a sticky sweet/spicy/salty sauce. Food heaven is that you???? I have to admit I can eat 100% whole wheat bread and pasta all day every day and never miss the bleached/refined stuff but the sticky rice with takeout-style food is my bleached grains pitfall. Just being honest! If you decide to forgo the extra fried rice steps I would recommend doubling the sauce recipe so that you have a little extra goodness for the rice.
Cooking Tips and Techniques
- For best chicken results filet chicken (cut in half lengthwise) first, then cut into small chunks, and finally thin slightly with a meat tenderizer. This will ensure your chicken will cook through easily because it is thinner, and it will be nice and flat for a crispy finish. It sounds like a lot but I promise the extra few minutes of effort it takes will save you cooking time and yield a perfect bite of chicken!
- Rinse pan after each batch of chicken is cooked (unless you are using a non-stick surface, then you can just wipe down with a paper towel, and add more olive oil). I used two chicken breasts, and only had to rinse pan one time. This ensures none of your chicken will end up stuck to your pan!
- Heat your pan well in advance. I put my oil in the pan and allow it to heat up on low while I’m breading my chicken. When I’m about to cook my chicken I turn it up to medium. I don’t go any hotter then medium/medium low because I’m using olive oil.
- Sauce can be cooked in the same pan as your chicken! Save yourself a dish, and use the flavor of the stuff on the bottom of your pan for a delicious sauce. Yumm!
- Any veggies you have on hand can be used in the fried rice. Have a ball, throw in them all! I went broccoli heavy cause that’s just how we roll. Hello Cruciferous veggies!
