Honey-and-Soy-Glazed Chicken Thighs

Simplified from a NYT recipe by Kay Chun.   I used boneless skinless thighs and I eliminated added salt (the soy sauce is plenty salty).  

This is a simple weeknight recipe.  I made it tonight and we loved it.  There is enough left over for lunch tomorrow.   

2 T oil 

1 T minced garlic 

1-2 T minced fresh ginger

6 T low-sodium soy sauce 

5 T mild honey (I used orange blossom honey) 

3 T butter

ground pepper 

1 package (6-8) boneless skinless chicken thighs 

1.  Preheat oven to 375. 

2.  While oven preheats, get the rice cooker going, and make the sauce:  in small saucepan, heat the oil; add the ginger and garlic and stir for a few minutes to soften.  Add soy sauce and honey (I measure casually).   Stir, simmer until it's a little bit reduced and thickened.   Turn off heat and whisk in the butter.  Add some ground pepper. 

3.  Place the thighs in an even layer, in a 9x13 pyrex dish, or similar.   RESERVE about 1/3 C of the sauce.  Pour remaining sauce over the chicken.  Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes.  Baste once or twice.  If you are using a lot of thighs and keep them sort of rolled up, you will need more cooking time. 

4.  Serve thighs over white rice, with a drizzling of the RESERVED sauce.   YUM 

Recipe suggests serving with lemon wedges.  This is a neat idea, especially if broccoli is your side vege. 

 

Chicken Marbella from Janette

Chicken Marbella  

Janette made this for me last night, on my first night in North Carolina.  It is one of their family favorites and it is SO GOOD, packed with interesting flavors and very pretty.   She served it over orzo, and with asparagus.  I think it would work great with chicken thighs too.  Janette says leftovers freeze very well! 

note:  this looks to be a recipe that was made popular with the Silver Palate Cookbook in the 80's.   I made it this week with chicken thighs, and half apricots half prunes.  A really easy delicious beautiful recipe.  6/22 CN 

chicken pieces - cut several breasts into 3 pieces each - or use thighs (my preference)

Marinade: 

12 oz prunes, chopped into bite sized pieces  (or partly dried apricots - so pretty) 

1-3 T capers 

2 T dried oregano

3-6  Bay leaves, can be in pieces 

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 C pimento stuffed olives

1/2 C red wine vinegar

1/2 C olive oil 

1 T sea salt (less or skip) 

2 tsp ground pepper 

Combine ingredients and marinate with chicken pieces overnight or all day. 

Place all into 9x13" pan. 

Sprinkle each piece of chicken with a little of the sugar and then sprinkle the wine over the whole dish: 

about 1/2 C brown sugar

about 1/2 C dry white wine. 

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees 50-60 min. 

 

Janette's Orange Rosemary Roast Chicken

 Orange Rosemary Roast Chicken - from Southern Living 

Texted with Janette last night.  They love this dish.  Looks so yummy! 

Cheesy Ritzy Chicken

 Cheesy Ritzy Chicken - 

Another one from NYT Cooking.  I used what I have on hand - used a crushed garlic clove, and a little dried green onion - mixed in with the yogurt and egg white.  We get Levain crackers here which are identical to Ritz.   I made half recipe and I just approximate the amounts.  Here's the full recipe: 

1/4 sour cream

1 large egg white

1 tsp Dijon mustard

salt

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts 

1 sleeve Ritz crackers 

1 T olive oil 

2 oz coarsely grated cheddar cheese (about 1 C) 

1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 1 garlic clove, pressed, added to sour cream mixture) 

1/2 tsp onion powder (or a shake of dried green onions into the sour cream mixture) 

Preheat oven at 450 F (lower in Japan - 200 C) 

Place rack over a sheet pan and grease with a little olive oil 

1.  Slice each chicken breast horizontally into two thin pieces. 

2.  In a bowl, whisk together egg white, sour cream, mustard, and dash of salt.   I added the garlic and onion here too. 

3.  In another bowl, crush the crackers (there will be some larger pieces and that's OK) and toss with olive oil and cheese.  If you haven't added the garlic and onion to the sour cream mixture, use the powdered versions and add to this cracker mixture. 

4.  Coat each piece in the sour cream mixture, followed by the crumb/cheese mixture.  Press mixture into chicken.  

5.  Bake about 10-15 minutes.  Cool slightly (5 min) so coating sets up a bit. 

YUM.  Good with broccoli and salad.

Thai Coconut Chicken Thighs with Cabbage

Thai Coconut Chicken Thighs with Cabbage - 

*adapted from Diana Yen's recipe in Bon Appetite, May 2021. 

Start early - chicken needs to marinate.   

Ingredients: 

Zest and juice of 1 lime 

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped, plus two slices of ginger

2 garlic cloves (or 1 large), finely chopped 

1/4 C brown sugar (less than what original recipe calls for) 

3 T fish sauce (it smells gross, but it's important - this is less than original recipe calls for) 

1 13.5 oz can unsweetened coconut milk, divided 

olive oil 

2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 

2 lb skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (4-6).  (In Japan we just use the usual flattened boneless thighs and I remove most of the skin/fat.  Two of these flattened thighs fit into our cast iron pan nicely). 

1" thick slices of cabbage  (to cover the bottom of your skillet) 

1 C jasmine or basmati rice  

cilantro leaves and lime wedges for serving. 

1.  Make marinade:  Whisk together lime zest and juice, grated ginger, garlic, sugar, fish sauce, 1/2 C coconut milk, 2 T oil, 2 tsp pepper in large bowl.  

2.  RESERVE 1/4 C marinade for later.  Place chicken in remaining marinade, cover with plastic wrap, marinade 1 to 12 hours.  (it's a great feeling to get dinner almost ready, in the morning!) 

3.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees (190 in Japan).   Season cabbage on both sides with salt and pepper.  Arrange in skillet, to completely cover the bottom of the skillet, making a platform for the chicken.   Remove chicken from marinade and arrange skin side up on top of cabbage.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast uncovered 35 minutes.  Increase oven temperature to 450 and cook 5-7 more minutes until skin is crispy (we skip this - it's just a different kind of dish here using the kind of chicken we get). 

4.  Meanwhile, rice:  Bring the rice, remaining 1 C coconut milk, the ginger slices, 1 C water, pinch of salt, to a boil in a saucepan.  Reduce heat to barely a simmer, cover, and simmer til rice is absorbed, about 20 minutes.  Remove pan from heat.  Remove the ginger slices.  Stir/fluff rice, and keep covered til ready to serve.  

5.  Arrange chicken and cabbage on a platter, drizzle with reserved marinade and sprinkle with cilantro leaves.   Serve over coconut rice and lime wedges for squeezing over.  YUM. 

  

I am always throwing away the extra cabbage after making yakisoba and so I liked this recipe, for using the extra cabbage I always seem to have on hand here.  

Even if you don't like cabbage, just try this recipe.  It's so tasty! 

Really different, love the Thai flavors and it's so nice to have the dish practically ready to cook, early in the day.  When dinnertime rolls around, it's so easy to get going.  It's also one of the rare things I cook in the oven here and I appreciate not having to tend the stove.  

The lime and cilantro are super important.  

Dad's Special Recipe Chicken

Dad’s Special Recipe Chicken

I started making this marinade out of what I could find in the fridge.  - David. 

Marinade

• 1/3 cup Japanese soy sauce (Kikoman or other)
• 1/2 cup cooking sherry
• 1 tsp Worchestershire sauce 
• 1 T Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 large garlic cloves minced (or through a garlic press)
• 1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger sliced into coin sized discs 
• 2-3 shakes of Cholula hot sauce
• 3 T olive oil

Note: You can make more marinade if needed by just doubling the soy sauce and the cooking sherri. I was never really precise when I was making the marinade.

4-6 Chicken Breasts pounded flat

1. Combine the marinade in a large bowl. Add the flat chicken breasts. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. You can leave the chicken in the marinade for several hours if you want.
2. Place the chicken breasts on the grill. And spoon some marinade on top of each piece of chicken. I used long tongs and would scoop up a bit of marinade and put it on the chicken. After you turn the chicken, put more marinate on each piece. Continue to grill on medium heat.  
3. Serve with Japanese rice, corn on the cob, and a salad.

"Midtown" chicken curry

"Midtown" Chicken Curry*

2-3 large chicken breasts, cut into large chunks 

salt and pepper

olive oil 

1 red onion, thinly sliced 

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped.  The fresh ginger in Japan is amazing. 

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes (or use Cholula) 

1 14 ounce diced tomatoes (or diced) (we use a small 360 gram or so, box of crushed tomatoes - could use a box and a half) 

1 can (13 ounce) coconut milk (about equal amounts of coconut milk and tomatoes- very flexible) 

For serving: 

chopped cilantro

lime wedges, for serving 

1.  In deep skillet, brown chicken on both sides in olive oil.  Give it some time - maybe 4 min per side.   Transfer to a plate and set aside. 

2.  Lower heat to medium low, add onion and cook til softened, 4 min or so.  Add the spices, garlic, etc. and stir.  Yum.  Season with salt. 

3.  Add the tomatoes and the coconut milk, stir.  Scrape up bottom of skillet.  Nestle the chicken pieces back into the skillet.  Simmer gently til chicken is cooked through, (maybe 15 minutes? depends on the size of the chicken), and the sauce has thickened somewhat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve with cilantro and squeeze of lime over basmati rice. 

YUM. 

Adapted from One-Pot Braised Chicken with Coconut Milk, Tomato and Ginger by Colu Henry in NYT Cooking.  He uses bone-in skin-on chicken thighs - we use breast (cheaper in Japan and healthier).  Serve over basmati rice. 

Soy-Glazed Chicken Breast "Good chicken and pickles"

Pan Steamed Soy-Glazed Chicken Breast 
and Pickled Cucumbers 

This is such a yummy dinner - from the NYT Cooking, Dawn Perry.  We added a bit of sugar to the cucumbers.  We made the full amount of sauce, but just two (large) chicken breasts.  Do not skip the cucumbers - they are an amazing complement to the sweet/savory chicken.

4 servings, 30 min

Watch the chicken - adjust temp and time.  The sauce reduces at the end.  Add a little water if you need to.  You want a couple teaspoons of sauce to drizzle on each serving.


PICKLED CUCUMBERS - make first - mix these in a bowl and let sit while chicken cooks: 

1 English cucumber (2 Japanese cucumbers), peeled (optional) and thinly sliced 

1 shallot, peeled, halved, and very thinly sliced lengthwise. 

1/4 C rice vinegar

1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar 

CHICKEN: 

1/4 good soy sauce 
2 T honey or maple syrup 
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
olive oil or vege oil 
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed  
1 tsp coriander seeds, roughly smashed 
Garnish:  fresh cilantro leaves 

1.  In a shallow dish, combine shoyu and honey.  Add chicken and turn to coat. 
2.  Heat skillet oil in large skillet over medium high heat.  Add garlic and coriander and stir to coat.  add chicken (reserve the marinade) and brown, about 3 minutes per side (lower heat if necessary - browning happens fast).  Add reserved marinade and 1/4 C water to the skillet.  Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and simmer on low, covered, until chicken is cooked through, 4-5 min per side (ours needed more time).  

3.  Uncover skillet, increase heat to medium high and cook for a minute or two, turning chicken a couple times, to reduce the sauce and glaze the chicken.  Remove chicken and slice.  

4.  Serve with white rice, any leftover glaze, the cucumber salad and cilantro.  We added miso soup.  YUM. 

Leftovers idea:  NYT suggests it would also be tasty wrapped in tortillas instead of with rice.

Chicken with Lemon and Herbs

Chicken with Lemon and Herbs

Foil packet cooking in the oven.  So aromatic!  Easy, and Tommy likes this.  It is from the Silver Palette Cookbook.  You can get the packets ready ahead of time and keep in the fridge until dinnertime. 

1 C chopped fresh herbs (mint, dill, parsley) in about equal proportions

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 boned chicken breast halves, skinned and slightly flattened

salt and pepper

2 lemons

4 T butter

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  
2.  Mix herbs and garlic in small bowl.  
3.  Arrange each chicken bread on a large piece of foil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then herbs mixture. 
4.  Slice lemons and arrange over each breast.  Dot with butter and seal the packets.
5.  Set packets on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes. 

Really nice served over rice to catch the juices.  

Chicken Divan

Chicken Divan

This is a recipe from Alyson Whatcott.  Missionaries seem to love this!

3 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up (I use bone in for best flavor)

3-4  heads broccoli florets, steamed til tender 

Mix sauce in a bowl:

1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 C mayo
1/2 C milk
1 C grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp lemon juice (I use 1/2 a lemon)
1 tsp curry powder (or less)

Bread crumbs - dry or fresh
Parmesan cheese - grated or shredded

350 degrees
9"x13" pan

Layer: 

broccoli
1/2 sauce
chicken
remaining sauce
bread crumbs and parm


Cook for 30-40 minutes until browned and bubbly.  Serve with rice.