Foodarrific

One of our favorite go-to meals when we’re in a time crunch is roast chicken and vegetables. It’s a meal that all my kids love so I don’t even have to think about convincing anyone or having leftovers to deal with the next day.

All you need is:

• chicken thighs (or a whole chicken)
• potatoes, cut into large chunks
• carrots, cut into large chunks
• celery, cut into 3″ lengths
• baby corn
• your favorite rub or marinade
• your favorite herbs
• olive oil

Marinate the chicken with your favorite rub/marinade and set aside for 2-3 hours.

Place the chicken on one side of your roasting pan, and the vegetables on the other side. Drizzle some olive oil over everything and sprinkle on your favorite herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Roast in a 25o degree F oven for about 45 minutes or till done.

That’s it. Done. So what if you have an information technology degree instead of one from a culinary school? You can do this. It’s simple, tasty and healthy.

Filed under: PoultryVegetables by Chili Queen - No Comments →

My girls and I went to all the way to The Ship for lunch. This is one of the few restaurants I would drive to just for their food and it’s always worth the trouble. Not only do I love their ship’s cabin furniture, I also love how their food still holds that signature English flavor after all these years.

While you can barely make out the seafood in the chowder served at other restaurants, The Ship’s seafood chowder features a giant green mussel, a jumbo shrimp and chunky pieces of fish and squid. Very yummy.

This is the first time I’m ordering the Grilled Chicken with Cola Sauce, mixed veggies and french fries. The sauce made with coke (cola) is interesting but a little bland.

The Chicken Maryland is definitely one of my kids’ all-time favorite. The portion is pretty big and we all jumped in to help lick the platter clean.

Filed under: Foodlish TalkPoultrySeafoodWestern by Chili Queen - No Comments →

Chicken Fingers are a perennial favorite in our household. When all else fails, chicken fingers to the rescue! I’m really not much of a stickler for recipes. I generally just make up the recipes as I go along depending on what I can find in my pantry or my fridge.

I created this version here when my oven refused to work.

It’s really simple and crunchy. You just need some chicken breasts cut into long strips and seasoned lightly with salt and pepper. Leave to marinate for an hour or so. Heat up a good amount of cooking oil in a wok or deep skillet.

Beat up an egg (or two, depending on amount of chicken breasts you’re using). In a plate, combine 1 cup of flour and 2 cups of bread crumbs. Dip the chicken strips in the beaten egg. Dredge them through the flour and breadcrumb mixture to coat evenly. Deep fry till golden brown. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

You may also like to check out another recipe I posted earlier for Finger-Lickin’ Good Chicken Fingers. These are oven-baked and probably won’t have you running out to look for the most effective fat burners because they’re less fattening.

Filed under: Kid-friendlyLunchbox IdeasPoultryQuick & Easy CookingRecipes by Chili Queen - No Comments →

Although there’s a whole spread of eateries at the Midvalley walkway to the Gardens, there’s only one or two restaurants that we’re tried that appeal to us. One of them is Nyonya Colors which serves fairly decent nasi lemak (or coconut rice with condiments) but we’ve never tried their nyonya kuih (or cakes). There are certain prices I won’t just pay for certain food, period, especially if I know how easy and cheap they can be made at home.

This Nasi Lemak Pandan with Chicken Rendang is quite a decent portion of rice (the greenish color comes from the screwpine leaves used), fried anchovies and peanuts, half a hard-boiled egg, sliced cucumber and chicken rendang (dried curry sauce).

Another one of our favorites is Nasi Kunyit with Chicken Curry. The nasi kunyit, or turmeric rice, shaped like giant gold coins, may not look like a lot but eaten with the thick, coconuty chicken curry, this glutinous rice is very filling.

And if I’m not very hungry, I’ll order this basic, no-frills nasi lemak in a small portion that I can finish in a few scoops.

Filed under: AsianCurryPoultryReviewsSpicy by Chili Queen - 1 Comment →

Whenever we eat out, the kids always seem to order Sesame Chicken, if it’s on the menu, that is. As is usually the case, when we order one plate, it’s not enough for my Sesame Chicken lovers. If we order two plates, I’ll start thinking how many plates of it I can cook at home for the same price !

So the next best thing is to cook this at home where I can make a big enough portion without worrying about the bill. I mean, this is so simple and inexpensive to make at home.

I usually use boneless chicken fillet or deboned drumsticks for this, just like the restaurant. The pieces should be cut fairly large, then drenched in a mixture of flour, pepper and salt.

There’s two steps to cooking this. First I deepfry the chicken pieces on high heat till lightly brown. I know what you’re thinking. That we probably have to jump on our ellipticals and peddle like crazy afterwards to work off the weight gain .

Remove chicken and pour away the oil from the wok. I add some hoisin, or sweet and sour plum sauce and a little water and let it come to a boil. Then return the chicken to the wok and mix to coat with the sauce. Just before serving, sprinkle sesame seeds on top and garnish with fresh cilantro. And you’re ready to dig in.

My Sesame Chicken is a bit saucy because the kids like to spoon it over their rice. It’s the perfect wholesome and yummy dish if you have young kids because the chicken is boneless and the sauce is sweet with a light tang and kids are fascinated by the speckled look of the sesame seeds. Try it !

Filed under: AsianHealthy EatingKid-friendlyPoultryQuick & Easy CookingRecipes by chili queen - 2 Comments →