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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Weekly Recipe: Crunchy Honey Chicken

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this or not this year but we joined a local CSA for the 2nd year.  We really love Elmwood Stock Farms and appreciate the fact that they try to produce all organic fruits and vegetables.  If you read my previous post about healthy eating, you hopefully now a little bit better appreciation as to why this is important to us.  I failed to mention local CSA's as a source for organic produce but if you take a look in your area, that might just be an option for you.

Our weekly "food box," as we lovingly call it, has forced me to cook things out of my comfort zone and it also has educated Colin on various fruits and vegetables (mostly vegetables).  He loves opening it each week or even just asking what was in it.  He also loves to eat the items out of the box and is super excited when I tell him a component of tonight's dinner was made with something from the farm.  I love that something so simple is so exciting to him!

This recipe is a great way to use up extra veggies or other veggies you might not know what to do with otherwise.  We really enjoyed this recipe and the fact that the chicken actually had some oomph to it.  The sauce is simple with soy and honey but together they provide just enough sweetness and saltiness to make this recipe a keeper.  The vegetables are interchangeable, so feel free to adjust the recipe to your taste.  Served with brown rice and an egg roll, this was a hearty weeknight dinner.


Crunchy Honey Chicken
adapted from How Sweet It Is


serves 4
1 1/2  pound chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 egg whites
1/3 cup cornstarch (or flour – for dredging)
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 green pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cabbage
2 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
salt and pepper to taste


Prepare and slice all veggies. In 2 separate bowls, add the egg whites (lightly beaten) and the cornstarch or flour. (The cornstarch will yield a “crispier” chicken). Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tsp sesame oil. Add veggies with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add in soy sauce and garlic and stir so veggies are coated, about 60 seconds. Remove from skillet and set aside in a bowl.

Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat the same skillet (or you can use a different one, I just use the same to make it easier) over medium-high heat and add remaining olive oil and sesame oil. Dip chicken pieces in egg whites and then lightly dredge in cornstarch. Add to the skillet and let brown for 2-3 minutes, then flip. Continue with remaining chicken pieces, and do so in batches if needed.

Once chicken is cooked, add veggies back in the skillet. Add honey and thoroughly mix to combine. Taste and season with salt, pepper, additional honey or soy sauce. Serve with brown rice.

4 comments:

  1. That recipe sounds great. I love anything with honey! I'm debating whether or not I want to do a Fall CSA. I loved the Summertime CSA, but I'm not sure I can handle that much squash in the fall.

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  2. That looks so delicious. I have often thought about joining such a thing. YOU certainly make me want to try it out. Come over and visit us. We have some awesome apple recipes this week.

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  3. We went back and forth on the whole CSA thing this year but ultimately decided to wait. It's on my to-do list for next summer! Do you guys get their meat too? A co-worker does and said it is really good, but I'm afraid we would waste...

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  4. CSAs are such a great asset to the kitchen, there's no comparison to the taste of fresh seasonal vegetables. We like that it challenges us to work with what we get, it's a great way to discover new recipes or ways of re-interpreting familiar ones. Your Honey Chicken looks so yummy!

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