Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken

 

Ingredients:

2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Salt and pepper

1/2 - 3/4 cup of honey

1/2 cup of low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tbsp. sesame oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup diced onion

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp fresh ground ginger

Cornstarch

Sesame seeds

Instructions:

1. Place the chicken thighs in the crockpot insert and sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides.
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, ketchup, oil, garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine well. Pour over the chicken in the crockpot.
3. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 1 1/2-2 1/2 hours.
4. When done, remove chicken from crockpot and cut into chunks. Prior to putting the chicken back in the stockpot, combine some cornstarch in water and whisk it into the crockpot to thicken up the sauce a bit. Throw the chicken back in and stir around to recoat the chicken in the sauce.
5. Serve hot over a bed of white rice (optional) and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.

I bought the jumbo pack of bonesless skinless chicken thighs at Sam's Club.  I used one and a half rows of them in this recipe.  The leftover chicken will be delicious in the chinese coleslaw bags of salad that we buy at Sam's everytime we go.    Perfect for lunch.
(the bags of coleslaw mix are so good, highly recommend - they come with the slaw, sliced almonds, wontons and dressing).  

Chicken Fricassee

Quick Chicken Fricassee

From America's Test Kitchen episode: Simply Chicken.

Serves 4 to 6

Two tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley leaves may be substituted for the tarragon in this recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or a combination
•   Table salt and ground black pepper
• 1tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1tablespoon olive oil
• 1pound cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps wiped clean and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
• 1/4cup dry white wine
• 1tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
• 1 1/2cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3cup sour cream
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
• 2teaspoons minced fresh tarragon (see note)

Instructions

• 1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat butter and oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When foaming subsides, place chicken in skillet and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Flip chicken and continue to cook until browned on second side, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to large plate.
• 2. Add mushrooms, onion, and wine to now-empty skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and garlic; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add broth and bring mixture to boil, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Add chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in breasts and 175 degrees when inserted in thighs, 5 to 10 minutes.
• 3. Transfer chicken to clean platter and tent loosely with foil. Whisk sour cream and egg yolk together in medium bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly stir ½ cup sauce into sour cream mixture. Stirring constantly, slowly pour sour cream mixture into simmering sauce. Stir in nutmeg, lemon juice, and tarragon; return to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Janice Prugh's Chocolate Waffles (New Year's Day)

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups buttermilk (or 2 cups 2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar)
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
A pinch of cream of tartar (omit if you don't have it)

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and sugar into a bowl and make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, mix buttermilk, egg yolks and vanilla, then pour into the dry ingredients and combine.
Beat egg whites with cream of tartar in a separate bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually fold the beaten whites into the batter, 1/3 at a time.

Prepare waffles following directions for your waffle iron. For our waffle iron, be careful not to overfill the iron.  Also, let them cook a little longer than when the green light goes on to prevent sticking.  These are very light.

If you like, serve with vanilla ice cream on top.

I heard this on NPR and it sounded good.  We used to have "little smokies" on NYD, but the kids don't usually eat them, so we're trying this and bacon instead.  Could work out to be a "wonderful" tradition.