Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Tasty Tuesday: Crispy Baked Honey Garlic Chicken

Since I posted my preliminary reading list for the Literary Ladies Summer Book Challenge on Sunday, I decided to skip out on posting yesterday. I had a couple of ideas for posts, but I just felt kind of "meh" about them. I always think it's best to just not post anything when I feel like that because I know that anything I write will just come off as very "blah."

That's not to say that I think every post I write is amazing and worthy of sharing 1,000,000 times on every social media outlet available. (Though, you know, if you want to share my posts I won't hate it!) It's just that I feel much better about my blog's content when I actually care about what I'm writing. If I'm not feeling a particular topic at the time I sit down to write, it will probably show. And I'd like to avoid that as much as possible.

Anyway, since today is Tuesday and around here that means it's time to talk about cooking and food (two of my favorite things!), I decided I'm passionate enough about those topics to show up with a post.

 photo CrispyBakedHoneyGarlicChicken_zpscngixynu.jpg











































Eric and I both love to order Chinese takeout. Some people might find that a little funny, considering how we met, but really what's not to love? It's cheap, delicious, and filling.

Unfortunately, it can also be really unhealthy. So when I found a recipe for a baked version of Honey Garlic Chicken, I was immediately interested in trying it.

If you've read many of my previous Tasty Tuesday posts, you've probably noticed that I don't always go the super healthy route. We don't eat really unhealthy shit all the time or anything, but I'm not going to avoid making a recipe just because it uses a significant amount of heavy cream or fatty meat (like chorizo) or oil for frying.

However, there are definitely times when I want to satisfy a craving without going overboard with the fat and calories. And while this isn't the absolute healthiest meal you can make, it's much better for you than the fried version you'd get from your local Chinese restaurant. Sure, it's not quite as easy as picking up the phone and ordering takeout, but it's simple and quick enough for a weeknight meal.

Crispy Baked Honey Garlic Chicken

Adapted ever so slightly from a recipe on Damn Delicious.


Ingredient List (Chicken):
  • 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions (Chicken):

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, spray it with cooking spray, and set it aside.

3.  Season the chicken with the sea salt and black pepper. 

4.  Beat the eggs in a small bowl. In a separate small bowl, add the Panko breadcrumbs.

5.  Working in batches, dip the chicken into the eggs and then dredge it in the Panko, pressing to coat as evenly as possible.

6.  Place the chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and crisp (about 15-20 minutes).


Ingredient List (Honey Garlic Sauce):
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 4 cloves garlic (or, if you're lazy like me, the equivalent of jarred, pre-minced garlic)
  • 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Sriracha
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 green onions, diced
Instructions (Honey Garlic Sauce):

1.  While the chicken is baking, combine the honey, garlic, soy sauce, and Sriracha in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.

2.  In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. Pour this mixture into the the saucepan, stirring until thickened. (This should only take a couple of minutes.)

3. After the chicken has finished baking, drizzle the sauce over the chicken and garnish with the green onions.

As you can see from the picture, I served this meal over rice. We also had a side of steamed broccoli, but that obviously didn't make it into my "pretty" blog photo.

One thing to note: I didn't feel like this recipe made enough sauce. I posted the recipe exactly as I made it, but I think I'll probably double the sauce recipe next time. If you're like me and like to slather on the sauce, you might want to do the same.

Finally, I want to say that the recipe for the chicken would be perfect if you're looking for a simple, healthier version of chicken nuggets. The honey garlic sauce is delicious, but if you're not a fan of that sort of thing, you could also just make the chicken and serve it with another type of sauce (or with no sauce at all if you like your chicken plain).

1 comment:

  1. this looks so good! i have never tried to make anything like this because i feel like i'd fail.
    totally know what you mean about feeling meh about posts.

    ReplyDelete