Sesame Chicken

Simply delicious pieces of chicken slathered in a scrumptious sauce!

Hi everyone!

I have been so busy with college and I absolutely love every minute of it. I just had my mid-term practical assessment and it went well! I was so nervous before it, I was waking up in the night reciting the different muscles each exercise would work. The upright row works the trapezius, anterior deltoids, medial deltoids and the biceps! So on and so forth. It’s good stress I assure you.

Since I was having my mid-term break, I was looking up new recipes to try and I thought I would make this sesame chicken. Oh, it goes so well with rice. Make more sauce if you want, you will not regret it.

Roast Thai Pandan Chicken (Gai Hor Bai Toey)

This dish is a classic and perennial favourite. I roasted this instead of the traditional way of steaming and deep frying the chicken.

I love pandan leaves. They are a real sensation. Everything from sweets to savouries can taste so much better with the addition of pandan leaves.

Thai Pandan Chicken is an internationally renowned dish that utilises pandan leaves. It’s a good dish to start with if you are new to using pandan leaves in your cooking.

Traditionally, the dish is steamed and then deep fried or simply just deep fried. The pieces of chicken are also cut into small pieces and then individually wrapped in pandan leaves.

For me, I wanted this to be an easy week night meal so I shortened the process. I also have an aversion to deep drying at home. So, I just wrapped the whole chicken thigh with pandan leaves and roasted it. The verdict? It may not be as pretty to look at but it sure did taste good! Oh, and so easy to do as well. The marinade really gets into the chicken meat. Scrumptious!

I have made this twice already, once with coconut milk and the other time without. I would say, if you can, keep the coconut milk in as it just brings all the flavours together. Another note, try not to skimp on the marinade time, it really allows the flavours to get into the chicken.

Roast and eat with a side salad for a totally delicious and easy meal.

Italian Baked Chicken

You won’t have any leftovers with this delicious baked chicken with a crunchy herbed breadcrumbs coating. 

Let’s talk about chicken today.

It’s cold out and I bet you want something hot for dinner tonight. Something hot that is still easy to make on a weeknight and easy on the pocket.

Hey, Christmas is coming and we all have to save some money right?

Some months back, I came across this heavenly Italian Baked Chicken recipe from Samantha over at Five Heart Home. She has a lovely blog and you should definitely check it out if you haven’t already.

This recipe is absolutely amazing. Truly. You have to trust me here.

As with the recipe I shared previously for Baked Salmon with Spicy Coriander Sauce, once again, your blender and oven will do most of the work for you! I used chicken thighs as they are extremely cheap and I happen to love them. I also baked them with the skin on for a bit of sinful indulgence. You can always remove the skin if you prefer.

For the breadcrumbs, I had made them previously and had a batch frozen in the freezer. It was as easy as defrosting some for this dish. I have included the recipe for the herbed breadcrumbs here but to be honest, I used approximates and I just used a mixture of fresh herbs that I had on hand. Feel free to add or subtract as you choose. I recommend making a big batch and freezing up the leftovers as I guarantee you will be making this dish again.

Roast Chicken with Lemon and Herbs

This is one super easy and quick chicken dish. The herbs make this smell heavenly and taste even better. It is perfect for an easy weeknight meal yet sophisticated enough to serve when you have company.

A big hello to you!

Today, let’s talk about chicken. I have found this incredible chicken recipe for you. It is so delicious that you will be surprised how incredibly easy it is to make.

I do apologise for the aluminium foil in the photos. I prepared this dish for dinner before I went to the gym. I didn’t want to remove the foil so that I could easily re-heat everything in the oven after my gym session. I really am not bothered to cook anything after an evening gym session so to ensure that I eat healthily enough, I usually prepare something beforehand. Well planned right? Maybe for me, you, on the other hand, have to endure the slightly gritty photos. Please forgive me!

The story behind this recipe is that I was having my lunch while watching Barefoot Contessa. I love Ina, don’t you? I think it’s hard to find anyone that doesn’t love Ina. Anyway, I saw her making this dish of chicken breasts and it looked so simple I knew I had to try it.

After some digging on the internet I discovered that it is the 10^th most saved recipe on Food Network! Ah hah, so even more reason to try it. Hardly needs a myriad of ingredients as well. Instead of just using chicken breasts, I basically chopped up the chicken into pieces and roasted it.

The result was beyond satisfying. The chicken was so moist and tender as it was roasting in the sauce and in its own juices. The skin on the other hand was all crisp and heavenly just the way it should be. I think everyone needs to have this recipe in their repertoire.

Japanese Style Roast Chicken Thighs

Roast chicken thighs with crispy skin that are wonderfully simple to prepare. 30 minutes from the oven to your plate!

Happy Hump Day everyone! It’s already mid-way through yet another week. Guess what, it is also my thirty second birthday tomorrow!

I was very keen to bake myself a luscious birthday cake all for me. However, on second thought I decided against it. It is not so much that it might be construed as the saddest thing ever (in my books, it is never a sad thing when you bake a cake) but more so because I want to be smiling when I step on my blasted digital weighing scales. That’s what happens when you watch too many Special K advertisements.

Nonya Chicken Curry

Hello and Happy Chinese New Year to all my Chinese readers. I want to wish you all a very prosperous and joyful year of the horse! I have been enjoying my Chinese New Year and since it lasts for 15 days, I am looking forward to more merriment in the days ahead.

One of the most important meals for us Chinese is the reunion dinner on Chinese New Year Eve. That is the time when the whole extended family gets together and has a sumptuous meal. As it was not possible for me to visit my family in Malaysia, my husband and I had the reunion dinner ourselves. Just the two of us. Hey – that sounds like dinner every other night I hear you say. Yes, you are correct. However, I do make a special effort and we always have loads of fun cooking the meal together.

Turmeric Fried Chicken

Crispy, aromatic and juicy - need I say more?

Hello everyone!

Today I am sharing a closely guarded (well not anymore!) recipe for one of my favourite comfort foods. It is turmeric fried chicken. Well sure, it is fried chicken so it’s bound to be delicious. However, throw in that all important ingredient of – you guessed it – turmeric and somehow it becomes more than just fried chicken. The aroma from the spice just takes this fried chicken to another level, not forgetting, it also gives the chicken a brilliant golden colour.

Lemon Chicken

Luscious Lemon Chicken

Hello and a very happy Friday to you!

Did you have a lovely week? I sure hope you did. 

As for myself, I paid a visit to the dentist yesterday. My dentist is very nice and gentle, that really helps with the general dread I have of visiting dentists. However, I still get very nervous. I had to get a filling replaced yesterday and had to be numbed before the procedure. Needles at dentists are the worst aren't they? Even worst then at the doctors! It went very smoothly and really was much better than I thought it would be but the whole left side of my face was numb for a good 3 hours after the procedure. In that time, since I could not eat, I baked a cake. It helped to cheer me up. At night, to cheer myself up further (that is my excuse) I decided to cook up some lemon chicken.

It's fried, crispy, juicy and oh-so-moreish. 

Steamed Chinese Herbal Chicken

Hello everyone!

Yes, I am back after a long absence! Not sure whether that is a good thing or not for you, but I am hopeful that it is good. 

After a splendid 6-weeks with family and friends in Malaysia where I was truly spoilt rotten, I am back in the UK. The first week was downright busy, just trying to clear stuff and organise our storage space as well as doing some gardening. I planted some bamboo as well as some winter violas. I am now willing them to grow and flourish. 

Crunchy Oven Fried Chicken

Crunchy Oven Fried Chicken

I think most home cooks can agree that deep frying at home causes a huge mess as well, you stink, your kitchen stinks. I find that the greasy smell lingers in my kitchen for days and I have to scrub down every inch of it. Not very nice. I do wonder how life will be if you have one of those Acti-Fry fryers. Give me a shout out if anyone has tried one :)

Well, with all that said - the next best that we can do is opt for oven fried chicken. Like any diligent home cook, I did my research and came across some beautiful recipes from Jo Cooks and Oh Sweet Day. As I have never used Panko breadcrumbs before I decided to give it a go. I like how it is always crispy and light. So off I went to get some Panko and it is revolutionary. No more soggy, thick, clumpy batter. Why am I so late to this Panko game? 

This crunchy oven fried chicken recipe that I am sharing with you is very easy to make. Hardly any kitchen mess and the taste is superb. It kind of reminds me of chicken poppers. It is really tough to stop eating them. 

Chapatis and Malaysian Chicken Curry

Chapatis and Malaysian Chicken Curry

Happy Thursday to you! I do hope your week has been good or as good as it can be.

I am currently enjoying the sunshine and heat we have been receiving in the North East of England. I even went to the beach! Whereupon I discovered to my dismay that I am not swimsuit ready. Sigh.

On to happier things - the good weather means al fresco dining! Must make the most of it while it lasts.

Sweet Balsamic Baked Chicken Thighs

Sticky, Gooey Chicken Perfection

Hello! I hope you are not suffering from a case of week night dinner blues.

I always look online for food inspiration. I think most of us do. Especially if you have one main ingredient and do not know how to build a dish around it or you just want to try something new. That's what I did yesterday, I had some chicken thighs which have been rotting  placed neatly at the bottom of my freezer. I don't even remember if I bought them for a specific recipe or because they were just cheap. The chinese in me reckons that it must be because they were cheap.

Quick Chicken & Butternut Squash

So simple and delicious

Cooking for one can be a chore sometimes. As my better half is away from home this week, I needed some quick and easy dish ideas. Spend less time in the kitchen and more time watching Mad Men. In times such as these, a quick one pan dish is a definite must.  

As I was looking despondently at the sad and few ingredients in my refrigerator, I decided to combine some butternut squash and coriander for a quick meal. I added some chilli for some heat and the combination worked well. The bright colours are an added bonus as well, plenty of antioxidants!

Slow Braised Caramel Chicken

Hello! Hope your week has been wonderful. If not, I am sending a little sunshine your way. 

Last night's dinner was at my favourite Asian restaurant in Newcastle, Little Saigon. I decided to be adventurous and order something different for a change. Little bold me decided to go for the Vietnamese Caramel Pork. It is slowly braised and had a wonderful balance of sweetness that is set off with heat from the black pepper. Wonderful!

I was ordered requested to replicate this dish at home. Since we are all out of pork at home I had to make this with chicken drumsticks. Hey, why not!

This is such an easy dish to prepare. You just need to allocate time for the braising. Your patience will be rewarded.