Chicken & Corn Stir-Fry

I have a couple more dishes featuring sweet summer corn to share. This quick stir-fry was perfect to serve after a busy day outside. After prepping the ingredients in advance, it was fully prepared in the time that it took for the rice to cook.

This recipe was (slightly) adapted from Bon Appétit, contributed by Chris Morocco. The original recipe notes that peppers, peas, mushrooms, or summer squash could be substituted for the fresh corn. Great!

Yield: Serves 4

• 3 T oyster sauce
• 1 T unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 4 to 5 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 lb), cut into 1-inch pieces
• Kosher salt
• 2 T cornstarch
• 4 T vegetable oil, divided (I used canola oil)
• 1/2 medium red onion, sliced
• 4 to 6 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1-inch piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped (about 1 T)
• 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper (or other mild chile flakes or paprika), or more, to taste
• 3 ears of corn, kernels cut from cobs
• cooked rice (I used white Basmati rice)
• cilantro leaves with tender stems, for serving

1. Stir together oyster sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Trim the chicken and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Prep the red onion, garlic, ginger and corn. Set aside.
4. Cook the rice using your preferred method.
5. While the rice is cooking, season the chicken pieces with salt and sprinkle with cornstarch; toss lightly to coat.
6. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large well-seasoned wok or nonstick skillet over medium-high. (I used a 14-inch stainless steel skillet.)
7. Cook chicken, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and nearly cooked through, 6–8 minutes.
8. Add red onion, garlic, ginger, Aleppo-style pepper, and remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Cook, tossing, until vegetables are softened, about 2 minutes.
9. Add corn kernels and cook, tossing often, until tender, about 3 minutes.
10. Stir in reserved oyster sauce mixture and cook, tossing often, until reduced nearly to a glaze, about 2 minutes.
11. Taste and season with salt if needed.
12. Serve stir-fry with rice, topped with cilantro.

One-Skillet Hot Sausage and Napa Cabbage Stir-Fry

This was a crowd-pleasing dish to make with my beautiful CSA Napa cabbage. As suggested in the original recipe, we ate it in flour tortillas but it would also be delicious served over rice. It was reminiscent of one of our family favorites, Thai One-Pot.

This recipe was adapted from Bon Appétit, contributed by Claire Saffitz. I modified the proportions, used scallions instead of chives, and wilted all of the Napa cabbage.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

• 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
• 6 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 16 to 18 ounces hot Italian sausages, casings removed (I used 6 sausages)
• 2 tablespoons (or more) vegetable oil
• 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 6 to 10 cups very thinly sliced Napa cabbage, divided (I used 1/2 of a large head)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions or chives
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• 8 large flour tortillas or mu-shu wraps, warmed (I used Trader Joe’s handmade flour tortillas)
• hoisin sauce and Sriracha, for serving, as desired

1. Using your hands or a wooden spoon, work ginger and garlic into sausage in a medium bowl.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron (I used a 14″ stainless skillet), over medium-high and cook sausage mixture, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned, crisp, and cooked through, 6–8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage mixture to a clean bowl.
3. Increase heat to high and cook mushrooms in the fat in the skillet, tossing often, until browned and starting to release their juices, about 4 minutes (if skillet looks dry at any point, add a bit more oil).
4. Add half of cabbage and cook, tossing often, until cabbage is wilted and tender, about 4 minutes. (I incorporated all of the cabbage, a handful at a time.)
5. Drizzle in vinegar and soy sauce and cook, tossing, until liquid is mostly reduced and skillet is dry in spots, about 2 minutes.
6. Remove skillet from heat and incorporate sausage and remaining cabbage (if reserved) into stir-fry.
7. Drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle with scallions/chives and sesame seeds.
8. Serve stir-fry with tortillas, hoisin sauce, and Sriracha for making individual wraps.

Broccoli & Egg Fried Rice

I am taking a break from bombarding everyone with sourdough recipes. I still have quite a few tasty ones to share! 😉

This vegetarian fried rice dish was fast, easy, crowd-pleasing comfort food. Making it in a large cast iron skillet was the perfect vessel to create just the right amount of crispy rice and caramelized vegetables. According to the original recipe, another secret to getting color on the rice was the inclusion of sugar.

The recipe was adapted from Bon Appétit, contributed by Kat Boytsova. I modified the proportions and substituted Basmati rice for sushi rice. It is a wonderful base recipe to incorporate any vegetables and/or protein with leftover rice in the fridge.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

• 5 cups of broccoli florets and stems (pieces should be of similar size)
• 1 large bunch scallions (I used 7)
• 6 large eggs
• 2 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 T granulated sugar
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 4 large garlic cloves, grated
• 6-7 T vegetable oil, divided
• 4-5 cups cooked, day-old sushi rice (I used leftover brown and white Basmati rice)
• 4 T toasted sesame oil
• 3 T unseasoned rice vinegar

This fried rice comes together really quickly, so it’s important that all of your ingredients are prepped and ready to go before you start cooking.

To Prep:

1. Place broccoli to a medium bowl.
2. Trim scallions on both ends, then cut crosswise into 1″ pieces. Transfer to bowl with broccoli.
3. Whisk eggs in another medium bowl to combine and season with 3/4 teaspoons of salt.
4. Whisk sugar, soy sauce, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt in a small bowl.
5. Grate the ginger and garlic cloves into the bowl of sauce and give it another whisk.

To Cook:

1. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large cast-iron skillet (or non-stick if you don’t have one)over medium-high until just beginning to smoke. (I used a 12-inch cast iron skillet.)
2. Add broccoli and scallions, season with a good pinch of salt, and toss with a spatula to coat in oil. Cook, undisturbed, until well charred on one side, about 5 minutes. When we say “undisturbed,” we mean it! You need consistent, direct contact with the hot pan in order to get color on the veggies, so resist the urge to constantly fuss with them.
3. Mix with spatula and continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until broccoli is crisp-tender and scallions are wilted, about 2 more minutes. Transfer veggies back to the bowl they came from.
4. Heat remaining 5 tablespoons vegetable oil in skillet over medium-low.
5. Add eggs and cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until large curds begin to form, about 30 seconds. The eggs will cook very quickly, so try to err on the side of runny and less-cooked because they can become spongy if overcooked.
6. Add the rice and soy sauce mixture to eggs. Toss well to combine, then press down evenly into skillet. Cook, undisturbed, until rice is slightly crisped on one side, about 5 minutes. (Remember: undisturbed!)
7. Return veggies to skillet and toss well to combine.
8. Remove from heat, add sesame oil and rice vinegar, and toss once more. Serve.

Spicy-Sweet Sambal Pork Noodles

This tasty and quick dish is listed as one of Bon Appétit’s Most Popular Recipes of 2019. It’s a great list! 🙂 The dish is inspired by pad kee mao, known as drunken noodles.

I used fresh noodles from an Asian grocery that were the most similar to fresh ramen noodles. This dish was adapted from Bon Appétit, contributed by Chris Morocco. I modified the proportions and method. Great.

Yield: Serves 6 to 8

• 2.5 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 lbs ground pork, divided
• 1 2 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, cut into thin matchsticks or finely chopped
• 10 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 1/2 T granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 T tomato paste
• 2 sprigs basil, plus more for serving
• 6 T hot chili paste (I used sambal oelek)
• 5 T soy sauce
• 5 T unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 lbs fresh ramen noodles or 16 to 20oz dried spaghetti
• Kosher salt
• 2 1/2 T unsalted butter

1. Heat oil in a large wide heavy pot over medium-high. (I used a large enameled cast iron Dutch oven.)
2. Add half of pork to pot, breaking apart into 6–8 large chunks with a wooden spoon. Cook, undisturbed, until well browned underneath, about 5 minutes. Turn pieces and continue to cook, turning occasionally, until pork is browned on 2–3 sides, about 5 minutes longer.
3. Add ginger, garlic, sugar, and remaining pork to pot and cook, breaking up pork into small clumps, until meat is nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes longer.
4. Add tomato paste and 2 basil sprigs. Cook, stirring occasionally, until paste darkens, about 2 minutes.
5. Add chili paste, soy sauce, vinegar, and 2 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened and flavors have melded, 30–45 minutes.
6. Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until 1 minute short of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. (I cooked 1 pound of noodles at a time for 1 minute each, removing the first batch with a bamboo strainer.)
7. Add to cooked noodles to the pot with sauce along with butter and a splash of pasta cooking liquid. Simmer, tossing occasionally, until sauce begins to cling to noodles, about 1 minute. Pluck out basil sprigs.
8. Adjust consistency with additional pasta water, as desired.
9. Divide noodles among plates. Top with torn basil.

Sesame-Citrus Soy Chicken with Garlicky Bok Choy

Oh my, this dish has been waiting in the wings for quite some time. After my last post featuring my bounty of bok choy, it’s finally the perfect time to share it.

I paired this chicken dish with the sautéed bok choy. Both recipes were adapted from Bon Appetit. The chicken dish was contributed by Chris Morocco. The original chicken recipe was intended for kebabs on the grill; I modified to cook whole pieces under a broiler. The bok choy dish was contributed by Sara Dickerman and Marissa Lippert. I increased the garlic. Nice!

Yield: Serves 4

For the Sesame-Citrus Sprinkle:

• 2 T toasted white and/or black sesame seeds
• 1 T thinly sliced chives or 2 scallions
• 1 tsp Aleppo-style pepper or other mild red pepper flakes (I used Ancho Chile Powder)
• ½ tsp finely grated lemon zest
• coarse salt

For the Chicken And Assembly:

• ⅓ cup (packed) light brown sugars
• ⅓ cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
• ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
• ¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1¼ pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs (I used 5 thighs)
• coarse salt

Make the Sesame-Citrus Sprinkle:

1. Mix sesame seeds, chives, Aleppo-style pepper, and lemon zest in a small bowl to combine; season with salt.

Prepare the Chicken:

1. Combine brown sugar, mirin, soy sauce, and vinegar in a small saucepan.
2. Transfer ¼ cup mixture to a large resealable plastic bag.
3. Add chicken thighs to bag with marinade and massage marinade into chicken. Chill at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours.
4. Meanwhile, bring remaining marinade to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until reduced by half and slightly thickened (just shy of syrupy), 8–10 minutes. Remove glaze from heat.
5. Preheat a broiler. (I set mine to Convection Broil +Max at 500 degrees.) (Alternatively, Prepare a grill for medium-high, indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off). Oil grates.)
6. Lightly season the chicken with salt and place under the broiler, until browned and beginning to char in spots, about 4 minutes. Turn over, baste with additional glaze, and cook until the other side is also beginning to char, about 4 to 5 additional minutes.
7. Serve chicken topped with sesame-citrus sprinkle.

Do Ahead: Glaze can be made 12 hours ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.

For the Bok Choy:

• 1 T vegetable oil
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 pound baby bok choy, rinsed, cut into quarters, with core intact (I used 4 baby bok choy)
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
2. Add garlic and shallot and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add bok choy, soy sauce, and 2 T water and cover immediately. Cook 1 minute.
4. Uncover and toss, then cover and cook until bok choy is tender at the core, about 3 more minutes.

One Year Ago:

• Scallops & Polenta

Two Years Ago:

• Roasted Vegetable Moussaka

Three Years Ago:

• Pork Sausage & Broccoli in Hard-Cider Sauce

Caramel Chicken

This chicken dish is a terrific weeknight meal. I am such a sauce person and I loved this salty-sweet sauce- as well as the pop of color (and zing) from the scallions. We ate it with white rice and roasted broccoli. This recipe was adapted from Bon Appetit.

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Kosher salt
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled, sliced
• ⅓ cup (packed) light brown sugar
• ¼ cup (or more) unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 slices ¼”-thick slices peeled ginger
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• ¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• Cooked white rice (for serving)

1. Heat oil in a large wide heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and, working in 2 batches, cook until golden brown and crisp, 3-4 minutes per side; transfer to a plate. Add garlic to pot and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 2 minutes; transfer to plate with chicken. Pour off fat from pot.
2. Return pot to medium-high heat and add ½ cup water, scraping up browned bits. Add brown sugar; stir to dissolve, then cook, stirring, until mixture thickens and turns a deep amber color, about 4 minutes. Carefully add vinegar (it may bubble up; sugar will crystallize); stir to dissolve sugar.
3. Add ginger, broth, and soy sauce, then add chicken, skin side up, and garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently until chicken is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
4. Bring cooking liquid to a boil and cook until thick enough to coat a spoon, about 10 minutes. Return chicken to pot; turn to coat. Top with scallions and serve with rice.

One Year Ago:

• Chicken Teriyaki Plate