So.... it's been a month since my last post. A full month! That doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. I just haven't been posting. So stay tuned in the next few weeks as I sort through the back log of pictures and recipes to put up here.
Anyways.... here's a new one. This is somewhat of a copycat recipe of a popular TGI Friday's dish. I love chain restaurants, or at least I did until I learned how most of the food is made. You know how you can go into the freezer section of the grocery store and buy one of those frozen dinners that you toss in a skillet and 20 minutes later you have a dinner complete with pasta, chicken & vegetables? Yeah, same thing at the chain places. Except they microwave it. Silly me, I thought my bruschetta chicken pasta was made from scratch.
So knowing that the food is hardly prepared from scratch, or even reasonably fresh, has kind of put an end to eating out. At least at chain places around the mall. And why spend all the money when you can make the same exact dish at home?
Just a quick warning... give yourself lots of time for this one. With a recipe list this long it's no wonder that Friday's simply nukes your dinner.
INGREDIENTS
Marinade
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, seeded & chopped
- 2 teaspoons mince garlic
- 1 tablespoon onion, diced
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 boneless chicken breast fillets, trimmed
Pineapple Pico de Gallo
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 cup canned pineapple, chopped
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
- 4 teaspoons minced jalapenos
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Kung Pow Sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon finely minced ginger
- 1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges
Make marinade by combining all ingredients in a blender on high for 1 minute. Pound chicken breast to about 1/2" with a mallet and combine with marinade in a zip-top bag for 2 to 3 hours.
Make
pineapple pico de gallo by combining all ingredients. Store in a covered
container in the fridge until later.
Make
Kung Pow sauce by combining all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium
heat. When the mixture starts to bubble reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes.
Cover sauce until needed.
When
chicken is done marinating, preheat grill to medium heat. Wipe marinade from
chicken and grill 5 to 6 minutes per side or until done. Serve chicken drizzled
with Kung Pow sauce and pico de gallo on the side. Drain mandarin oranges and
sprinkle on top.
VERDICT
So... obviously this has one heck of a shopping list. And it takes a bit of time to throw it all together, even though the cooking part doesn't take long at all. But it's worth is. Really.
My only advice would be to double the batch. Eat half and freeze the other half in a giant freezer bag to reheat another night. Just like what you'd get if you went out to dinner and paid $14 for it.
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