Saturday, May 11, 2013

Maple Soy Chicken


I got this recipe from a blog I really enjoy called The Moodie Foodie and we all loved it. It was easy for a weeknight, but also felt a bit fancy! As you can see, I chopped the chicken, rather than keeping the thighs whole - it was so tender and the marinade was delish!

Ingredients
500g skinless, boneless chicken thighs

Marinade
½ tsp sesame oil
¼ cup salt reduced soy sauce
1 tbsp shao xing wine or dry sherry (optional)
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Oil spray
2 cups (250g) sugar snap peas
4 large spring onions, sliced
Small knob (30-40g) fresh ginger, peeled and finely sliced into matchsticks
1 cup chicken stock
2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
110g rice vermicelli noodles
Coriander for garnish

Method
Combine marinade ingredients together and pour over chicken thighs. Cover and pop into the fridge to marinate for 15 minutes (but if you’ve got more time, give it 2 or more hours).

Cook noodles according to the pack (probably soak in boiling water or place in boiling water for a couple of minutes). Drain, and keep warm.

Place stock and ginger into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and keep warm, allowing the ginger to infuse.

Heat oven to 180°C. Roll each chicken thigh and secure with a toothpick or two. Heat large non-stick frying pan on medium, spray lightly with oil. Add chicken thighs and cook for 1 minute per side before placing in the oven for 12 minutes. While chicken is cooking, bring ginger stock back to the boil. Add sugar snap peas and cook for 1 minute before adding spring onions. Simmer for 1 minute before removing vegetables and serving with chicken and noodles with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and coriander leaves. Spoon over a little of the ginger stock.

Some additional notes:
Toast sesame seeds by place them in a small frying pan, heating on low and gently cooking them until they’re golden and fragrant. Keep and eye on them though as they burn easily.

You can replace the sugar snap peas with any vegetable you like – other great options are green beans, sliced broccolini, zucchini, bok choy.

I cook the chicken in the oven because the sauce has sugar in it which burns easily. It’s very difficult to cook the chicken properly, keeping it cooked but moist without it burning the outside when done on the stovetop.

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