Asian Chicken Burgers

Who doesn't love a delicious stir fry and who doesn't love burgers?! Why not put them together?! This burger was surprisingly really good and really good for you too.  When I tasted it I said "Wow, this tastes like a stir fry on a bun!"  I like to grind my own boneless skinless chicken breasts but you can always just pick up some ground chicken.  You can swap the meat for whatever you like but chicken made it light enough and let the other flavors really shine through as well.

Ok some of these ingredients might be hard to find, but if you have a local Asian mart- they will definitely be there.  Even your larger supermarkets have an ethnic aisle- go explore it.  If you can't find them, don't worry, we can substitute.

Ginger: I'm pretty sure everyone knows what this is.  It is cheap and easy to find.  Buy a big piece, peel it with either a peeler or a spoon and then use what you need and pop the rest in the freezer in a ziplock bag- it will last forever in there and is actually easier to grate the next time.

Hoisin Sauce: (pronounced hoy-zun) It is a Chinese BBQ sauce really.  It is made with soybean paste, spices and garlic so the flavor profile is sweet, salty and tangy so if you really can't find it use 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of honey (or sugar) and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.  This should be similar enough.

Sriracha: (pronounced see-rah-cha) One of my favorite hot sauces of all time.  It is SPICY! but delicious.  We use it on everything from eggs to burgers- I put a little extra on the plate for dipping too. If you can't find this then just use any hot sauce.

Sesame Oil: this stuff is like liquid awesomeness.  You only need a small amount but the flavor and smell is wonderful.  It smells like sesame seeds! Surprise! Remember to only use a little for dressing salads or stir frys- this is not an oil to cook with.  Keep in your fridge to give it a longer shelf life. If you can't find this you can just omit it or sprinkle the whole thing with toasted sesame seeds.

Ingredients

• 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts ground- I would say this would be about 1-2 lbs of meat.  I came out with 6 burgers.
• 1 carrot, grated
• 2-3 scallions, chopped
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, grated
• 2 tablespoons of grated fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon of sriracha
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce (I like the low sodium one)
• 1 big handful of bread crumbs (Panko would be great here.  If the meat still feels too moist just add more bread crumbs)
• 1 egg
• salt and fresh cracked pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Put everything in a bowl and combine.  Form into patties and put on a baking sheet. Push an indent in the middle so the burgers don't puff up in the middle- so you will have nice flat burgers.
   
3. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until done.  Since these are chicken they need to be cooked completely through to 160-165 degrees F.  I used my trusty digital thermometer of course!
4. Then I just topped with some simple Asian slaw and served alongside my Faux Fried Zucchini Sticks
5. A sesame bun or whole grain bun would be great (I had no choice but to use Italian bread, but it was still good)

Oh and here's the slaw on top (cabbage would be great in this too):

• 1 green pepper, sliced thin
• 1 small package of alfalfa sprouts
• 1 carrot grated
• toss with 1 tsp of sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce

Asian Style Chicken Noodle Soup

So this is a cross between chicken noodle soup, wonton soup and miso soup.  The recipe consists of simple ingredients that make a pretty tasty (and healthy) meal.  It tastes just like you would get from take-out.  Fry up some wonton strips and top off the soup for extra crunch!

Edamame is an immature soy bean (literally means "twig bean").  It is an amazing accomplishment by nature.  It is the only vegetable to house enough proteins that make it a complete protein- like the complete proteins we receive from meats and eggs- but with virtually no fat.  The soy bean (as most of you may know) becomes tofu and I think more of us are familiar with the benefits of tofu.  Edamame and all preparations of soybeans are rich in carbohydrates, protein, dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and micronutrients, particularly folic acid, manganese and vitamin K. (http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/9872/2)

For even more info on edamame (and a better explanation of what I was saying before) check out this episode of Good Eats http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EZR9medTB4 & Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI71jcY1mmQ&feature=related

Napa Cabbage: It is my favorite cabbage.  It is a mild flavored Chinese cabbage that is a sign of prosperity in China. Cabbage is super healthy for you in general.  The tops of the cabbage will wilt and be tender but near the root end it will remain crunchy.  This cabbage is even great raw in cole slaw.

Ingredients

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 bag of edamame (I had unshelled, so I just shelled them myself- you can buy already shelled ones too) (about 1-2 cups of beans)
• about 1 - 1 ½ lbs of napa cabbage, shredded
• 1 small onion, sliced (or you can use scallions- about 3 or 4 of them sliced thin)
• ½ bag of egg noodles (I think that's about 5-6 oz.)
• ¼ cup of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of ginger, freshly grated
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 6 cups of water
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes (optional)
• salt and pepper
• about 1 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions

1. In a big pot add some oil and heat that over medium heat- when the oil is hot add the onions and season with salt.  Let that cook about 5 minutes.
2. Add the ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and pepper.  Cook for about 2 minutes until very fragrant.
3. Add the water, bouillon cubes and soy sauce.
4. Add the chicken (whole breast pieces- we are going to poach them)
5. Bring the water up to a boil and reduce to a very light simmer- we are gently poaching the chicken- we do not want to boil it.
6. Cook that about 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
7. Remove the chicken when done and reserve.
8. Bring the water to a boil and add in your egg noodles.  You can really use any type of noodle you want here- even small cut pasta would do.
9. When the egg noodles are done- about 5-7 minutes, turn off the heat and add your edamame and cabbage.
10. Slice or shred your chicken and return back to the pot.
11. Taste the soup before serving- might need more salt- I also like to add a bit of freshly grated ginger at the very end to give it a fresh taste.

Chicken, Rice and Chinese Broccoli

Chinese broccoli is my new love.  It was cheap and tasty.  Even Brendan said he liked it a lot.  I have never used CB before, but I figured it was something like broccoli rabe.  I tasted it raw then blanched and then cooked.  It is very similar to broccoli rabe, but not as bitter.  If you can't find CB you can substitute any other spicy green.  I just liked using this because I was also able to use the stems too.  I cut off the leaves then peeled the rough outer layer of skin on the stems and then just sliced into little coins.  It made for a delicious crunchy texture in the dish. 

Ingredients

• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 bunch of chinese broccoli (I would say it was about 1-2 lbs.  The picture above shows half the bunch cut up)
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• about an inch of fresh ginger root, grated
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup of jasmine rice (or whatever rice you like)
• little less than 2 cups of water
• water and salt for blanching

Directions

1.      Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

2.      First I prepped the CB.  Wash and cut into smaller pieces.  Peeled and cut the stems into coin shapes.

3.      I used a 12 inch skillet (so I didn’t dirty more pans) and filled with water.  Bring it to a boil and add a small handful of salt.  Add the broccoli leaves and blanch for about 1-2 minutes to remove some of that raw bitter taste.  They will turn a vibrant green when done.

4.      You can do it the right way and shock the leaves in ice water- or (what I usually do) you can just rinse with cold water to slow down/stop the cooking.  The skillet should be empty now- I just added the stem coins to the still hot skillet and just let sit until the leaves and pan cooled.

5.      While you are letting the CB cool down, mince the garlic and reserve. 

6.      Now butterfly the chicken and cover with plastic wrap and pound out.  (see my chicken roulade recipe for more detailed instructions on this step)

7.      Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  In each chicken breast add a good sized handful of the CB (leaves and a couple stems) and half the garlic (so about a clove in each breast).  I grated about a tsp of ginger on top of all that on each breast as well.  You don't have to fit all the CB into the chicken, I had a good bit left over and added it to the rice- I especially liked the stems in the rice.

8.      Now roll up and I secured with a couple tooth picks.

9.      In the skillet that we used to blanch get some oil over high heat.  When the oil is super hot add the chicken and sear until golden brown on all sides.  When all brown add enough water to the skillet/pan to just coat the bottom- this will help the chicken to not dry out.  Cover loosely with tinfoil and put right into the oven for about 20 minutes. We just want the chicken to finish cooking though.

10.  After you put the chicken in, get a small pot and add the 2 cups of water, 1 cup of rice and 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil.  When it comes to a boil, reduce to simmer and keep partially covered.  It will take about 15-20 minutes.  When most of all the liquid is gone add the rest of the CB, turn off the heat, and cover.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Letting it sit is important.  Then fluff with a fork.

11.  When the chicken is done slice and serve over the rice.  Don’t forget to take the toothpicks out! I garnished with some red pepper flakes and used the juices from the chicken pan to drizzle over the top.