Two Recipes from The Cookbook
I thought it would be nice to give anyone reading a free taste of The Cookbook: Easy Recipes and Cooking Tips for those who aren’t a Master Chef. Of course, if we’re being honest, I’m also hoping you’ll like what you see and consider buying a copy. But even if you don’t, give these recipes a try next time you’re not sure what to do with that chicken you’re going to be cooking up.
Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
1-2 pounds chicken
1-2 onions, chopped
1-2 bell peppers, any color, chopped
Tomato Sauce:
1 large can of crushed or diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped or minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
Generous use of parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Begin by slicing your chicken into bite sized pieces and chopping your onions and peppers as well.
Once this it done, set it aside for a few minutes. In a non-stick frying pan, add the oil, onion, and bell pepper and put the heat on low. Cook for about five minutes, until veggies slightly brown. Add in the garlic, and cook about a minute longer. The garlic, onions, and peppers will add flavor to the oil, which in turn will add flavor to the sauce.
Next add in your tomatoes, generously sprinkle in some parsley, and add in your salt and pepper. Adjust heat to medium, and cook until sauce is warm.
From there, add in the chicken. Cook for about ten minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked through.
Explanation of Ingredient Choices and Some Variations
It’s chicken cacciatore. You have to have onions, peppers, and chicken in it. The oil, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper are all for taste. You don’t want to overdo the spices here, which is why I only chose the few that I tend to enjoy. You can definitely add some basil if that’s your thing, or even some cayenne pepper or chilli powder if you like some heat. Just be aware, the chilli powder will give this more of a chilli flavor, so make sure that’s what you want before adding it.
Normally, this alone will feed two people. However, if you’re looking to feed more, you can either make more, or cook up some pasta or rice to mix in at the end. Pasta is perhaps a bit more traditional, but if you want to try something different, adding rice will turn it more into a tasty variation of spanish rice.
If you want to make this a more traditional meat sauce for a pasta, you can replace the chicken with ground beef, and brown the beef in the pan with the vegetables before adding the rest of the ingredients and cooking the sauce as normal.
Orange Chicken
Ingredients
1-2 pounds of chicken
1 pound frozen vegetables (I get a store brand stir fry veggie blend)
1 can of mandarin oranges
Orange Sauce:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
12 ounces orange juice concentrate
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons corn starch (optional)
Instructions
Begin by chopping your chicken into bite sized pieces. Once this is done, set it aside for a few minutes. In a non-stick frying pan, combine all orange sauce ingredients except the corn starch, put the heat on low, and stir until fully blended. If you prefer a thicker and stickier sauce, add the corn starch at this point and mix well. From there, add in the chicken and adjust heat to medium. Cook for about ten minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked through. At this point, add the frozen vegetables into the mix, and cook for ten to twenty more minutes, until all vegetables are tender. At the very end, add the mandarin oranges and cook for about a minute longer.
Explanation of Ingredient Choices and Some Variations
The orange sauce has been a lot of trial and error. This is the combination of spices I’ve come to like. I do use corn starch to thicken the sauce because I like it when the sauce will stick to the chicken and vegetables. However, it does detract from the flavor a bit, and the reason I use as much sugar as I do in the recipe is to overpower the flavor of the corn starch. If you choose not to use it, you may find you can use a tablespoon or two less sugar. For those who like a little less spice, you may want to ditch the cayenne pepper, or substitute something less spicy such as black pepper. Also, I use mixed frozen vegetables for convenience. You may wish to use fresh veggies, in which case I suggest broccoli, onion, snow peas, carrots, and water chestnuts, though you are naturally welcome to pick your own favorites.
Like the above recipes? Have your own take on them you want to share? Consider letting me and everyone else reading know what you think in the comments below!