Teriyaki Chicken Casserole

I love easy simple dinners, and this is one of them.  However, I would make a few changes.  I prefer less rice and more meat.  I made 3 chicken breasts instead of 2. I also used a bag of frozen vegetables to see how it worked in this recipe and I had great results.  However, next time I would steam fresh veggies since there wasn’t enough broccoli in the frozen mix that I bought….I could honestly make this recipe with just broccoli alone.  I love broccoli. Also, please switch out the white rice for brown!

This recipe is perfect for make-ahead lunches or a quick make ahead dinner.  Pre-cook on a Sunday night and just re-heat for your busy Monday night…or portion out for lunches for the week.

I found this recipe on Pinterest. It lead me to the website life-in-the-loft house.com.

3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons cornstarch plus 2 tablespoons water
2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 3 large)
1 (12 oz) bag stir-fry vegetables that can be found in the produce section (for convenience I tried frozen with good results)
3 cups cooked brown or white rice

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
2. Combine soy sauce, 1/2 cup water, brown sugar, ginger and garlic in a small saucepan and cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove lid and cook for one minute once boiling.
3. Meanwhile, stir together the corn starch and 2 tablespoons of water in a seperate dish until smooth. Once sauce is boiling, add mixture to the saucepan and stir to combine. Cook until the sauce starts to thicken then remove from heat.
4. Place the chicken breasts in the prepared pan. Pour one cup of the sauce over the top of the chicken. Place chicken in oven and bake 35 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven and shred chicken in the dish using two forks.
5. *Meanwhile, steam or cook the vegetables according to package directions.
6. Add the cooked vegetables and rice to the casserole dish with the chicken. Add most of the remaining sauce, reserving a bit to drizzle over the top when serving. Gently toss everything together in the casserole dish until combined. Return to oven and cook 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Drizzle each serving with remaining sauce. Enjoy!

Teriyaki Chicken Burgers

This burger is awesome!  This recipe is taken from one of my favorite cookbooks “The Complete Light Kitchen” by Rose Reisman.  I used ground turkey instead of chicken on my first try of this recipe and it was fabulous!  I served my burgers with the extra teriyaki sauce and grilled pineapples.  Since we were at the cottage when I made this burger, we decided to also serve french fries from the local chip truck Rolly’s Homemade Fries.

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp water
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp crushed fresh garlic
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 lb ground chicken breast
1 egg
1/3 cup dry seasoned breadcumbs
3 Tbsp finely chopped green onion

2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley

1. To make the teriyaki sauce, whisk the sugar, soy sauce, water, vinegar, oil, cornstarch, garlic and ginger in a small skillet. Simmer for 3 minutes or just until thickened.
2. Place 3 Tbsp of the teriyaki sauce in a bowl and add the chicken, egg, breadcrumbs and green onion. Mix well. Form into 5 patties.
3. Spray a grill or non-stick skillet with cooking oil and heat to high. Cook the patties for about 6 minutes per side or until no longer pink in the centre.
4. Serve with the remaining sauce and garnish with sesame seeds and cilantro.

Chicken Teriyaki over Rotini

I took this recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks,”The Complete Light Kitchen” by Rose Reisman.

The peppers can be changed to other vegetables such as broccoli, mushrooms, or sugar snap peas.  The chicken can be substituted as well to beef or pork. Make this a vegetarian dish by using firm tofu instead of chicken.

I used sugar snap peas since I could not find snow peas.  I cooked the whole box of rotini, and my family of 5 ate it all! They really love this dish.

I made the sauce ahead of time.  I also cut up the vegetables and the chicken.  Having this prepared made dinner easy and quick to cook.

12 oz rotini

3 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger

12 oz skinless boneless chicken breast (about 3 breasts), cubed
3 Tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced red bell peppers
1 cup thinly sliced yellow bell peppers
1 cup halved snow peas
2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro or parsley

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the rotini for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender but firm. Drain.
2. Combine the sugar, vinegar, water, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, garlic and ginger together in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
3. Dust the chicken cubes with the cornstarch. Spray a wok or large non-stick skillet with cooking oil, add the vegetable oil and place over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 3 minutes or until browned but not yet cooked through. Add the red and yellow pepper, snow peas and sesame seeds. Cook for 3 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked through and the vegetables are tender crisp. Add the sauce and cook for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly.
4. Toss the pasta with the chicken-vegetable mixture in a large serving bowl. Serve immediately garnished with cilantro.

Stir-fried Broccoli and Red Peppers with Peanut Sauce

I found this recipe in The Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook.  I took it out from the library, but seriously 2 weeks just isn’t enough time for this gigantic book!  I am glad I found this recipe though, since I LOVED it!

I made the sauce ahead of time and kept it in the fridge until I was ready to use it later at dinner.  The sauce calls for 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.  I used 1/4 teaspoon, but next time I would add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon as it needed more heat.

I also used 2 red peppers. I did not weigh my broccoli to see if it measured 10 ounces. I used 2 stalks. The recipe states it serves 4 to 6, but my husband and I gobbled the whole thing up between the two of us!

I served my stir fry with basmati rice and marinated teriyaki chicken.

SAUCE
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon grated lime zest plus 1 tablespoon juice
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

VEGETABLES
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch strips
10 ounces broccoli florets, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1. FOR THE SAUCE: Whisk all ingredients together in small bowl until smooth.
2. FOR THE VEGETABLES: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until shimmering, 2 to 3 minutes. Add red pepper and broccoli and cook, stirring every 10 to 15 seconds, until just barely tender, about 2 minutes. Clear center of skillet; add remaining 1 teaspoon oil, garlic, and ginger and cook, mashing mixture into pan, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds. Stir mixture into vegetables. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in sauce mixture. Simmer to heat through and blend flavours, about 1 minute. Serve immediately.