Fix, Freeze, Feast - Kati Neville [17]
FOR INDOOR COOKING
Cut marinated chicken into ½-inch strips. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet. Stir-fry chicken over medium heat for about 25 minutes, or until pieces pull apart easily and are no longer pink in the center. Serve with soba noodles or rice and sweet Asian coleslaw.
ABOUT MIXING MARINADES
In this recipe and in many others in the book, we ask you to divide the marinade evenly over the meat in the bags. Then, in a second step, you measure other ingredients, such as minced garlic, directly into each bag. We have found that certain ingredients will either sink to the bottom or float on top of a thin marinade, resulting in uneven distribution when the mixture is poured into the bags of meat. After you have all the ingredients in each bag, seal it and gently shake to combine its contents.
I developed this recipe after I noticed that an entrée by this name was a favorite restaurant choice of several of my girlfriends. If your dinner guests aren’t familiar with this popular Thai dish, describe it as chicken in a spicy coconut milk sauce, served over fresh spinach and rice. —LT
SWIMMING RAMA
MAKES 3 ENTRÉES, 4–6 SERVINGS EACH
1 TRAY (ABOUT 6 POUNDS) BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN HALF-BREASTS
3 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk
¼ cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 tablespoon honey
1½ cups dry-roasted unsalted peanuts, finely ground
3 one-gallon freezer bags, labeled
ON HAND FOR COOKING EACH ENTRÉE
Fresh spinach leaves
Steamed rice
1. Rinse and trim chicken as desired. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
2. Combine coconut milk, fish sauce, curry paste, and honey in a large skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink, about 20 minutes. Stir in ground peanuts. Remove from heat and cool.
3. Divide cooled chicken and sauce evenly among freezer bags.
4. Seal and freeze.
TO COOK ONE ENTRÉE
1. Completely thaw one entrée in the refrigerator.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, bring the chicken and sauce to a simmer and cook until heated through. Do not boil.
3. To serve, place a handful of fresh spinach leaves on each person’s plate. Top with a generous serving of chicken and sauce. Pass hot steamed rice at the table.
Don’t let the cayenne scare you away from these tasty chicken fingers. They’re great for lunch, dinner on the run, or as a party appetizer. Try dipping them in commercial salsa ranch dressing or chipotle barbecue sauce. Or slice the cooked fingers and serve atop salad or in wraps with black beans and other ingredients. —KN
TEX-MEX CHICKEN FINGERS
MAKES 3 ENTRÉES, ABOUT 12 FINGERS EACH
1 TRAY (ABOUT 6 POUNDS) BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN HALF-BREASTS
4 eggs, lightly beaten
6 cups plain dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons granulated garlic
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Plastic wrap
3 one-gallon freezer bags, labeled
1. Rinse and trim chicken as desired. Cut each half-breast lengthwise into three strips. Set aside.
2. Place eggs in a shallow dish.
3. Combine breadcrumbs, cumin, garlic, chili powder, salt, and cayenne in a large bowl.
4. Dip each piece of chicken first into the egg and then into the breadcrumb mixture. Place breaded chicken pieces onto one or more baking sheets. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until solid.
5. Once the chicken fingers are frozen, remove from baking sheets and divide evenly among the 1-gallon freezer bags. Seal and return to the freezer.
TO COOK ONE ENTRÉE
1. Completely thaw one entrée in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
3. Bake chicken fingers on a greased baking sheet for 30 minutes, or until chicken pulls apart easily and is no longer pink in the center of the thickest portion.
The first time I tested this recipe on my family, my six-year-old enjoyed the dish so much, she ate an entire half-breast herself—and