Chinese Five-Spice Roast Chicken

As much as I cook, I have never roasted a chicken. All of the recipes I have for roast chicken talk about how easy it is but it always sound even easier to just buy the rotisserie chicken at the grocery store. A couple weeks ago, I decided to give it a try. And yes, my recipes are correct, roasting a chicken is super easy and it turns out even cheaper then buying a rotisserie chicken. I loved the flavor of this Chinese-inspired roast chicken. I served mine with a simple Asian slaw and it made for a perfect Sunday dinner.

Chinese Five-Spice Roast Chicken
*** Food Network Kitchens Cookbook

Serves 4
Prep/Cook Time: 1 1/2 hour

Chicken
1 3-4 pound chicken, giblets removed
3 scallions, cut into 4 pieces
6 coin-sized slices of fresh ginger
a few strips of orange zest (I used my potato peeler for this)
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp. dark sesame oil
2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder


Sauce (optional)
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. rice vinegar
2 tsp. dark sesame oil
1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1/2 tsp. peeled, grated fresh ginger
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 scallion, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 425. Make sure the giblets are removed from the chicken and give it a good rinse in the sink. Dry off well and then stuff the chicken cavity with the scallions, ginger, and orange zest. Set the chicken in a large oven-safe pot (I used my fake Le Creuset) or in a roasting pan coated with a little olive oil. Brush the chicken with 1 tsp of olive oil . Whisk the sesame oil through the soy sauce in a small bowl. Brush the mixture all over the chicken and then sprinkle with the Chinese five-spice powder.

Tuck the wings under the back, cross the legs, and tie them with a little kitchen twine. Place the chicken breast side down and roast until the back of the chicken is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove chicken from the oven and turn it breast side up. Cut off the twine and baste the chicken with the pan drippings. Toast the chicken again until the breast is golden brown and a meat thermometers registers 170 degrees, about 25-30 minutes more. Transfer to a carving board and let rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. The sauce can be drizzled over the chicken once it has been sliced.

Beef and Broccoli

This week I came across another great make at home stir-fry dish. The below recipe for beef and broccoli is beyond easy. The most time consuming part is actually cooking the brown rice. I loved the simple flavor of the sauce and the crispness of the broccoli. Flank steak isn't much higher in fat then a piece of chicken so this was a nice change to my usual chicken/pork/fish dinner. While I am no beef and broccoli connoisseur, I thought this tasted just as good as any take-out that I've had.

Beef and Broccoli
** adapted from Monkey See Monkey Do Blog

Serves 2-3
Prep/Cook Time: 15 minutes (not including time to cook the rice)

1 Ib top sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced into strips (I used flank steak)
1 head of broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
1/4 yellow onion, sliced thinly
1 T. high-heat oil (grapeseed or canola)
2 garlic cloves, minced

Marinade:
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. cooking oil
salt and pepper

Stir-fry sauce:
3 T. oyster sauce
2 tsp dry sherry
2 tsp balsamic vinegar

*** I served the beef and broccoli over brown rice. Most brown rice cooks for at least 25 minutes so make sure to start this ahead of time. 

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade. Place meat in a ziplock bag and pour in marinade, massage and let sit for 10 minutes.

In another small bowl, mix together the stir-fry sauce.

In a wok or large skillet, add 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover to steam for 3-5 minutes. The broccoli should be bright green and crisp tender. Drain the water, set the broccoli aside and dry the pan. Set the pan over high heat and when hot, add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Add the steak strips and cook until cooked to desired doneness.

Pour in the stir-fry sauce and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 30 seconds. Add the cooked broccoli back to the pan. Serve over brown rice.

Soy Glazed Short Ribs

A couple of weekends ago I made Soy Glazed Short Ribs.  This was another outstanding recipe from a recent Chopping Block class.  This dish is perfect for a Sunday dinner because you need a few hours to let the short ribs cook. Or, like the Pork Pozole I recently made, you can cook the short ribs in a crock pot for about 8 hours.

This dish is incredibly easy and the majority of the ingredients you may already have on hand if you do any Asian cooking. The hardest part for me was finding the short ribs and lemongrass.  Three grocery stores later I finally found the short ribs. Unfortunately I was out of luck with the lemongrass. I don't think the dish tasted much different without it though so if you run into problems finding lemongrass just skip it and you'll be fine. Frustrating as my snowy trek around neighborhood grocery stores was, the short ribs were well worth the effort!

Soy Glazed Short Ribs
** from the Chopping Block
print recipe

Serves 4-6
Prep/Cook Time: 3 hours and 30 minutes

2 T. grapeseed oil
4 LB. boneless beef short ribs, cut into 4 ounce portions
salt and pepper to taste
flour for dredging
3 scallions, cut into 1/2 inch slices on the bias
3 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1 T. ginger, freshly grated
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 1 inch pieces
3/4 tsp red chili flakes
1 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
4 c. chicken stock
2 T. freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 c. light brown sugar

1/4 c. hoisin sauce
2 T. freshly squeezed orange juice
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
steamed jasmine brown rice
2 scallions, sliced thin for garnish
2 T. sesame seeds

Heat a deep heavy pot over medium high heat and add the grapeseed oil. Season the ribs with salt and pepper to taste and dredge in flour, shaking off any excess. In a couple of batches, sear the ribs in the hot pan until golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Lower the heat to medium low and saute the scallions, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and red chili flakes just until aromatic, about 1-2 minutes. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, chicken stock, orange juice and brown sugar.

Return the seared ribs to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until the meat is tender, about 3 hours.

Remove the braised ribs from the braising liquid and set aside covered with foil to keep warm. Skim any fat from the braising liquid and discard. Stir the hoisin sauce into the braising liquid and simmer until reduced to about 1 1/4 cups. Strain the sauce through a sieve (I just used a slotted spoon) to remove any solids and return to the pot. Stir in the orange and lemon juice.

Return the ribs to the pot and coat them with the reduced sauce until nicely glazed and hot. Serve the ribs on a bed of jasmine rice and garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

** If making this dish in a crock pot, brown the meat and then combine all of the ingredients in your crock pot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Sweet & Sour Pork

Stir fry is a great dinner option because it's fast, healthy and always satisfying.  There isn't much to the stir fry I typically make: pieces of cut up chicken, frozen stir fry vegetables from Costco and House of Tsang Szachuan Spicy Stir Fry Sauce.  Pretty simple, basically a step above dialing for take out.  I have collected numerous recipes for Chinese take-out inspired dishes and have all of the standard sauce ingredients, I really don't have an excuse but pure laziness. 

Last week Brady found a recipe for Sweet & Sour Pork on Handle the Heat. It sounded great and I was very excited to make a stir fry dish that didn't involve frozen vegetables and jarred sauce.  We gave it a try on Friday night and it was great!  I loved the flavor that the Chinese Five Spice brought to the dish, I had never used this before and it was a great addition.  The sweetness of the pineapple went perfectly with the pork and this honestly tasted like a dish that you would get at a good Chinese restaurant. 

Sweet & Sour Pork
** adapted from Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver
printable recipe

Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 25 minutes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 c. long-grain or basmati rice
½ pound pork tenderloin
1 small red onion
1 red or yellow bell pepper (or ½ of each)
A thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger
2 cloves of garlic
½ - 1 fresh red chile or jalepeno pepper
a small bunch of fresh cilantro
peanut or vegetable oil
1 heaped teaspoon five-spice powder
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 8-ounce can of pineapple chunks
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Bring a pan of salted water to a boil and add the rice. Cook according to package directions. Drain the water and cover to keep warm until needed.

Meanwhile, halve the pork tenderloin and cut into ¾ inch cubes. Peel and halve the red onion, then dice into ¾ inch cubes. Halve the bell pepper, seed, and cut into ¾ inch cubes. Peel and finely slice the ginger and garlic. Finely slice the chile. Chop the cilantro and set aside.

Preheat a wok or large frying pan on high heat and once it’s very hot, add enough oil to coat the pan (a couple teaspoons should do) and swirl it around. Add the pork and five-spice powder and stir. Cook for a few minutes until browned, then transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon.

Carefully give the wok or pan a quick wipe with a ball of paper towels and return to the heat. When it’s really hot, add more oil (another teaspoon should do) and all the chopped ingredients. Stir everything together and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Let everything cook for 30 to 40 seconds, then add the pineapple chunks with their juice, the browned pork and balsamic vinegar. Season with black pepper and a little more soy sauce, if needed.  Break open a piece of the pork, check to see if it’s cooked through, and remove from the heat. Reduce the sauce to a gravy-like consistency by cooking for a few minutes more.

To serve the stirfry, divide the rice between two bowls or plates. Spoon the pork, veggies, and sauce over the top and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and reserved cilantro leaves.