Remember all the tips I gave you in the last issue? Guess what I didn’t know and probably all of you already know – the dull side of aluminum foil is the non-stick side. Duh. Anyway, if you took advantage of some of those tips from last month, grab your cooked rice and canned apple juice out of the freezer, get your tubes of ginger and garlic (if you don’t have fresh) and get ready to cook:

ONE-SKILLET BOURBON CHICKEN for 2
– Fast and Easy

  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup bourbon or chicken broth
  • ¼ cup unsweetened apple juice
  • 1 TBS rice vinegar, 1 TBS maple syrup
  • 1 TBS minced garlic
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1.5 lb. chicken thighs or breasts 
  • cut into strips
  • 1 TBS plus 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 2 TBS canola oil, 2 tsp water
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • Sliced scallions for garnish

Whisk together the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Heat oil in skillet over medium high. Add chicken tossed with 1 TBS corn starch and cook stirring occasionally until golden brown and crispy, 6-8 minutes. Add mixture to skillet and cook, stirring often until sauce has reduced to a syrupy consistency and chicken is cooked through, 6-8 minutes.

Whisk 1 tsp cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Add to pan; cook, stirring often until sauce thickens and coats chicken, 1-2 minutes. Spoon rice onto plates, top with chicken, sauce, and scallions.

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I found this recipe while sitting at Dr. Wasserman’s office (our IH acupuncturist) and we loved it! Who doesn’t love chicken wings?! My Canadian neighbor, Ann, gave us a whole jar of hot pepper jelly so I was ready to go. Remember Mrs. Dash, the salt substitute that was awful? The company is now called Dash and they make the BEST salt-free spices, and even the original is now great. I also have the lemon pepper, Italian herb, steak, and chicken seasonings. They aren’t cheap so wait for them to be BOBO at Publix.

HOT PEPPER JELLY WINGS

  • 2 lbs. chicken wings (flats and drummies)
  • 1 tsp salt (or Dash Chicken seasoning)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp pepper
  • 1 cup hot pepper jelly
  • 2 TBS plus 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (divided)
  • 2 TBS cubed unsalted butter
  • ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
  • ½ cup bottled buttermilk ranch dressing
  • Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Pat wings dry and place in a large bowl. In a small bowl, stir together the salt, baking powder, onion powder, coriander, and black pepper. Sprinkle the mixture over the chicken and toss to coat. Place on a wire rack covered pan and refrigerate for one hour. Remove from refrigerator 15 minutes before baking. (I think this is because the baking powder helps crisp them). Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or foil, shiny side down and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray). Lay the wings skin side DOWN and bake for 25 minutes. While wings are baking, stir together the pepper jelly and 2 TBS cider vinegar in a small pan and cook on medium until jelly is melted, about 2 minutes. Stir in butter and red pepper and remove from heat. Reserve ¼ cup for brushing.

Remove wings from oven, turn them over, skin side up and brush with the ¼ cup pepper jelly. Return to oven and bake for about 15 more minutes until crispy. Cool 5 minutes.

Stir together the ranch dressing, 2 tsp cider vinegar. Place chicken into a large bowl and toss with ½ cup pepper jelly. Place wings on a platter and drizzle with the remaining ¼ cup jelly and serve with the dressing on the side. Sprinkle with cilantro if desired.

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This is one more of our favorite chicken wing recipes. Although the recipe doesn’t call for it, tossing the wings in baking powder and refrigerating for a while, like in the above recipe, really does help the wings crisp up better.:

BAKED WINGS WITH HONKY BBQ SAUCE

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 TBS apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp hot sauce
  • 1 tsp finely chopped thyme
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp grated garlic, Salt & Pepper
  • 8-10 split chicken wings
  • 1 TBS poultry seasoning
  • Chopped parsley for garnish

Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 450. Put the wings in a large bowl and toss with chicken seasoning. Drizzle 1/4 cup of sauce over the wings and toss again to coat.

Spread wings in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast, turning once until wings are golden and crisp, about 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a platter and drizzle with half of remaining sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with sauce on the side.