Honey Chicken Stir Fry

This stir fry was a welcome break to the pasta and frozen pizza that has become our new norm during the quarantine. Fresh veggies are more abundant at the grocery store these days so it was a treat to get our hands on them. This stir fry is a great way to pack in the veggies. The sauce is so flavorful I even got my 5-year-old to eat some broccoli. That is no easy feat! I had some extra bell peppers in my crisper, and they turned out to be a delicious addition to this dish. I would honestly consider this a “clear out your crisper” recipe. If you’ve got some veggies you need to put to use throw them into this saucy stir fry. This recipe is adapted from Dinner at the Zoo

Serves: 4-5          Time: approx. 35 minutes

Ingredients: 

• 2  tablespoons cooking oil, divided
• 1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 2 green bell peppers, washed and sliced into bite-sized chunks
• 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 packet of stir fry flavoring (I usually find this in the Asian foods aisle at the store)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: cooked rice for serving

Directions:

1. In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat.
2. Add the broccoli, carrots, and bell peppers to the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir frequently to keep from burning.
3. Remove the pan from heat, cover, and set aside.
4. To a different pan add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat.
5. Lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan in a single layer. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through.
6. Add the garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant.
7. Put the veggies back over medium heat and add the cooked garlicky chicken.
8. In a bowl whisk together the chicken broth, honey, and soy sauce.
9. In another bowl mix the cornstarch with one tablespoon of cold water.
10. Pour the honey sauce over the chicken and vegetables; cook for 30 seconds.
11. Add the cornstarch to the chicken and veggies and bring the pan to a boil.
12. Cook for 1 more minute or until the sauce thickens.
13. Serve and enjoy!

*Photo is an original belonging to me

*Recipe adapted from Dinner at the Zoo

Baked Garlic Honey Pork Chops

 

I won’t lie, pork chops scare me. You walk a fine line between nice tender meat or a dry jerky like patty. Every once in a while Perry will ask for something other than beef or chicken. He will suggest I try my hand at pork. Since he doesn’t ask for it too often I oblige. This is only one of two pork chop recipes on this blog right now. I hope to diversify my catalogue of recipes, and this is a delightfully delicious start! These chops are tangy, sweet and savory. The combination of flavors is fabulous and I’m willing to bet that you’ll be lapping up the sauce with with whatever side you pair these chops up with. I have to give credit to the blog who inspired me to try this recipe. If you like these chops check out other tasty recipes on Mama Hen’s Kitchen.

Serves: 4      Time: 40-50 minutes       Calories: 186/pork chop

Ingredients:

• (4) 1 inch thick boneless pork chops (size matters here, friends. Otherwise you may end up with dry chops)
• Salt and pepper to season the chops
• 2 tbsp cooking oil (I used canola)
• 1/4 cup of honey
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• (Optional) If you like spice throw in some red chili flakes to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Season the pork with salt and pepper on both sides.
3. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Brown the pork chops (about 3 minutes per side).
4. Set the pork chops in a baking dish.
5. Whisk together the remaining ingredients. Be sure that the honey is well combined.
6. Brush this mixture over the pork chops on both sides. Pour the remaining sauce all over the pork.
7. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until the internal temperature reaches your favored tenderness. This is approximately 30-40 minutes. For your reference Medium-Rare (145F-150F), Medium (150F-155F), Medium-Well (155F-160F), Well (160F).
8. Bathe these babies with sauce before serving, and plate with your favorite sides!
9. Enjoy 🙂

*Photo is an original belonging to me.

*Recipe is adapted from Mama Hen’s Kitchen

Sweet Cilantro Lime Chicken Kebabs

I have finally found a way to get Chance, our 4-year-old, to eat chicken that isn’t pressed into a patty with who knows what else. I’m learning that Chance takes interest in things that are not “ordinary.” We usually eat dinner with a fork, so handing him chicken on a stick was the hook (and he bit!). I’ve made this recipe a number of times since our initial trial and can attest to how easy this is to make. I suggest marinating the chicken all day if you can. Throw it in the marinade first thing in the morning then string them onto kebab sticks right before grilling. I would liken the flavor to teriyaki but it isn’t sticky-sweet like teriyaki can usually be. It has a nice zesty zing because of the lime and am looking forward to warm summer nights grilling these puppies out on the patio.

Serves: 4     Calories: 199/serving     Time: marinade time: at least an hour     cook time: 8 mins 

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp cilantro
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Bamboo skewers

Directions:

1. Combine soy sauce, salt, pepper, honey, oil, garlic, lime juice, pepper flakes and 1 tbsp of cilantro in a large bowl.
2. Trim chicken and cut into bite size pieces. Place the chicken into the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
3. If using wooden/bamboo skewers soak in water for at minimum 10 minutes before letting them sit on the grill.
4. String the chicken pieces onto the skewers (getting rid of the remaining marinade) and grill on each side for approximately 5-8 minutes.
5. Serve with your favorite side dish and enjoy!

*Photo is an original belonging to me

*Original recipe found at http://www.budgetsavydiva.com 

Orange Honey Carrots

 

My mom always made carrot soufflé on Thanksgiving but I was not feeling so brave on my first go at cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I did still have carrots in her honor though! These carrots have a lot of flavor that I think helped round out the meal. Original recipe found at myrecipes.com

Serves 6

Ingredients:

– 1-1lb bag of baby carrots, rinsed

– 1 tsp grated orange rind

– 1/4 cup of fresh orange juice (We stuffed our turkey with an orange and an apple. The turkey was done an hour and a half before we ate so I used the orange that was still whole inside of the turkey. I don’t know if it added to the dish but it was definitely easier to juice the orange while it was warm.) 

– 2 tsp. butter

– 2 tsp. honey

-1/4 tsp salt

– 1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

1.) Stir together all ingredients and 1 cup of water in saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer (stirring occasionally) for 30-35 minutes or until the liquid evaporated and carrots are glazed. 

*Original recipe found at myrecipes.com

**Photo is an original taken by me