Grilled Chicken Breast Skewers with Sweet Soy Glaze

I tried a new product from Kikkoman called Sweet Soy Glaze and it's awesome. I used the glaze on grilled chicken skewers and it would probably be good served as a dipping sauce as well. Here, I brushed on some Sweet Soy Glaze and grilled over high heat to get some char on the meat. When the chicken was cooked I drizzled some more glaze on the chicken and just let it melt over the skewers.

 

Ingredients:

2 - 3 chicken breasts

Kikkoman Sweet Soy Glaze

12" wood skewers

 

Preparation:

Place the wood skewers in some water for a half hour or more. This will keep them from burning on the grill.

 

Take the chicken breasts and cut into approximately 1" pieces. Place the chicken pieces on the wood skewers and brush on some Sweet Soy Glaze.

 

Heat the grill high and cook the chicken turning every couple of minutes. Because the chicken pieces are small, the skewers will cook pretty quickly, about 6 minutes.

 

When the chicken is cook, place the skewers on a serving plate and drizzle on some Sweet Soy Glaze and garnish with sliced green onions and chopped Italian parsley.  

Basmati Rice with Tomato, Yellow Onion, Green Onion, Garlic, Italian Parsley and Chopped Walnuts

I cook rice a couple times a week, sometimes maybe more. Lately, I started adding other ingredients and really making an interesting side dish. Here's a combination that works well and can be successfully served with almost any protein.
 

My trusty Panasonic rice cooker, 20 years and going strong!

Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 diced yellow onion
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 fine diced Roma tomato
1 bunch sliced green onions, 6-8 pcs
1 tablespoon chopped Italian Parsley
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts


Preparation:
Cook the rice according to instructions, which is 1 cup rice, 2 cups water and some salt. When the rice is cooked, remove the lid and let cool.

Take a 12" sauté pan and heat to medium / medium low. Add the diced yellow onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Keep the heat down so you don't burn the garlic. Stir in the tomato, green onions, parsley and walnuts. Add the rice and toss until everything is mixed in and you're done.

To serve, place the rice onto a serving plate or bowl and garnish with a little chopped Italian parsley.

Buffalo Roasted Chicken Thighs

I like hot wings and here's a way to take the dish from an appetizer to main course. Franks Red Hot Wings Buffalo Sauce is the real deal and probably what many restaurants use. It's hot and tangy and so good.

Ingredients:

Chicken thighs

Franks Red Hot Wings Buffalo Sauce

 

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

 

Rinse the chicken thighs in cold water and set on paper towels to dry. Use a pair of poultry shears and cut off any noticeable fat and some of the skin.

 

When roasting chicken thighs, I like to use a broiler pan because the juices from the chicken will drip into the pan below allowing the chicken to crisp up rather than becoming soggy. Second, I like to make the clean up as easy as possible, so I take some aluminum foil and cover the bottom pan to catch the juices. Lastly, take a little spray canola oil and spay the top of the broiler pan so the chicken thighs don't stick to the pan.

 

Place the chicken thighs on the broiler pan and brush on some Franks hot wings sauce. If you've ever had this sauce, you know it's hot. However, when you cook the sauce on the chicken, it's mellows out. Cook the chicken for a total 40 minutes. Brush on some Frank's hot wings sauce 2 more times during the cooking process.  

Garlicky Parsely Potato's

I love these tiny red and white potatoes for a simple side dish. I steam them for a hour and they're so soft and creamy. Finish them off in a sauté pan with olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper, so good!

Ingredients:

1 pound red and white potatoes, size 1" - 1-1/2"

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 crushed garlic cloves

Salt & pepper

 

Preparation:

Wash the potatoes and place into a stove top steamer and cook on medium for 1 hour.

 

Take a 12" sauté pan and add the olive oil and garlic and cook on medium low for a minute, you don't want to burn the garlic so keep the heat down. Add the potatoes and toss until coated in the olive oil and garlic and you're done.

 

To serve, place the potatoes on a serving plate or bowl and garnish with chopped Italian parsley.

Orzo Pasta with Cherry Tomato's, Feta Cheese, Green Onions and Chopped Walnuts

This is a great pasta side dish that's so good you could eat it as a main course. Typically, this dish would be made with pine nuts, but I find chopped walnuts so much better. But what really takes this dish to the next level is the warmed Feta cheese, so good!

Ingredients:
1/2 pound Orzo pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup quartered cherry tomato's
1/2 cup diced green onions
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1/2 cup crumbled Feta
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 tablespoon rough chopped Italian parsley
Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Cook the Orzo pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 minutes, a minute more of you like the texture a little less firm. Drain and set a side.

 

Take your 12" sauté pan and heat to medium high and add 1 generous tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot add the pasta and mix well and bring up to serving temperature. Add the cherry tomato's, green onions, walnuts, garlic, parsley and Feta cheese. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes and serve.

 

To serve, place the pasta on a serving plate or large bowl. Garnish the dish with a little Feta cheese, diced green onions, chopped Italian parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.  

Applewood Smoked Baby Back Ribs with Smashed Red Potatoes and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Happy Mother's Day Everyone. Mother's Day is Holiday that we have at our house so that my Mother in law, Sister in law and Wife don't have to cook.

 

It seems like baby back ribs are a Mothers Day tradition for us since I've made them the last several years. So here's what's cooking; Apple wood smoked baby back ribs, smashed red potato's and roasted Brussels sprouts.

 

Ingredients:

Baby back ribs, 1 slab per 3 people

Apple wood chips

Rib rub of choice, I like McCormick

BBQ sauce of choice, I like Sweet Baby Ray's

1 pound small red potato's

2 tablespoons butter

1/8 cup lite sour cream

1 tablespoon minced chive

Salt and pepper.

 

Brussels Sprouts recipe here:

Brussels Sprouts 

 

Remove the ribs from the package and rinse with cold water and set on some paper towels to dry. Sprinkle some, not lots of rib rub on both sides and let marinate for an hour.

 

To smoke the rib's, take a large handful of apple wood chips and place in a bowl of water. Transfer the wet chips to a sheet of aluminum foil. Fold the foil up around the chips making a big long pouch. Take a knife and puncture a few holes in the top and bottom of the pouch and place under the grill grate over the rear burner. Turn the grill on high under the chips, but leave the front two burners off.

 

I like to cut my ribs up into pieces of 3 rib bones per piece, just makes it easier for me to move them around on the grill. Place the ribs in the front part of the grill a way from the heat.

 

After 10 minutes or so, the wood chips will start to smoke. Try to keep the grill at 300 degrees for 2 hours, turning the ribs every half hour. If the wood chips get too hot, they might start to burn, so just spay on some water and they'll smoke instead of burn.

 

After 2 hours, remove the ribs from the barbecue and place on an oven tray like a jelly roll pan. Brush on some barbecue sauce, cover with aluminum foil and place into a 325 degree oven for 1-1/2 hours and you're done. 

 

To make the smashed red potato's, give the potato's a quick rinse and place into a stove top steamer. Steam the potato's on medium for an hour. The potato's will be soft and creamy. Place into a mixing bowl. Add the butter, sour cream, chives and salt and pepper and take a potato masher and just smash just until there a no large pieces and you're done.

 

To serve, place a nice portion of smashed red potato's on a serving plate, place some ribs on the potato's and place some roasted Brussels sprout next to them and garnish with chopped Italian parsley.