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Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken with Quinoa

June 12, 2013 ·
Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken with Quinoa | alidaskitchen.com

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken is a healthy 30-minute meal made with chicken, lots of vegetables, and a light sweet and sour sauce.  It takes just minutes to prepare, making this Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken an ideal weeknight meal that is much healthier than its take-out counterpart.

Here the Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken is served over the ever trendy super-seed, quinoa.  You can easily substitute brown rice, or another favorite grain, or eliminate it all together for a lower carb option.

healthy baked sweet and sour chicken with quinoa | alidaskitchen.com

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken with Quinoa
 
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Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thick coins
  • 6 scallions, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk honey, ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger and 1 tablespoon water.
  3. Toss chicken in 3 tablespoons of honey mixture and place in prepared baking dish. Toss peppers, carrots and scallions in remaining honey mixture and pour evenly over chicken.
  4. Loosely cover baking dish with foil, leaving one end open to vent. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked and vegetables are tender.
  5. Meanwhile, put quinoa and broth in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then cover, reduce to a simmer (medium-low) for 15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Season with salt and pepper, as desired.
  6. Divide quinoa on plates and spoon chicken and vegetables over quinoa.
Notes
Slightly adapted from Family Circle, June 2013

If you enjoy this recipe, you may also enjoy:

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad

Lighter Sesame Chicken

 

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Oven-Baked Sriracha Chicken

March 20, 2012 ·
healthy baked sriracha chicken breast

It seems sriracha sauce is everywhere these days.  I was excited to find a baked chicken recipe using sriracha, but based on my preference, wanted to use chicken breast instead of drumsticks and thighs.  Of course when cooking with leaner, boneless/skinless cuts, such as chicken breast, modifications are required in order to achieve tender and juicy meat.  Well, the first time I made this with chicken breast, I intentionally did not adjust for this to see what would happen and guess what…it was dry!  But the flavor was amazing, so I knew it was worth further experimentation.  With a few simple tweaks, the result was exactly what I was hoping for ~ moist and tender, spicy sriracha chicken breast baked in the oven.  Keep in mind, the sriracha sauce has some heat, so adjust the amount accordingly.  We enjoyed this with edamame brown rice.

Oven-Baked Sriracha Chicken
 
Print
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 bunch green onions (greens (thinly sliced) and whites (minced) separated)
  • ¼ cup hoisin sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced (or grated)
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced (or grated)
  • Pinch salt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce (adjust to taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon Chinese five star seasoning
  • 4 4-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (for serving)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the minced whites of the green onions, hoisin sauce, ginger, garlic, salt, lime juice, sriracha sauce, and seasoning.
  3. Working with once piece at a time, place chicken breast in the bowl and coat with sauce (note: the sauce is pretty thick). Place chicken breast in baking dish and repeat with remaining pieces of chicken. Pour any remaining sauce over the chicken.
  4. Cover baking dish with with foil. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Place chicken on serving dish(es) and top with green onion greens and sesame seeds.
Notes
Make ahead tip: Prepare chicken and sauce per the above and refrigerate until ready. Take chicken out of the refrigerator and then preheat the oven. Bake as usual.

Adapted from Eating Well

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Lighter Sesame Chicken

February 16, 2012 ·
This Lighter Sesame Chicken recipe is an easy-to-make, healthier version of a take-out favorite. Lean chicken breast is coated with a light sesame and honey sauce, and served over rice and steamed broccoli. 
 Lighter Sesame Chicken | alidaskitchen.com

This Lighter Sesame Chicken dish has been a staple around our house for years and is truly one of our favorite chicken dishes.  It is easy to make, using ingredients you most likely already have at home.  The recipe also halves easily, making a nice dinner for 2….

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The Best Chicken Sate with Peanut Sauce

September 12, 2011 ·

I am very excited to share this recipe with you.  It is my most requested dish, a family favorite, and it’s healthy too.  It is without a doubt The Best Chicken Sate with Peanut Sauce ever!

 
As you’ll notice, the marinade and sauce use many of the same ingredients.  For ease, I place the prep bowls side by side and prepare them in tandem.  I measure brown sugar for each, put it away; soy sauce for each, put it away, etc.  They end up like this (marinade on left, sauce on right).

This Chicken Sate with Peanut Sauce is definitely worthy of a special occasion, but with some advance prep work it can also be a nice weeknight dinner.  The chicken is best when given ample time to marinate (overnight works well).  I typically use chicken breast tenders and do not thread them on skewers to save myself the extra step.  The result is a delicious Asian-inspired dish with a little spicy kick.  

The Best Chicken Sate with Peanut Sauce
Yields 4 servings

1 pound boneless/skinless chicken tenders (or chicken breast cut into strips)

Sate/Marinade:
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3-4 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
1 tablepoon lime juice

Peanut Sauce:
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter (chunky or smooth)

skewers (optional)
cooking spray

Note: if using wooden skewers, soak for at least 30 minutes prior to grilling.

  1. Put chicken in a Ziploc bag.
  2. Prepare sate: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, red pepper flakes, ginger, and lime juice. 
  3. Add sate to chicken in bag, making sure chicken is well coated.  Place in refrigerator to marinate (4 hours up to 2 days; ideal time is around 10-15 hours)
  4. Prepare sauce:  In a separate dish, mix together brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, red pepper flakes, lime zest and peanut butter.  Stir until combined.  Refrigerate until within 30 minutes of serving.
  5. Cooking:  Preheat grill.  Thread chicken on skewers, if using. 
  6. Place chicken on grill coated with cooking spray (or foil tray).  Cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until chicken is done.  Serve with sauce.

Adapted from Cooking Light

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