TASTE
Simple sauce, chicken make for good eating
| • | Return to healthy habits |
By Sarah Fritschner
Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal
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Many cooks harbor at least a little guilt knowing that they won't make dinner decisions until the last possible moment.
Studies show that most of us wait until the hour before dinner to actually plan the meal.
Why? Well, because we can. We know that with a chicken breast in the refrigerator and a few added ingredients — maybe those that are sitting in our pantry — we can eke out another series of dishes that, once they get to the table, actually look like dinner.
Soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup and vinegar — nothing too exotic — combine to make a pretty delicious sauce. It doesn't have to be difficult to taste good.
If chicken-breast pieces are quite large, cut them into smaller pieces so they will cook more quickly and provide more suitable serving sizes: 1 1/4 pounds is plenty for four people.
If you like a little spice, add a dash of cayenne or chili sauce. Grated ginger would be nice, too.
CHICKEN SOY BARBECUE
Combine all ingredients except chicken in a zip-closure bag and swish them around to dissolve sugar. Add the chicken.
If you have time, refrigerate eight to 24 hours. If not, marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Heat a little vegetable oil or nonstick spray in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Shake excess marinade from chicken pieces and place them in the skillet smooth side down. Reduce heat to medium and cook the chicken about three minutes or until nicely brown. Turn it over, and cook another three minutes.
Add the marinade to the skillet along with one-fourth cup water. Allow the mixture to simmer and the chicken to finish cooking, about 5 minutes. The chicken should look barely pinkish beige when you cut into it.
Spoon a little sauce over the chicken when you serve it. Serve with white or brown rice and snow peas or sugar snap peas.
Serves four.
