Pesto Chicken

More into some extra delicious finger licking good, chicken recipes..Pesto Chicken or simply, Basil Chicken !

I have got a little over half a bunch of wilted basil leaves and three wrinkly jalapenos, what do I do ? I am thinking homemade Pesto Sauce, my own version : basil leaves, jalapenos, garlic and another Weekend Herb Blogging at Kalyn's Kitchen ! Both greens complement each other, the light "fire up my taste buds" jalapeno chilli peppers balance out the sweet, fragrant basil leaves perfectly ! Too bad I don't have any pasta lying around, I guess six chicken drumsticks left over from making my sweet Honey Spicy Chicken will do.

In Malaysia, basil leafs are known as "kemangi" or "selaseh", the leaves are smaller and darker in color, and the stems and young ribbbony leaves are distinctly reddish-purple in color. They are used mainly in strong-flavored dishes like fish curries and chilli-flavored stir-fries like in shellfish or poultry dishes. In other parts of Asia, basil leaves are used to repel mosquitos with its strong odor. On a medicinal note, the basil leaves are claimed to aid in digestion, and leaf wine is regarded as a tonic and an aphrodisiac.. lol.

What makes the sauce so great is that you could simply diversify with your favorites : sun dried tomatoes, sweet soy sauce, sesame oil, and salsas. They simply add flavors to any quick stir-fry recipes, dips, leftover meats in a salad, or a Tex-Mex-Indian wrap like I did with with my Chayote Squash And Potato Stir-fry. For this basil-flavored chicken recipe, I have chosen to blend the Pesto sauce with ABC kicap manis ( ABC brand sweet thick soy sauce ). Chicken browned to a perfection with a touch of the caramalized sticky sweet soy sauce... yummy. You wouldn't think that these delicious looking drumsticks just came out from simple pan-searing and broiling, as opposed to a messy, not-so-easy-to-clean BBQ grill. Each bite of the finger licking good Pesto chicken drumsticks coupled with a crunch of chilled cold cucumber slice is undoubtedly perfect !

In the pot, now cooking my weekend herbalistic sweet dessert ( view at your own leisure ) :

Snow white fungus, gingko nuts, sweet red dates, coupled with dried longan fruit ( like the ones used for my watercress soup ), crystallised rock sugar and half a can of quail's eggs left ( from sticky rice with chestnuts, peanuts, and chicken ).

Pesto Sauce Recipe

Ingredients :
3 jalapenos ( deseeded )
1/2 a bunch basil leafs ( remove stalks, and use leaf parts only )
2 tsp chopped garlic
salt to taste
cooking oil

Method :
1) Put all the ingredients in the blender, blend until puree, paste-like form.

Pesto Chicken Recipe

Ingredients :
6 chicken drumsticks
2-3 tbsp Pesto Sauce
1-2 tbsp ABC Sweet Soy Sauce
salt, sugar and pepper to taste

Method :

1) Rub the chicken drumsticks with sweet soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste, pesto sauce, and refrigerate for 10 minutes. (Preferably overnight )

2) Heat the wok to a smoky point, quickly pan-fry the chicken drumsticks until browned on both sides, turn to medium heat, continue to flip the chicken to balance the browning ( if chicken gets bit dry sticking to pan, add cooking oil and/or more Pesto sauce and give it a quick-stir ), cover, and let broil at low heat for 10 minutes or until chicken is fully done.

Chinese BBQ Pork

I had a terrible experience the last time I had a craving for some "Char Siu" (Cantonese style BBQ Pork). After fighting an hour's worth of traffic to reach Chinatown and waiting in line for half more at my favorite BBQ restaurant "Sam Woo", I was left staring at the last piece of Char Siu which was practically screaming, "I'm dry and burnt, but I'm the last piece standing and you've come this far ......" And that was enough inspiration for making my own Chinese BBQ Pork nowadays whenever I have a craving for that sweet, sticky, tender hunk of "red" meat.

The choice of meat is on the top of my list when it comes to my BBQ Pork. For a leaner Char Siu, use pork cushion or pork loin. If you prefer it to be really tender (like I do), pork belly is the way to go. If you can't decide, start out with pork shoulder or pork butt, which is leaner than pork belly, yet quite marbly and moist.

Traditionally, Chinese BBQ Pork is skewered with long forks and roasted in ovens, which is how it's name is derived, "Char" and "Siu" in Cantonese respectively translate to "Fork" and "Roasted". However, I have discovered that pan-broiling the BBQ Pork like my Hainan Chicken on the stove-top is faster and the result is just as authentic.

Personally, I prefer my Chinese BBQ Pork with egg noodles tossed with the BBQ Pork caramel sauce. But its always great with plain white rice, fried rice, or as bun stuffings.

BBQ Pork Caramel Sauce Recipe

Ingredients :
4 tbsp maltose
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp sweet soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese five spice powder
1 tbsp Chinese rose wine ( OR regular shaoxing wine )
white pepper
sesame oil
salt to taste

Method :

1) To avoid sticking or burning onto the pan, cook all ingredients on a double boiler on medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens, let it cool down and then set aside.

BBQ Pork Recipe

Ingredients :
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced shallot
2 lbs+ pork belly ( OR use pork loin OR pork shoulder)
caramel sauce

Method :

1) Fork the pork belly and rub the minced ingredients all over the meat.
2) Marinade the pork bellies with half to two thirds of a portion of the prepared caramel sauce over the meat, and then set aside for at least 20 minutes. ( preferably overnight )
3) Pan fry the marinated meat over medium-high heat until both sides are nicely browned, cover and let it cook on medium-low heat for an additional 20-30 minutes.
4) Baste some glaze over the meat 5 minutes before finish time.
5) Pour the remaining caramel sauce over the meat, before of after cutting the meat into serving size.

Hainan Chicken Rice

For those who are attached to their rice dishes, I have yet another candidate that will not only satisfy your carbs cravings, it will take care of your protein cravings, all in one. The Hainan Chicken Rice is a chicken rice made popular in the Malaysia cuisine and Singapore cuisine, and it was brought in by the Hainanese immigrants of China. This chicken rice meal immediately evolved into the locals taste buds and became a pop-culture. The Hainan Chicken Rice recipe even made popular by the hawker stalls, street vendors, coffee shops, all the way to 5-star hotels.

There's a known notion that in the Malaysia and Singapore cuisine, rice dishes are mostly confined to their rich coconut rice and intense spicy dishes, but the Hainan Chicken Rice is one of the few recognised rice dishes that made headlines. A simple chicken rice recipe that is delicious when eaten with pieces of boiled OR roast chicken. If you like El Pollo Loco, Lucille's BBQ, or your favorite chicken griller/broiler, you will definitely love this, I guarantee !

The conventional way in preparing the Hainan Chicken recipe is to boil the chicken, and the broth is used to cooked the rice, with a few added aromatic ingredients. Some would prefer the Roast Hainan Chicken, which is just roasted on a slow fire. I was craving for this chicken rice meal so badly that I went ahead and make a quick and easy Hainan Chicken Rice. Instead of the the conventional method, this broiled chicken recipe is plain, simple and easy. You ever wonder what's the best chicken rice recipe besides chicken fried rice when you've got leftover cooked white rice ? A few pieces of delicious broiled chicken and a couple bowls of scrumptious chicken-flavored rice, my Hainan Chicken recipe made happen on the open pan. I am a happy-chicken-lover !

A) Hainan Chicken

Ingredients :
1 whole chicken cut into 4 parts
3 oz. minced ginger
3 oz. minced shallots
1 oz. minced garlic
1 tsp chinese Five spice powder
4 oz. shaoxing hua tiao cooking wine ( OR other chinese cooking wine )
1 tbsp thick sweet soy sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp honey OR maltose
sugar and salt to taste

Method :
1) Marinade the chicken with all the ingredients for 20 minutes, preferably 2 hours.
2) Pan fry the pre-marinated chicken pieces skin down until nicely browned, flip over and pan fry an additional 5 minutes.
3) Cover and broil chicken for 10 minutes OR until cooked.
4) Remove cover, do a taste-test for the juices on the pan, add salt and sugar to taste if necessary.
4) Set chicken aside, let cool and cut the chicken into desired pieces.
5) Keep the sauce on the pan for later use.

B) Chicken Rice

Ingredients :
3 cups cooked white rice
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced shallots
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp chicken base powder ( optional )
1/4 portion of the sauce from the broiled chicken
1 tbp sesame oil ( OR butter )
1 pc. screwpine leaf ( optional )
1 tbsp shaoxing hua tiao cooking wine ( OR other cooking wine )
4 oz water
salt to taste

Method :
1) Saute the ingredients until fragrant.
2) Add the cooked rice in, stir fry for 5 minutes.
3) Add water in, mix well, and cover wok or skillet.
4) Set to low heat and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until serving time.


C) Chicken Rice Sauce

The sauce you kept aside after broiling the chicken.

D) Chili Sauce

Ingredients :
5 fresh red chilis
2 oz. garlic
salt and sugar to taste
lime juice ( 1/2 a lime )

Method :
1) Blend all the ingredients, then squeeze the lime juice in and mix well.

E) Garnishing

cucumber OR tomato slice
chopped cilantros

Using chinese five spice powder : Also good for marinating ribs and best in any chinese meat braising recipes.