add lemon juice to chicken and mix until well-coated
add remaining ingredients for marinade and mix until chicken is evenly coated
marinate in fridge for ~2-3 hours
Preheat oven: 425º F Bake: 15-20 minutes, depending on thickness of chicken
in a small pot, heat butter and garlic (if using) gently on low heat until garlic loses its sharpness and butter is infused
take off the heat and add remaining ingredients for sauce; set aside
when chicken is done cooking, take out and brush with sauce
Notes
for the chili powder, use whatever you have on hand; I didn’t have it and subbed with a burger seasoning; it’s chill, get creative or just leave it out
I didn’t use oil in the marinade and chicken still came out juicy and tender (see photo); might get more browning if you use it
if you don’t have a brush for applying the sauce, just spoon it over or dunk the pieces to coat
Suggested uses
eat as-is
on a salad (you can try adding more lemon juice and maybe balsamic to the sauce leftovers for a quick dressing)
in a saucepot on the stove, gently melt butter and add garlic; cook until fragrant, a minute or two
add heavy cream and parm
add salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes; simmer gently as sauce thickens
add greens and sundried tomatoes
when sauce thickens to desired consistency, turn off heat, add lemon juice and stir
If adding to pasta, set pasta to boil before starting the sauce and add it to the saucepot along with a little bit of pasta water once done. Stir to coat thoroughly and serve.
Notes
if the sauce is too thick, thin with milk or water (whatever you have on hand)
can also use milk or half and half if you don’t have cream, but may have to cook down longer to thicken
thin the chicken breasts either by pounding with a meat mallet or slicing; your butcher may also be able to do it for you when buying
mix marinade ingredients together in a bowl (or zip top bag) and add chicken, mix until the chicken is completely coated
if using a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap is actually touching the chicken so it doesn’t dry out; if using zip top bag, push excess air out and seal
let chicken marinate in fridge for ~1 hour and up to overnight
Cooking the chicken
Stovetop
set dry pan over medium heat; once hot, add a thin layer of oil
gently lay chicken into the oiled pan in a single layer; do not flip chicken until a nice crust forms on the first side down
do not overlap chicken
do not overcrowd pan; you will have to do multiple batches
flip when chicken releases easily from the pan and the first side is mostly cooked through, shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes, and may take less
cook the other side for a few minutes, until the thickest part of the chicken is no longer pink
remove from pan and place in serving plate; cover with aluminum foil to keep warm as you cook the rest of the chicken
bake in the oven
preheat oven: 450º F
line baking pans or sheet with aluminum foil and place chicken breasts on it in a single layer
do not overlap chicken
make sure to shake off excess marinade so chicken isn’t “wet” going into the oven
Bake chicken in oven for ~8-15 minutes; check at the earlier time so as not to overcook; assess done-ness by slicing into the thickest part to make sure it’s cooked through
Because this is a wet marinade, the chicken will kind of steam in the oven a bit. Still delicious, but you don’t get much of a maillard reaction. You could try broiling it instead, but I haven’t tried this and am not sure how well it would cook the chicken all the way through (probably be fine though).
The major benefit of baking vs other methods is its pretty hands off, despite the large amount of chicken, so you’re not tied to the stove. It’s also less messy, with easier clean up since there’s no oil splatters or smoke.
grill
fire up the grill and heat to medium
oil the grates and place chicken breasts over indirect heat, cook until one side is mostly cooked through and gets nice grill marks
flip and cook the other side just until cooked through
Sous vide
preheat sous vide bath to 150-155º F (or whatever your preference for chicken breast))
shake off excess marinade from chicken and place in a silicone or zip top bag in a single layer
submerge in bath for ~1 hour
Notes
orange chicken sauce: I just pulled whatever “Asian” sauce was in the fridge…if I was in my own kitchen, I would probably use oyster, fish, or hoisin sauce; maybe a combination
don’t think too hard about this one and use whatever you have on hand
sesame oil is best, but I only had olive oil on hand so that’s what I ended up using
chicken breast is easy to overcook, especially when thin-sliced, so keep a close eye on cook times (sous vide is the most forgiving)
err on the side of less cook time
you can remove chicken from the heat just when cooked and cover with foil so that the carry-over heat will gently finish it perfectly
Freezing tips
The marinade itself can be frozen in ice cubes, or you can freeze the chicken after covering it in the marinade. This is especially useful if you’ll be sous viding it afterwards, since you can take it from the freezer directly into the water bath.
See the freezing guide for tips and information on freezer-safe food storage.
Suggested uses
on salads (especially with an Asian sauce like a Thai peanut dressing and fried noodle croutons)
This recipe was completely eyeballed, so all amounts are estimates; adjust to your tastes and preferences. If unsure, start with a little and add more if needed. Don’t be scared, it’s not that serious.
amount
ingredient
1 cup
strawberries, fresh, sliced
~15
mozzarella balls, fresh, small
2-3 T
basil pesto
to taste
salt
to taste
black pepper, fresh cracked
drizzle
olive oil
to taste
lemon juice, fresh
1 bag
spring mix
handful
arugula
2 T
balsamic vinaigrette
Process
Add all ingredients up through lemon juice into a bowl and mix thoroughly
In a separate bowl, mix the spring mix, arugula, and dress lightly with balsamic vinaigrette
To plate, fill individual salad bowls with salad greens and top with the strawberry caprese mix
Notes
toasted walnuts (or any other nut you prefer) would go great here
can pair with chicken breast as well for a protein boost
You can use any fresh mozzarella you want, I just had the little balls on hand, so that’s what I used; I tore them in half and squished them a bit
I pre-process most of my fresh ginger in the blender and freeze it for use in all my recipes, which makes this very simple. If you’re using fresh ginger, you can blend it with the water or grate it finely on a microplane.
Process
Ginger Water: mix ginger with water, set aside
Light Honey Simple Syrup: mix honey with water, stir until the honey is completely dissolved (a few minutes), set aside
in a tall glass, add ¼ cup each of the simple syrup and ginger water (strain if desired); add the lemon juice and swirl to mix
top up the glass with sparkling water
if desired, sprinkle a smidge of sea salt for added flavor
the salt will make the drink froth and bubble up, so make sure the glass isn’t so full that it will overflow, if adding the salt
Variation: Ginger POW
WARNING: Ginger can be a very strong spice, especially this variation which brings out more of the spiciness. Each individual has varying tolerances and health profiles, so proceed at your own risk. If you have any concerns, research the properties of ginger, and start with less of the ginger water. You can always add more later if you like.
Ginger water
to a small sauce pot, add the ginger and water and set it over a medium high flame
if you have an exhaust fan, turn it on as the spice from the ginger will aerate from the steam and can cause coughing or irritation
cook until the water reduces by about half, stirring occasionally (it won’t be half in overall volume because of the ginger)
once the water has reduced significantly, let cool
add the mixture to a high powered blender and blend until smooth, ~1 minute
strain the mixture (optional, sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t)
making the drink
Light Honey Simple Syrup: mix honey with water, stir until the honey is completely dissolved (a few minutes), set aside
in a tall glass, add ¼ cup of the simple syrup, the juice of 1 lemon, and 2 tablespoons of the ginger water
top up the glass with sparkling water, taste, and adjust the amount of ginger water to your preference
if desired, sprinkle a smidge of sea salt for added flavor
the salt will make the drink froth and bubble up, so make sure the glass isn’t so full that it will overflow, if adding the salt
Notes
Ginger Water
Store the ginger water (either version) in a glass jar in the fridge.
Use your best judgement regarding how long it will stay good for. If the taste, smell, or texture is off, feel free to toss it. If you don’t think you’ll be able to get through all of it before it goes off, freeze it in an ice cube tray for use later.
Remember that it is just a ginger and water concentrate, so feel free to repurpose it for other drinks, like tea, kava, meat marinades, dressings, etc. You can even toss it in your salans and curries.
Light Honey Simple Syrup
I typically make the simple syrup in a glass measuring cup and then just store it in the same vessel in the fridge (uncovered). You could put it into a squeeze bottle, mason jar, whatever you have on hand.
If in an airtight container, it supposedly can last up to a month in the fridge. Again, use your best judgement.
Sugar syrups are a great way to make many different drinks, so remember to stay flexible. Use it in teas, coffees, marinades, vinaigrettes, sauces, as a soak for a sponge cake, etc.
First, prep the ingredients which require it. I like to go in such an order that the meat is last so I’m not stuck chopping veggies on a nasty board or having to wash in between.
crush cumin and coriander seeds in a mortar & pestle
you can use a mini food processor, spice grinder, or a small, sturdy glass and the hilt of your knife (carefully)…use whatever you have on hand
no need to crush to a fine powder; some texture is good
chop cilantro
mince chilies or blitz in a processor (it’s handy to have this already in the freezer)
cut chicken into bite-sized pieces
Add all the ingredients except the besan to the chicken and mix thoroughly so that all the chicken pieces are evenly coated. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for ~1 hour.
Remove chicken from fridge and add enough gram flour (besan) to the mix to make a thin coating on the chicken. You don’t want it too thick either in consistency or coating. Adjust yogurt and besan amounts to achieve this result. You can thin the mixture with the liquidy parts of the yogurt, milk, or water.
Fry a couple pakoray and taste for seasoning; if all is good, fry the rest of the chicken in batches.
Notes
My pakoray ended up getting a bit burnt on the outside in some places…I suspect this may have to do with the Kashmiri chili / paprika, so feel free to leave that out. It’s just in there for “color” anyway, and probably not really doing any favors.
don’t be scared of the spices but also, if you don’t have a couple, you can leave them out
marination time is an ideal, not a requirement
use water to wet the batter instead of yogurt if you don’t have it; traditional pakoray batter is made with water, the yogurt just helps to tenderize the meat
cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving
Notes
The covering and chilling is actual pretty vital to this recipe, although it’s tempting to skip the step. If you eat it right away, the flavors will feel off and disjointed, maybe too sweet or too tart. But once it’s had a chance to meld together in the fridge, everything becomes much more cohesive.
