"Hello. I'm Jonathan. And I'm addicted to Carbs."
Friends, it's been a while. How have you been? Hopefully you haven't given up on those New Year's resolutions yet. You know, they say that 42% of American's abandon their resolutions before the end of January. I think that means one of two things: 1) Our resolutions are unreasonable, or 2) we have no will power. I typically tend to fall to the latter...BUT - not this year (I've said this before)! As many of you know I'm in my second round of P90X (which comes with a strict nutrition plan). This means that veggies are in, and carbs are out.
Do you have any idea how many carbs a person eats?? They're in everything: pasta, bread, buns, crackers, cake, brownies, cookies - ahh! It's safe to say that I have an obsession. It's been a rough road quitting cold turkey. They should make a patch or something. I digress.
I bring this whole point up because in 2012 I plan to blog healthier - or at least will try. Going through this "Life Change" - I've also realized the importance of a guilty pleasure now and then. Those typically happen on the weekend, which is when I decide to blog. So please, don't call me out if I have a weak moment and post a pasta - or confess to a batch of brownies.
So for my first entry of 2012, I present Chicken Teriyaki - a simple, easy, yet delicious way to make a quick meal your whole group will enjoy.
Teriyaki Sauce
2 cups water
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup honey
1-inch peeled ginger root
This sauce is so easy, and really takes your traditional teriyaki sauce to the next level. Simply combine the water and honey in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. This will dilute the honey. Once that has happened, add the ginger and teriyaki sauce and bring the heat down to medium.
Chicken
4 chicken breast
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
toasted sesame seeds
scallions
I've always had a problem when I try to sauté chicken. No matter what I do it always comes out tough. This week, I had a break-through. It's the type of meat and how you prepare it even before cooking! I typically buy a bag of frozen chicken breast (after all, we have to be economical). But this week, I bought 4 fresh chicken breast straight from the butcher. They went straight from the store, to my cutting board. This made a HUGE difference.
Take the breasts and trim off any fat. As you're doing this, you can also take a mallet (or the bottom of your pan if you don't have this sophisticated kitchen tool) to tenderize the meat. Season with the salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder before placing in a pan with olive oil.
Flip the chicken every 4-5 minutes so it cooks evenly. Once the chicken is done (after about 10-15 minutes - you can cut a slit inside to make sure - there shouldn't be any pink), take the sauce that has been staying warm in a pan and pour it in with the chicken. This will help the meat absorb the sauce right before you serve it.
Before you serve the chicken, make sure to sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on top. They add a bit of crunch and really help in the presentation. You can slice into smaller pieces, or serve as a whole breast. I chose to slice and serve on a bed of whole wheat brown rice and steamed broccoli.
So for my first foray into the kitchen in 2012 - I think I did pretty good, don't you? Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think! And remember, if you're going to give up your resolution, try to wait until February. Don't become another statistic :)
Until next time, happy cooking! Bon Appétit!