Tag: Chicken
Dakbal (Korean-Style Chicken Feet)
Dakbal (Korean-Style Chicken Feet)
Chicken feet are meant for people who like to strip meat to the bone. That’s the only reason I can think of why anyone would eat these. I’m definitely one of those people. You can find chicken feet at pretty much every Asian market for around $2lb. They still have the nails attached, so they need to be clipped. Take a chef’s knife and simply cut off the first digit. Not only are they great to eat as a spicy appetizer, they are great for making chicken stock. It is really important to wash and massage the chicken feet in either vodka, soju, or milk and coarse Korean salt. This will help rid the feet of any excess blood and other impurities. This step should not be skipped. After this process, the chicken feet need to be steamed for 1 hour. While they are steaming, prepare the sauce in a food processor. As soon as the feet are done, transfer to a bowl. Pour the sauce over the hot feet. Make sure that they are evenly coated. Cover and let cool completely. Let marinade for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. There are 3 options to finish cooking the chicken feet. They can either be grilled, broiled, or even pan fried. They will take about 4-5 minutes a side on a grill or in a broiler and about 10 minutes in a large oiled sauté pan over medium high heat. I think they are best grilled or broiled. I like to have a char on the feet. Drizzle with sesame oil and garnish with chopped green onions and sesame seeds.
Equipment
- steamer basket
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken feet nails clipped
- 2 tbsp coarse Korean salt
- 1/2 cup vodka, soju, or milk
Sauce
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2” ginger minced
- 1-10 Thai chilies finely chopped
- 2 tbsp gochugaru
- 1 tbsp gochujang
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Garnish
- sesame oil
- sesame seeds
- green onion chopped
Instructions
- Clip the nails and wash the chicken feet.
- Cover with vodka and coarse salt. Massage the feet with the vodka/salt mix for a minute. Let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse the feet.
- Line a steamer basket with parchment paper. Add the chicken feet.
- Steam for 1 hour.
- While the feet are steaming, add all of the sauce ingredients to a food processor. Purée.
- In a large bowl, add the sauce to the hot chicken feet. Mix thoroughly. Cover and let completely cool. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Turn on your oven’s broiler. Place a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil. Line up the chicken feet. Broil for 4-5 minutes a side.
- Drizzle sesame oil over the chicken feet. Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onion.
Bang Bang Chicken
Bang Bang Chicken
You may have seen bang bang chicken on Chinese restaurant menus. What they will bring you is chopped up chunks of chicken breast that been battered and deep fried covered in a chili sauce. This couldn’t be farther away from what real bang bang chicken is. Bang bang chicken gets it’s name from how the chicken was traditionally processed after being steamed: hammered with a wooden baton; creating a banging sound. You can use a mallet or a rolling pin the pound the chicken. Or you can completely skip this step and shredded the chicken with two forks.The sauce used in this dish has many complex flavors: sweet, spicy, savory, nutty, with a slight sourness from the chianking vinegar. After the chicken has been bang banged and shredded, the sauce is poured over. The chicken is garnished with green onions and even more chili oil. This chicken is extremely tender with a lot of spice. It’s currently eating the lining of my stomach as I type this. It’s 100% worth the agony.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 green onions
- 1 tsp salt
Sauce
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Chinese sesame paste
- 2 tbsp Sichuan chili oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp Chianking vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp ginger grated
- 1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns ground
Garnish
- green onions chopped
- Sichuan chili oil
Instructions
- Mix together the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Place a plate inside your steamer. Create a bed out of the green onions.
- Place the chicken on top of the green onions. Season with salt.
- Steam for 30 minutes. Cut into the thickest part of the chicken to check and see if it’s cooked all the way through.
- Let the chicken cool. Using a mallet, hammer down the chicken.
- Shred the chicken with 2 forks.
- Plate the chicken. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with chopped green onions. If you want more spice, drizzle more chili oil over the chicken.
How to make Chili Oil in an Instant Pot
Ever eat at a Chinese restaurant and they have that chili oil at the table? Then you end up putting it on everything because it’s so damn good. Well now it’s time to learn how to make it for a fraction of the price of the store bought brands. Making this couldn’t be easier using the Instant Pot. The most important thing in making this chili oil is to not burn the ingredients. You want to keep the oil between 225 and 250 degrees. The Instant Pot has a custom temperature setting which makes making this street free. You can still make this on a stove top if you don’t have an Instant Pot. Just make sure to use a cane thermometer to make sure the oil doesn’t get too hot. If the ingredients burn, you will have to start over.Most cultures have some sort of chili oil in their cuisine, all made very similarly. This recipe is for a Chinese style chili oil, so I used ingredients in Chinese cooking. If you were to make a chili oil for Italian cuisine, you would you’d Italian crushed chili flakes and maybe some garlic and dried herbs in the oil. So experiment with making different oils. The chili flake is always the main ingredient, followed by aromatics steeping in the oil.
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegetable oil
- 1 large cinnamon stick
- 5 star anise
- 3 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup crushed Szechuan chili flakes
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to the sauté function. Choose custom temp. Set to 230 degrees, Add your oil, cinnamon stick, star anise, peppercorns, and bay leaves to the Instant Pot. Cook for 30 minutes, giving an occasional stir. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Put the crushed chili flakes in a mason jar. Take a small piece of cheese cloth and put it over the jar, with a rubber band around it to hold in place.
- Take out the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Pour the oil into the mason jar. The cheese cloth will catch all of the peppercorns and star anise..
- Screw on the cover and let cool to room temp. Refrigerate up to 6 months.
Silkie Chicken Soup
Silkie Chicken Soup
I’ve been wanting to make this soup for a very long time. The wait is now over. Silkie chickens are a breed from China with white fluffy feathers and black skin and meat. They’ve been and for thousands of years; eaten and also raised as pets. You can find these chickens at any Asian market, usually in the frozen section. They will come with the feet and head attached, weighing about 1 1/2lbs. ‘Silkie chicken soup is very popular in China, eaten typically for it‘s health benefits. Ginger is naturally an anti-inflammatory. Jujubes, also known as red dates, regulate blood pressure, are good for the digestive system, and are high in vitamin C. Goji berries are full of antioxidants and nutrients, help regulate blood sugar, and are said to promote fertility. Shiitake mushrooms are good for cardiovascular health, helping boost immunity and are high in vitamin D. This soup is extremely easy to make. Throw all of the ingredients into a pot, bring to a boil, and simmer on medium low for 2 hours. You will know the chicken is done when you can easily pull a whole leg from the body. One of the whole chickens is enough for 2 large servings. The broth that the chicken makes is darker than your typical chicken broth. It is very rich and is honestly the best chicken broth that I’ve ever eaten. Once the broth and it’s contents are portion out into bowls, give it a taste. Add salt to your liking. Then add the chicken to the bowl, followed by another ladle of stock.
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 Silkie chicken left whole
- 8 shiitake mushrooms stems removed, left whole
- 2 ears corn cut into 4
- 1/3 cup jujubes
- 1 tbsp goji berries
- 1 thumb ginger sliced
- 6-8 cups water
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash the silkie chicken.
- Add all of the ingredients except the salt to a large Dutch oven.
- Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer for 2 hours.
- You will know when the chicken is done when you can easily pull the leg from the body.
- Ladle out 4 pieces of corn, shiitake mushrooms, jujubes, and broth into a bowl. Taste the broth and season with salt to your liking. Place 1/2 of the chicken into a bowl and ladle on another scoop of 2 of broth.
