Spicy Caramelized Chicken...or Shrimp

Hopefully, at this point, maybe you trust me a little? This dish is delicious--sweet, salty and spicy. Really good. And it's versatile--I've made it with both chicken and shrimp. The downside? While cooking, it stinks. Blame it on the fish sauce, an Asian staple of liquefied anchovies and water. Fish sauce can be found in the Asian food aisle of most supermarkets. It smells like, well, feet, but it's also great because it adds a depth of earthy saltiness to Asian dishes. So there's the full disclosure. Now just trust me and try it.

Spicy Caramelized Chicken (adopted from Quick and Easy Vietnamese--serves 2)

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks (You want to keep it large so it doesn't overcook.)

2 Tbs. canola oil

1 Tbs. minced garlic

3 Tbs. minced fresh ginger (I have substituted ginger powder. It works, but it's not as fresh tasting.)

2 Tbs. finely chopped shallots or onion

3 Tbs. brown sugar

2 Tbs. fish sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. red pepper flakes (This makes it spicy. Use less if you prefer.)

1/4 cup water

Heat oil over med-high heat until hot. Add chicken and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Push chicken to sides of pan. Add garlic, shallots, and ginger to center and stir fry 1 minute. Stir in with chicken. Add sugar, fish sauce, salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Stir in and bring to boil. Add water, stir, and reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until the sauce is thick and coats the chicken (approx. 10 minutes), stirring frequently. Serve over rice.

Shrimp Variation (in picture):

Begin with the garlic, shallots, and ginger and continue to cook the sauce until it is almost thick (7-8 minutes). Add a pound of shrimp and stir into sauce until cooked through.

Good Food and Great Conversation

We had our first dinner guest in our new apartment a couple of weeks ago to obsess over...er, I mean discuss...the final Harry Potter book.

We met after work so I wanted to put together a mean that was fast but impressive. Roasted chicken is my go-to meal when I want impressive. This recipe from an old Fine Cooking is the best I've found. The best part is that it's also the easiest.

Roasted Chicken

(prepare the night/morning before cooking)

3 to 3 1/2 pound chicken

3 Tbs. kosher salt

2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme with stems set aside for later use. (I think this is one of those recipes for which the fresh herb is essential. Thyme is easy to handle. Simply hold the top of the stem and gently run your fingers backwards down the stem to remove the leaves.).

1 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

4 cloves peeled garlic

1 lemon, quartered

3-4 Tbs. butter, melted

The night or morning before you plan to cook the bird, combine the salt, thyme and pepper. Prepare the chicken by removing the giblets and washing and patting drying. Place chicken in a roasting rack. Rub the salt/thyme/pepper mixture all over the chicken. Place in the refrigerator, uncovered, until ready to cook.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While it preheats, stuff the bird with the reserved thyme stems, lemon and garlic gloves.

Bake the chicken until a thermometer inserted in the thigh reads 170 degrees. Every 15 mins. while cooking, baste the chicken. At first you will have to use the butter but soon the chicken will create juice and you can baste with that.

Allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 mins. before carving so that the juices stay with the meat.

I served the chicken with roasted asparagus and these potatoes. They were delicious and I'm not even a big potato lover. The only substitution I made was to use any red potatoes. I wanted a bit of cover.

A nice bottle of Riesling and some good Harry Potter conservation completed a great meal.