MISO CHICKEN WITH VERY VEGGIE FRIED RICE

8F058C7E-4701-48F1-8AF0-B87D162A97ED_1_201_a

Asian|Chicken|Sides

Ingredients

The Chicken:

¼ cup mirin

¼ cup sake

4 tablespoons white miso paste

2 tablespoons ginger root, peeled and minced

5 garlic cloves, chopped fine

3 tablespoons sugar

3 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut in half crosswise to make thin cutlets

3 tablespoons peanut oil

6 baby bok choy heads, cut in half

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

The Veggie Fried Rice:

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 small onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon ginger root, minced

10-ounces mushrooms, sliced

½-pound Chinese broccoli, rough chopped

1 carrot, shredded

4 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 cups cooked rice

1 tablespoon soy sauce

3 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 teaspoons fish sauce

2 cups pea pods, stringed

1 cup daikon radish, peeled and chopped (or 1 can chopped water chestnuts)

½ cup scallions, chopped

Instructions

Combine the mirin, sake, miso paste, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan. Whisk over medium high heat until the mixture is smooth and comes to a low boil. Whisk in the sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Place the chicken cutlets in a large ziplock bag and pour the cooled marinade in. Close the bag and massage so the chicken is completely coated in the marinade. Place in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours, but preferably overnight and up to 2 days.

Remove the chicken from the fridge 1 hour before cooking to come to room temperature.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until very hot. Note – if you have a splatter-guard, you will want to use it as there will be a lot of splatter when the chicken hits the oil. If not stand back as you place the chicken in the pan to protect your clothes… and your eyes!

Using tongs, let any excess marinade drip off before placing each cutlet in the hot pan. Let the chicken sear for 2 minutes on the first side until there is a lot of dark brown color and the chicken is turning white around the edges. Flip and cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side until just cooked through. Exact time depends on the thickness of the chicken and temperature in the center should be 160-165 degrees. Remove to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the bok choy and fried rice.

Add the bok choy, cut-side-down, to the chicken drippings in the pan and cook on medium high heat. When the pan is very hot, add ½ cup water to create steam and cook the bok choy until crisp-tender and the leaves are just wilted, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

To make the rice, heat the oil in a wok or large deep skillet over medium high heat. Cook the onion, garlic, and ginger until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until they release their moisture and are lightly browned. Add the Chinese broccoli stems (reserve leaves) and carrots and cook one more minute, stirring.

Push all of vegetables to one side of the pan and crack the eggs into the empty half. Scramble the eggs, breaking them into small pieces, and season with the salt and pepper. Toss the scrambled eggs back into the vegetables.

Add the rice, soy, oyster sauce, fish sauce, broccoli leaves, and pea pods to the pan and toss to coat, cooking for another 1-2 minutes until the leaves are wilted and pea pods are bright green and crisp-tender.

Just before serving, add the daikon and scallions.

Slice the chicken into thin strips, against the grain and serve over a heaping pile of the fried rice with a couple of pieces of bok choy. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and devour!!