I'm cooking tonight!

And yes, that's a big deal. I don't know if it's so much I CAN'T cook. I used to cook all the time when I had someone to cook for. But cooking solo doesn't bring me much pleasure so I usually stick to basic meals. Baked chicken breast, a starch, a veggie. Meal complete.  Keep it simple.

Even though I'm overweight, I'm really not in love with food.  Probably because my palette hasn't been expanded. But I'm getting older and I need to eat outside my box more.

The basic meal works for me right now, but I want to be able to cook delicious healthy meals for my family when the time comes to do so.  So why not start creating them now??? I need to put some recipes in my repertoire!

So tonight I'm making Asian Glazed Chicken.  Doesn't this look yummy?



http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/07/asian-glazed-drumsticks.html

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 2 drumsticks  Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 5 pts


Calories: 213 • Fat: 4.7 g  Protein: 27.5 g  Carb: 12.7 g  Fiber: 0.4 g


• 8 medium chicken drumsticks, skin removed


• olive oil spray (I used my Misto )


• 1 cup water


• 1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce (more or less to taste)


• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar


• 1/2 cup soy sauce


• 4 tsp agave nectar (or sugar)


• 3 cloves garlic, crushed


• 1 tsp ginger, grated


• 2 tbsp chives or scallions, chopped


• 1 tsp sesame seeds






In a heavy large saucepan, brown chicken on high for 3-4 minutes with a little spray oil. Add water, balsamic, soy sauce, agave, garlic, ginger, hot sauce and cook on high until liquid comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about 20 minutes. Remove cover and bring heat to high, allowing sauce to reduce down, about 8-10 minutes, until it becomes a thick glaze, turning chicken occasionally. (Keep an eye on glaze, you don't want it to burn when it start becoming thick) Transfer chicken to a platter and pour glaze on top. Top with chives and sesame seeds and serve


 
I really don't eat dark meat at all UNLESS it's baked and picked off the bone (silly, I know) So I bought a rotisserie chicken yesterday and will cut it up into pieces and then put the glaze on top of that.
 
I couldn't find Sriracha hot sauce. I wonder if I can use Louisiana instead or just nix it all together. Will that mess up my recipe?   I'll check to see if Wal-Mart sells it in the store (they do online).  If not...guess I'll wing it.
 
This was not an inexpensive meal.  The sesame seeds and balsamic vinegar were 4 bucks a piece. I'm going to need to find some more recipes that use those items so I can get a return on my investment. I'm just sayin.....
 
Brown rice and steamed broccoli served on the side. 
 
Wish me luck!

EDIT 1/12/11
So I didn't go looking for the right hot sauce so I used Louisiana brand.  Also, my balsamic vinegar was "white wine". And who knew 3 cloves of garlic wasn't the same as 3 whole garlics (thankfully I googled that before making the recipe)

Verdict: It was just ok.  I'm sure it was due to user error.  I couldn't find my tablespoon so I used 1/2 teaspoon and doubled. I'm sure that's not a big deal though.

The sauce didn't glaze and stayed liquid-y. I re-read the comments under the blog and it said not enough sugar (which causes it to glaze) and/or I didn't boil it long enough so that the sauce can simmer down. Something like that.

Not sure if I'm a fan of all that soy sauce. It's a strange taste. but since I have all the ingredients, I'll definitely try this one again.