Sticky Balsamic Chicken

I have something I need to confess. I have a problem. It’s almost an addiction. When I get up in the morning, I`ll check bloglines, then, it’s on to flickr to browse through groups, hoping to get a fix of what I need. My bookmarks are filled with links to these… sites. Recipes, food photos, god, when will it end? Do I even want it to?

Anyway, here’s a recipe that I adapted to my own tastes. It’s delicious. Even the boyfriend enjoyed it. Serve it up with my Lemon & Garlic Broccoli. It’ll blow your mind.

Sticky Balsamic Chicken

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1 inch pieces)
1 cup water
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tsp. Minced garlic (I used the jarred kind)
1 tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes (Really, more or less to taste)
Squeeze of lemon juice

1. Add all ingredients (besides chicken) in a saucepan over a high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for about 25 minutes.
2. Brown the chicken breasts
3. Add the chicken breasts to pan for additional 15 minutes or until sauce thickens (there are some problems with it thickening. I just went on and used it as a loose sauce, but you can either continue to cook it, or add a dash of cornstarch).

Oven Fried Chicken Katsu Nuggets

Traditionally, -katsu dishes are pan fried. They are also typically made with pork (tonkatsu for example). But in wanting to eat healthier, I decided to cut back on my fried foods. I present to you my ultra top secret recipe for oven fried tori (chicken) katsu nuggets. I included Japanese curry and rice as well.

Oven Fried Chicken Katsu Nuggets

1 pound of chicken, sliced into 1 inch cubes

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten 1 cup flour

Garlic Salt

Pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Garlic Salt and pepper your chicken. Toss in the flour, dip into the egg, then toss in the Panko bread crumbs. The flour creates a dry base for the egg to stick to which makes the dish crunchier.

Place on a cooking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until no longer pink. Serve with the delicious tonkatsu sauce, which is available at local Asian markets, or even Harris Teeter, or with ketchup.