HICKEY ON YOUR HEART CHICKEN
This recipe came about from a dish I tried called ‘Spicy Chicken Wing’ at a Chinese fast-food joint over in K-Town called Chifa Chinese Food Express. Chicken—palpably dredged in flour then fried and soaking in a red-flecked sauce with an oily film gleaming atop a bounteous amount of sliced jalapeños and onions. Truthfully, it tasted like a jalapeño basement, but the flavor profile was worth taking into the kitchen to fork with.
I replaced chicken wings with boneless breast meat…I simply can’t be bothered gnawing around bones unless it’s a chicken leg and, what’s more, the skin on the wings takes on an almost slimy look when it sits around for too long. I also raised the heat quotient with the addition of crushed red pepper and Cholula hot sauce to the already capsaicin heat of the jalapeño.
PREP/COOK TIME: 30 Minutes
Makes 2 Servings
INGREDIENTS
2 Tbs – Butter
2 Tbs – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbs – All Purpose Flour
2 Tsp – Kosher Salt
2 Tsp – Coarse Black Pepper
1 - 1 ½ Lbs – Thin Sliced Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, Sliced Into Strips
1 Cup – Yellow Onion, Sliced
2 Large Jalapeños, Thinly Sliced
1 Tsp – Double Concentrate Tomato Paste
1 Tsp – Crushed Red Pepper
1 ½ Cups – Chicken Broth
2 Tbs – Cholula hot sauce
THE NITTY GRITTY
CHICKEN – In a medium bowl, season chicken with 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper and combine. Add flour to chicken and incorporate evenly till coated. In a 10” non-stick pan, warm 1 tbs butter and 1 tbs oil over high heat till butter is melted. Add chicken in an even layer to the pan and reduce heat to medium high. Allow chicken to brown on both sides, about 3 – 4 minutes each side. Transfer chicken to a plate and wipe down pan with damp paper towels to begin sauce (be careful).
SAUCE – Warm 1 tbs butter and 1 tbs oil over medium high heat till butter is melted. Add onions and sweat them for about 2 minutes. Add 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper and stir. Add jalapeños, tomato paste and crushed red pepper; stirring for about a minute to get the rawness out of the paste. Add chicken broth and reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally for 2 – 3 minutes. Add chicken and combine. Serve over white rice and enjoy.
Additional Note: If I have some corn tortillas on hand, I’ll use this recipe as a taco filling and garnish with crumbled queso fresco and a few sprigs of cilantro.
OCTOBER 26, 2018
