Honey, Lime, & Sriracha Marinaded Chicken Breasts

I love trying new recipes.  When I saw this recipe ( http://www.onceuponachef.com/2013/07/honey-lime-sriracha-chicken-skewers.html ) , I knew we had to try it.  Honey, lime & Sriracha?  What an interesting combination.  It seemed like an easy recipe, and we had chicken in the fridge, so I got to work on it.

Marinades are great, it gives you great flavor and they are usually easy to make.  They allow you to throw it together before work and is ready to go when you get home.  The longer you marinade something the more flavor you will get.  Depending on your ingredients, it can also help to tenderize meats.  I did make a few adjustments to the original recipe to make it my own & to accommodate what I had on hand.

Sriracha is a great ingredient which is often overlooked.   It has a great level of heat, that is hot, but not overpowering when used correctly.  The honey helps to tame the spice and adds sweetness to the marinade.  When adding lime to any dish, it freshens it, while adding that acidic kick to help cut through the heat & sweetness.  The marinade will seem spicy once blended, but it will not be that spicy once you cook the chicken.

This was a winner in my house & we will definitely be making again.  I hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Honey, Lime & Sriracha Marinade 

3 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1/2 Cup Honey
1 Tbsp Vegetable or Canola Oil
1 Lime (zested & juiced)
3 Garlic Cloves (roughly chopped)
1 1/2 in piece Fresh Ginger (peeled & roughly chopped)
2 Tbsp Sriracha sauce
1 1/4 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
5 Chicken Breasts or 8-10 Chicken Thighs

Blend all ingredients together (except chicken).  Reserve 1/2 of marinade to use at the end to brush on.

I put mine together the night before so all the flavors could blend.  Marinate up to 12 hrs for chicken breasts or thighs, if you cube the meat for kabobs, marinate up to 6 hrs.

Preheat grill to medium (I used my indoor grill).  Pat chicken dry when removing from marinade (otherwise it will burn because of the sugar).  During the last 10 mins of cooking, brush on reserved marinade while turning occasionally so that it doesn't burn.

Simple Fried Chicken

Fried Chicken has always been one of my favorites. My mom always jokes the she stopped making it because mine always turned out better. It's one of those recipes that people usually request, then can't believe how simple & delish it comes out.

Everybody has different ways of doing chicken. It basically boils down to preference. Some people choose to do a standard breading process (flour, egg, flour/breadcrumbs), which is fine. However I make it even simpler by using just flour with seasonings. Using the egg makes for a thicker crust, where as just flour is light & crispy.

Today, my son asked if he could help, so I decided 2 let him make it. Ever since he was young, he has loved to help me in the kitchen. I enjoy teaching him as it is a memory I have with learning with my mom. I always loved cooking growing up, my mom always cooked from the heart, and that's where I got my love of food. When I turned 18 and got my first apartment, my mom gave me a recipe book she wrote up with all my favorite recipes that even included some family recipes. This recipe is simple and hits home every time.

I served it with french fries, but it also goes great with mash potatoes and corn corn or rice and green beans.

Simple Fried Chicken

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 tbsp seasoned salt
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
8 chicken legs

Directions

1. Heat oil to 350 degrees (you can tell if the oil is hot enough if you sprinkle a pinch of flour and it bubbles as soon as it hits the grease

2. In a large zip lock bag, combine flour, and
seasonings, mix well

3. Add chicken to flour mixture, seal bag and shake.

4. When oil is hot enough, shake excess flour off chicken and fry up to 3 pieces (make sure not to crowd oil, keep warm in 250 degree oven if needed).

5. Fry 8-10 min, longer if needed. They are done when GBD (golden brown delicious)

Crispy Baked Honey Mustard Parm Chicken Legs

Like most families nowadays, I cook on a tight budget.  Unfortunately it means A LOT of chicken, so sometimes it gets boring and you find yourself wanting something different.  I have seen recipes similar to this and decided to give it a shot.  Using things I had on hand, and being staples in a kitchen, makes it a simple & quick easy dish! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!


Crispy Baked Honey Mustard Parm Chicken Legs


Ingredients

6 Chicken Legs (skinless)
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup Kraft shredded Parmesean, Romano. & Asiago cheese (in refrigerated section with parmesean)
Salt & Pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400, lower to 350 when you place chicken in oven
2. In a dish combine mustard, honey, & sugar
3. In another dish combine breadcrumbs & shredded cheese
4. Season chicken with salt & pepper
5. Roll chicken in honey mustard, gently shake off extra
6. Roll in panko mixture, make sure chicken is evenly coated
7. Place on a cookie sheet (I sprayed some Pam on it so it wouldn't stick)
8. Cook 1hr or until cooked through.

Note: Only downside was I didn't flip it halfway and the bottom was not crunchy... Next time I would probably recommend turning halfway through to crisp all sides.

I served this with a pasta salad.. It was a quick, easy, & yummy dinner! Hope you enjoy!


Please feel free to leave your comments if you try, or if you have any suggestions!