Red Chicken and Rice

Yum! If you love the flavor of Foil Chicken (the one that you order in an Asian Restaurant)you will love this dish. It’s so easy to make and delicious and of course health. You can use other parts of the chicken like chicken breasts, thighs, legs, wings, etc. If you use only the breast, then you won’t have to cook it as long.

It’s really low in fat, mainly because you remove all the skin before cooking. Be sure and use Lite soy sauce. It’s milder and when it is cooked down it will still be plenty salty. Regular soy would be too salty. Another ingredient, star anise, is found in the Asian area of the market. It has the smell of licorice. If you can’t find it you can still make the dish without it. But it does add a nice flavor. So let’s get cooking. Be sure and gather all your ingredients, and prep them for easy cooking.

For 4 portions:

1 bottle low sodium soy sauce (10 oz)

1/3 cup dry sherry

1/2 cup scallions, chopped

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 slices fresh ginger

2 star anise pods

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 chicken hindquarters, skin removed

sliced scallions

First step: Put the first 8 ingredients in a large saute pan over high heat and bring to a boil. ADD the chicken, cover with a tight fitting lid, and reduce heat to medium. SIMMER 30 minutes,(no peaking) then turn chicken over; cook an additional 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

BOIL the braising liquid, uncovered until it becomes syrupy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Strain the sauce through a sieve (see picture) into a bowl and spoon off any fat that rises. Brush the sauce onto the chicken to coat.

GARNISH with scallions and serve with extra sauce for dipping.

Per hindquarter: 311 calories; 8g fat; 946mg sodium; 0g fiber; 42g protein.

The following rice dish is a great partner with this chicken.

1 cup of Uncle Ben’s Instant Brown Rice (previously pictured), cooked

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Splenda

1 teaspoon wasabi paste

3/4 cup carrot, julienned

3/4 cup cucumber, halved, seeded and sliced into half moons

3/4 cup edamame, shelled, thawed

1/4 cup scallions, sliced