Chinese Lemon Chicken

My love for Chinese cuisine is directly proportional to your love for all the shallow things in the world.

The hardest thing is to make a Chinese dish presentable because sometimes sprinkling sesame seeds doesn't help as well.

This was my first attempt at decorating today's recipe (which I made yesterday) and that recipe also happens to be called Chinese Lemon Chicken. (I'm really running out of my creative funny writing ability).

 Let's start making this simple and quick yet crispy and delicious appetizer.

Ingredients:

500 grams boneless chicken breast cut in long strips

2 lemon's zest (1 for the chicken marinade and 1 for the sauce)

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup chicken stock

3 tablespoon soy sauce (2 for the chicken marinade and 1 for the sauce)

1 tablespoon sesame seed oil

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 egg

Corn flour for coating chicken and thickening of sauce

Salt per taste

You can eat it with or without steamed white rice or boiled noodle so prepare that before you make the lemon chicken

First and foremost we have to marinade the chicken by adding 1 lemon's zest, some salt, soy sauce, one egg and vinegar to the chicken. Mix it well and leave the chicken to marinate for 30 minutes.

Now we prepare the breading station by putting cornflour in a deep plate and adding some salt to it. Mix it properly.

Now cover every chicken strip in cornflour and place it separately on a tray covered with baking sheet. I DID NOT HAVE THE BAKING SHEET so my chicken strips kept sticking on the stray. Listen to me and get a baking sheet.

Take out a non stick frying and fill it up with some vegetable oil around half an inch.

Warm up the oil on medium heat and then lower it. Start frying the chicken strips in batches for 4-6 minutes.

When the chicken is fried place it on a paper toweled plate.

In a separate pan take out 1 lemon's zest and add lemon juice, soy sauce, some salt, chicken stock and brown sugar.

Start cooking it on low heat and mix everything till the sugar dissolves.

Mix a teaspoon of cornflour with cold water and add it to the sauce. This will thicken up the sauce quickly.

The sauce is read now.

Add the fried chicken strips to the sauce and coat them properly.

Plate out the coated strips and pour the rest of the sauce on them.

Sprinkle some sesame seeds on it along with some spring onions.

Top them on small bowl of rice/egg noodles.

Ladies and gentlemen 慢慢吃 which also means 'have a nice meal' as I present to you Chinese Lemon Chicken.

Chicken Kiev

DISCLAIMER

I AM NOT A CHEF

Now that's settled let me tell you all something which I have never before. Many times I have thought about ending this whole Chef Shamsher shabangabang because the purpose of doing this is no more and the person that I used to do this is no more but I really appreciate everyone who's been giving me constant feedback and everyone who's been a part of encouraging me to keep going on with this. There are many names that I want to mention over here but I won't because if I miss out anyone ya'll go crazy on me but regardless of anything thank you so much for all the nice things you all have said and done for me I really really appreciate that.

Now that the emotional gibberish is taken care of I am about to unveil my 100th recipe.

YES I know how to make a 100 things apart from the other 100 things that I make for daily consumption.

Not too long ago Talbia Humayun asked me to make Chicken Ala Kiev which is something I never heard of and never had the chance to taste it in any restaurant.

BUT after seeing how it's made I was scared and thought that I probably would end up messing it so I should get some more experience and maybe try it later.

SO! for my 100th recipe I decided to make Chicken Kiev with mashed potatoes and stir fried green beans.

Chicken Kiev is basically a chicken breast carefully filled with butter and different herbs, coated with crunch on the outside and is considered as a specialty dish in fancy restaurants.

Ingredients:

4 half chicken breast, butterflied and pounded thinly

4 butter sticks

4 tablespoons chopped parsley

4 garlic cloves

2 tablespoon chopped green parts of green onion

1 teaspoon of lemon zest

2 eggs

splash of milk for eggs

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper

We start off with chopping and mixing parsley, green onions, garlic and lemon zest in a chopper.

Now we cut the chicken in butterfly method by cutting it from the middle but not too much just so it can look like an open book.

Place a plastic rap over all the chicken breasts and mash it with a meat mallet.

Chicken is ready to be seasoned and filled.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and black pepper.

Put a tablespoon of the chopped parsley mixture in each chicken breast.

Cut the butter into sticks and place one stick in each breast over the chopped parsley mixture.

Wrap the chicken breast around the filling and close it carefully by using as much as toothpicks you want.

Now prepare your breading station by placing the bread crumbs, egg and milk mixture and flour next to the chicken.

Cover the chicken breast with the flour, dip it in the chicken and then cover it thoroughly with the bread crumbs.

I couldn't take much pictures of this step because I had no help and my hands were dirty.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the chicken breasts from 3-4 minutes on both sides.

Take the chicken out on a wire rack placed on a baking tray.

Preheat your oven on 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the chicken breasts inside for 20-25 minutes and your Chicken Kiev is ready.

Meanwhile the chicken was getting ready I made mashed potatoes and stir fried the green beans.

Set up the plates.

Ladies and gentlemen, I unleash you the beast and one of the most difficult things I've made so far Chicken Kiev.

Shrimp Scampi

It is becoming hard to decide what to make every weekend as now I understand what the women of this country go through everyday.

BUT all thanks to internet I am not running out of recipes any time soon.

First of all I am very happy this week because I found parsley from the vegetable guy which I was looking for all summers but ended up using coriander as a substitute so YAY FOR PARSLEY.

AND at a super market they refused to let me in because they thought I was a beggar. Apparently torn t-shirts are not in fashion anymore.

Anyway

This is Shrimp Scampi. Now I know what Shrimp means but Scampi? Well who the hell cares about scampi. This is pasta made with butter, shrimps and topped with Parmesan cheese.

Now let's get down to business.

You need:

427 grams Linguine pasta

1 pound shrimps yes exactly ONE POUND SHRIMPS

1 tablespoon red chili flakes

1 tablespoon garlic paste

2 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/4 cup chicken stock (if you like to take haram stuff then you can replace it with wine)

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 lemon zest

3 tables spoon finely chopped parsley

1/4 cup of grated  Parmesan cheese

Salt and lightly crushed pepper as your taste

Boil the linguine according to the instructions on the packet. If even then you are unable to cook the pasta, you should end your life because you are worthless and you don't even amount to shit.

Melt butter in a skillet or a non stick pan oh high medium heat.

Add shrimps, garlic paste and red chili flakes. Cook for 2-3 minutes till the shrimps are pink.

Add salt, lightly crushed pepper, chicken stock and lemon juice. Cook simmer for 2 minutes.

Add lemon zest, parsley and mix.

Add the boiled linguine now and mix. 

This will require some good strength. One of the reasons I work out is to spin pastas in the pans.

You're Shrimp Scampi is all done now.

It is served with Parmesan cheese topped on it. There you go.

Don't you wish your boyfriend/husband/father/brother/son cooked like me?