With all the extreme weather being experienced elsewhere, I don’t feel justified in complaining about the ever present gloomy skies we’ve had lately. Instead, I chose to cook something zippy to put a little spring in our step. What better to do that than ginger chicken topped with a tangy, savory sauce?
Turning to my treasure chest of freezer flavor gems, I pulled out some ginger root and broke off a couple of 1 inch chunks and peeled them. After mincing in the food processor along with a couple of cloves of garlic, I coated 5 chicken thighs with a touch of grapeseed oil and smeared them with the ginger and garlic. Covered and refrigerated for a few hours. I don’t suppose it’s necessary to start ahead this way, but it seemed the thing to do while waiting for laundry to finish the wash cycle. How did 24 pairs of my husband’s underwear pile up while I wasn’t looking? I’m sure it hasn’t been 3 weeks since I did laundry…
Anyway, now that I had started with my anchor ingredient, I was free to create using veggies on hand. I had purchased these darling pre-packaged snow peas on clearance, so I figured we couldn’t go wrong with an Asian theme here. After blanching and putting in an ice bath, they got tossed with a few drops of sesame oil, a sprinkle of salt and sesame seeds. I love them when they’re bright green and crisp.
Cooking the Ginger Chicken
While baking chicken in a preheated 425 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, I made a quick sauce of equal parts lime juice and soy sauce. I love the bold combination of umami and citrus, but you could absolutely cut it with a little water or chicken broth to mellow it a bit. Then you just need to thicken it up on the stovetop for a couple minutes. I used about half a teaspoon of rice flour because it was handy, but cornstarch would work just as well. Heat while whisking and take it off the heat once it has reached the desired consistency.
Given the combination of spicy, tangy and salty flavors going on here, I thought some fresh cilantro would top things off with a fresh herbal component. Is it Vietnamese inspired? I’m not going to claim to be an expert on that cuisine, but it did transport us to a sunnier place if only for a short time. Food has a way of doing that, don’t you agree?
Ingredients for This Ginger Chicken:
- minced ginger
- minced garlic
- chicken thighs
- grapeseed oil
- soy sauce
- lime juice
- rice flour
Is it true that food can affect your mood for better or worse? If you’ve ever crashed after a sugar high, you can answer that. I was curious and decided to see what the internet had to say about ginger in this regard. I found this interesting article.
To be sure, ginger is an acquired taste. Perhaps it’s new to your palate. You could certainly cut down on the amount I used above. You might start by adding it in small amounts in combination with other spices. Fall is just around the corner. You may enjoy this sunny, squash stew with just a hint of ginger in the background.