Asian-Style Baked Chicken

I stumbled upon the most appetizing chicken recipe recently on a food blog called The Mess Pot by Jade. Jade describes herself as a Southern Cook living in Northern Illinois, married to the man of her dreams. So sweet - ahhh, to be a newlywed again!

Anyway, Jade's recipe is called Sunshine Chicken, but when my kids walked in the door and smelled what I was cooking, they immediately asked if we were having Chinese for dinner. So considering the fact that I tweaked the original recipe a bit, I'm renaming it Asian Baked Chicken.

I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs - they're cheap and easy (not admirable qualities in most cases, but here it works). I hope you'll give this recipe a try!

Asian Baked Chicken

Makes 3 pounds

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• 1/2 cup ketchup

• 1/4 cup honey

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a medium bowl, make the glaze by combining the ketchup, honey, soy, and garlic powder; set aside.

3. Place boneless, chicken thighs on a cooling rack suspended over rimmed sheet tray (you may want to cover your tray with foil for easy cleanup).

4. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.

5. Place chicken pieces onto the cooling rack, presentation side up, and brush with glaze.

6. Bake for a total of 45 minutes, basting with additional glaze every 15 minutes.

Light and Crispy Shredded Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our family likes miniature frosted shredded wheat cereal - unfortunately, there's always a huge pile of crumbs at the bottom of the box that nobody wants to eat. So I started saving the crumbs in hopes of figuring out a way to somehow use them. Then, one day while walking through the grocery store, I noticed a "store brand" of these mini cereal bites had a chocolate chip cookie recipe written on the side of the box. I decided to give the recipe a try and they were a big hit, so now I don't mind that pile of uneaten crumbs at the bottom of each box.

Unlike traditional chocolate chip cookies, these cookies bake up very crispy and as light as air (they're actually kind of hollow inside). Great for dipping into a tall glass of ice cold milk!

For a slightly healthier version, I replace 1/4 of the cereal crumbs with an equal amount of ground flaxseed, wheat germ, or a combo of both.

Crispy and delicious!

Shredded Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

makes about 2-3 dozen cookies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely processed frosted shredded wheat crumbs

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 8 tablespoons butter

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375F.

2. Process cereal crumbs in a food processor or blender until finely ground.

3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until well blended; add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

4. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder; add to flour mixture and stir to combine.

5. Stir in the chocolate chips.

6. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

7. Cool completely; store in an airtight container.

Notes

• For a slightly healthier version that doesn't affect the flavor or texture of these cookies at all, replace 1/4 cup of the cookie crumbs with an equal amount of wheat germ, ground flaxseed, or a combination of both.

• Recipe can be doubled, but only if you plan to bake the cookie dough right away (dough get's dry as it sits).