General Tsao’s Kiwano Chicken (modified)
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redefineyourfood.blogspot.com
serves 4 Ingredients
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Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. To cut open the horned melon, wash the skin and place on a cutting board. Using a chef's knife, cut lengthwise. You will be pretty surprised by the inside of this weird melon...Next, squeeze out the fruit and seeds into a fine strainer over a small mixing bowl. I recommend using a knife to carve off the spikes before you start squeezing this thing, unless you enjoy pain. Use a spoon, spatula, or your hands to mash the fruit until the jelly and juices are strained leaving the seeds behind.
3. Make a slurry using 1 T. cornstarch and 1/8thcup of water. Mix into melon juice with 2 T fish sauce, 1/4th cup chicken broth, 1 inch piece chopped ginger, ½ cup agave nectar, and a splash of peanut oil. Mix well.
4. Cut some boneless chicken breast into cubes. And here comes my trick to getting a crunchy coat on your baked chicken... first, soak the chicken in 1/2 cup fat-free milk for 10 minutes. Next, toss chicken in a separate bowl with 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. Return the chicken to the milk gently. You may have to add more milk in this step, which is fine. Try to not remove the bread crumb coating when you add the liquid. Toss the chicken a second time in the panko breadcrumbs. The trick is the bread the chicken pieces twice. However... this will NOT work well if the bread crumb mixture gets too wet. Make sure that you're careful not to transfer too much milk when you remove the chicken. Once you've got the chicken breaded, place on a pan coated with cooking spray and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Flip chicken pieces and bake longer if not fully cooked. Set aside.
5. Cook melon mixture until it starts to bubble all over. Will begin to reduce and become clear. Once it is clear, add chicken and completely coat.
6. Cook about 1/2 package of rice noodles according to directions. No need to add seasonings to this, although you could toss the noodles in 1-2 tsp. peanut oil for a little extra flavor. I found that the sauce from the chicken seasoned the noodles perfectly and provided my tongue a little break from all the spice!
7. Make a bed of 1/2 cup of rice noodles in the bowl and place chicken on top with a heaping spoon of sauce. Top with some fresh chopped cilantro and sriracha sauce (if it's not already spicy enough for you). This is very impressive and super easy to make!
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. To cut open the horned melon, wash the skin and place on a cutting board. Using a chef's knife, cut lengthwise. You will be pretty surprised by the inside of this weird melon...Next, squeeze out the fruit and seeds into a fine strainer over a small mixing bowl. I recommend using a knife to carve off the spikes before you start squeezing this thing, unless you enjoy pain. Use a spoon, spatula, or your hands to mash the fruit until the jelly and juices are strained leaving the seeds behind.
3. Make a slurry using 1 T. cornstarch and 1/8thcup of water. Mix into melon juice with 2 T fish sauce, 1/4th cup chicken broth, 1 inch piece chopped ginger, ½ cup agave nectar, and a splash of peanut oil. Mix well.
4. Cut some boneless chicken breast into cubes. And here comes my trick to getting a crunchy coat on your baked chicken... first, soak the chicken in 1/2 cup fat-free milk for 10 minutes. Next, toss chicken in a separate bowl with 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. Return the chicken to the milk gently. You may have to add more milk in this step, which is fine. Try to not remove the bread crumb coating when you add the liquid. Toss the chicken a second time in the panko breadcrumbs. The trick is the bread the chicken pieces twice. However... this will NOT work well if the bread crumb mixture gets too wet. Make sure that you're careful not to transfer too much milk when you remove the chicken. Once you've got the chicken breaded, place on a pan coated with cooking spray and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Flip chicken pieces and bake longer if not fully cooked. Set aside.
5. Cook melon mixture until it starts to bubble all over. Will begin to reduce and become clear. Once it is clear, add chicken and completely coat.
6. Cook about 1/2 package of rice noodles according to directions. No need to add seasonings to this, although you could toss the noodles in 1-2 tsp. peanut oil for a little extra flavor. I found that the sauce from the chicken seasoned the noodles perfectly and provided my tongue a little break from all the spice!
7. Make a bed of 1/2 cup of rice noodles in the bowl and place chicken on top with a heaping spoon of sauce. Top with some fresh chopped cilantro and sriracha sauce (if it's not already spicy enough for you). This is very impressive and super easy to make!