Wednesday, March 31, 2010

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Chinese 5 Spice Chicken Thighs...oh my!

 
Several months back Marily and I were at the Fresh Market doing a little shopping and saw they had Chinese 5 spice in the seasoning display.  We had seen various recipes on cooking shows using it, but had never tried it ourselves. 

Well today was the day!  Marily was off having some "girl" time so I was left to fend for myself (LOL, you all know I don't have a problem taking care of myself in the kitchen).  I saw that we had chicken thighs...and then it hit me...hmmm, what can I do with that Chinese 5 spice?!  I quickly googled my favorite chef for some inspiration with the spice.   I found this recipe he did for Christmas Roast Goose.  While my chicken thighs were a sad substitution for a goose, it sounded delicious, so I said why not make some "Chris-mas Thighs" (if you translate that in Spanglish that's Chris-more Thighs!!)


Ingredients
  • lime (zested and half for juice)
  • Chinese 5 spice
  • Orange blossom honey
  • coarse sea salt
  • fresh ground pepper
  • chicken thighs (I'm sure other parts of the chicken would be equally delicious)
  • Japense Blend frozen vegetables (mushrooms, green beans, red pepper & broccoli...fresh is always better, but I didn't have anything on hand)
  • olive oil
Preparation

Rub the chicken thighs using a mixture of the coarse sea salt, ground pepper, Chinese 5 spice and lime zest.  Heat a saute pan and when up to temperature add olive oil to coat the pan.  Add the chicken thighs to the pan (laying away from you so not to burn yourself).  Try not to overcrowd the pan to ensure a good sear.  If you have more pieces then will fit in your pan, cook in batches using the oven to keep your chicken warm. 



Give the chicken about 2-3 minutes on the first side to give it some nice color and then flip.  Squeeze lime juice onto the chicken and then lightly drizzle with the honey.  Cook for another 2-3 minutes. 



Next flip the chicken once more then squeeze lime juice and drizzle this side with the honey.  Add in the vegetables and toss to coat with the cooking juices.  If your pan is too dry, add a little water to help steam the vegetables.  You should only need about 2-3 minutes to soften the vegetables, but cook to your preference.



I really enjoyed the aroma of cooking with Chinese 5 spice and the flavors were absolutely delicious.  I can't wait to try more dishes using this amazing spice!
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