It’s been hot lately that cooking has become quite an effort. Until the weather becomes a little more comfortable, I’d really prefer to stay away from dishes that require a lot of preparation. The shorter the time I spend cooking, the less time I need to perspire in the kitchen. Summer in the Philippines can really be so oppressive.
My 11-year-old was requesting sweet and sour pork for dinner but I just didn’t have the energy for it. I decided to make a counter offer–chicken breast fillets with a similar sauce. She was reasonable and accepted graciously.
The cooked dish was made with strips of deboned chicken meat seasoned with herbed salt, dredged in flour, deep fried until golden then served with home made chili garlic sauce. It took 15 minutes to prepare. Another five minutes to make my garlic, basil and onion leaves sinangag and dinner was served.
Ingredients :
whole breast of a 1.4 kilo chicken
herbed salt
1/2 c. of all-purpose flour
2 c. of cooking oil
4 siling labuyo (click here for guide on sili), finely chopped
a small piece of ginger, grated
1/2 head of garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 tsp. of tapioca or corn starch dispersed in 1 c. of water
1 tsp. of atsuwete (annatto) seeds
salt and sugar to taste
Cooking procedure :
Debone the chicken breast, Cut the meat into 1×3″ strips. Season with herbed salt. If herbed salt is unavailable, season the chicken with plain salt, finely minced garlic, and a mixture of chopped herbs like basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary.
Heat the cooking oil in a fryer or wok until it starts to smoke. Dredge each chicken strip in flour and fry in hot oil until golden. If the size of the chicken strips is right and the temperature of the cooking oil is sufficiently hot, his step should take only about five minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Prepare the sauce. Heat the atsuwete seeds in a tablespoonful of oil. When the oil turns red, remove the atsuwete seeds with a slotted spoon and discard. Saute the garlic, ginger and siling labuyo in the hot oil. Pour in the starch solution and cook, stirring, until thick and clear. Season with salt and sugar.
To serve: Half fill a (cereal) bowl with rice. Place a few chicken strips on top and drizzle some sauce over the chicken and rice.
hi Miss Connie good day, i will try this recipe first, and i’m sure masarap din ‘to. Similar sya sa sweet and sour chicken fillet, yung preparation, iba lang ang sauce nya, kinuha ko kasi yung recipe ng sweet and sour, i’ll get this one too, since puro chicken and beef lang dito sa Qatar, although may fish din. My husband didnt want the paulit ulit na ulam, so i need to look for the different recipies. You know binabasa ko pa lang yung recipe mo i’m sure masarap yun and parang alam ko na ang lasa, ganon daw yun kapag marunong magluto marunong daw mag appreciate sa masarap ding luto ng iba , kagaya mo Miss Connie. talagang pinoy na pinoy ang luto mo kapag sinabing pinoy food. Sa iba kasi di ko alam yung ibang ingredients, iba ang pangalan, at least ikaw nagbibigay ka ng substitute, anyway thank you very much for this recipe, and i’m sure marami pa akong kukuning recipe mo, to try, of course sasarapan ko rin kagaya ng luto mo… sige sa next ulit ha…….God Bless..
ms connie,
question in general lang po, can I always substitute bay leaf for basil? do they have the same effect / odor / taste?
Thanks so much.
No, not even similar.