Bang Bang Chicken

I made this recipe for dinner.  It is a copycat for the Bang Bang Shrimp from Bonefish Grill.  I have never tried the shrimp but my son and my husband both absolutely love it.  I doubled this recipe and did not notice that I was supposed to "double dip" the chicken in the breading.  It was still delicious!  

Bang Bang Chicken

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

½ cups Mayonnaise

5 teaspoons Siracha Sauce

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1 egg, beaten

½ cup milk

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup Panko breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon dried basil

5 chicken tenderloins

Vegetable oil, for frying

1.       Prepare a plate lined with paper towels for the chicken after it is done cooking in the oil.  Set aside.

2.       Combine all the ingredients for the sauce (mayo, Siracha, sugar, and rice vinegar) and set aside.

3.       In a small, shallow dish, combine the egg and milk.  Set aside.

4.       In another shallow dish, combine the ingredients for the breading (flour, panko, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried basil).  Set aside.

5.       Bread the chicken by first coating it in the bread mixture then the egg wash then back in the breading.  Put the coated chicken on a plate.  Continue until all the chicken has been breaded.

6.       Pop the plate of chicken into the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.  That will help the breading stick to the chicken.

7.       In a large skillet, add a thin layer of vegetable oil and place over medium high heat.

8.       Once the oil is glistening, add the chicken (you may need to do it in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan) and cook the chicken until breading is crispy and golden brown.

9.       Once the first batch is done, put the cooked chicken on the prepared plate with the paper towel.  Continue with the second batch and once that is cooked, add that to the prepared plate.

10.   In a large bowl, put in your cooked chicken and pour the sauce all over.  Toss well to coat ever bite.

Blueberry Muffin Bake-Off

I did a taste-test of two different blueberry muffin recipes.  The first is called "My Aunt's Blueberry Muffins" and it comes from Howard at Mr. Food who ways  his "Aunt Ruthie" used to bring muffins like this home from her work.  She worked at Jordan Marsh which was a department store in New England.  This recipe is a version that they recreated to match the original muffins from the Jordan Marsh bakery.

The second recipe is called "To Die For Blueberry Muffins."  This muffin recipe can be found all over the internet blogosphere.  They come up so often that I can't identify the original location of these muffins.

The "To Die For Muffins" have a crumb topping while the "My Aunt's Blueberry Muffins" have only granulated sugar sprinkled on top.

The results were that my husband loved the To Die for muffins and I loved the My Aunt's muffins.  Sheesh!  I decided that I will combine the two by adding the topping of the To Die for muffins to the My Aunt's Blueberry Muffins.  I will also increase the amount of blueberries next time.

My Aunt's Blueberry Muffins
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

    1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
    1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
    2 eggs
    2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/2 cup milk
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 pint fresh or 1 (12-ounce) package frozen blueberries

Instructions:

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 6-cup muffin tin with paper baking cups and coat with cooking spray.
     
    In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat 1-1/4 cups sugar and the butter until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt; beat well. Add milk and vanilla, and beat until thoroughly combined.
     
    Mash 1/2 cup blueberries and stir into batter. In a medium bowl, toss the remaining blueberries in the remaining flour. Stir into batter and spoon into baking cups, distributing batter evenly. Sprinkle tops with remaining sugar.
     
    Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

To Die for Blueberry Muffins

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup white sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3 cup milk or buttermilk

1 cup fresh blueberries

Topping:

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons butter (room temperature)

1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).  Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

2.     Combine 1-1/2 cups flour, ¾ cup sugar, salt and baking powder.  Place vegetable oil into 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup.  Mix this with flour mixture.  Do not over-mix batter.  Fold in blueberries.  Fill muffin cups right to the top. 

3.      To Make Crumb topping: Mix together sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon.  Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

4.      Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done. 

HELPFUL TIPS: Regular size tins make 12 at 18 min. Giant tins as recommended make 5-6 so double recipes!

Enjoy!

The Creative Cook