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Easy Chinese Chicken (Meal Prep Version)

August 16, 2018

This easy Chinese chicken from the cookbook 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget is so simple and delicious! Prep-ahead directions included to simplify dinnertime!

an overhead photograph of a bowl of Chinese chicken with broccoli and brown rice

Click here to save this recipe on Pinterest!

100 Days of Real Food

I’ve been following Lisa Leake’s blog, 100 Days of Real Food, since the early days. In fact, I think that I started following her blog around the same time that I started mine, so it was one of my earliest inspirations.

When Lisa released the first 100 Days of Real Food cookbook in 2014, I jumped on it. In fact, I had pre-ordered it so it would be delivered to my Kindle on the day it came out. And when her second book, 100 Days of Real Food: Fast and Fabulous, came out in 2016, I was excited to write a review about it. So, of course, when the opportunity came up to review her latest book, 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget, released on Tuesday, of course I couldn’t pass it up!


an overhead photograph of containers with items to make easy Chinese chicken

100 Days of Real Food on a Budget

After Lisa’s family completed the initial 100 Days of Real Food challenge, she heard the voices of readers who pointed out that whole, unprocessed, and organic foods were just too pricy for their tables on a day to day basis. So, she started a second challenge where for 100 days she and her family of four ate off of a grocery budget of $125/week, which she states on her website is less than the full SNAP benefit of $167/week. 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget is a book dedicated to budget friendly “real food” meals.
an overhead photograph of a container of cubed chicken thighs with marinade
Lisa’s books always begin with an explanation of what “real food” is (basically, whole foods and/or packaged foods with five or fewer ingredients) and tips for how to shop for a real food pantry. In this book, she also gives tips in the first chapter about minimizing waste, meal planning, and lowering your grocery bill.

Other chapters in the book include:

  • breakfast
  • packed lunches
  • salads and sides
  • snacks and appetizers
  • simple dinners
  • slow cooker favorites
  • special treats
  • homemade staples.

Each recipe includes a price breakdown showing the cost of each ingredient as well as the cost per serving. Lisa’s prices are based on Publix prices at the time that the book was written, so she didn’t go super-inexpensive with Aldi or Walmart prices but also did not shop at Whole Foods or Earth Fare, which certainly would have yielded much higher prices.
an overhead photograph of a plate of whole wheat flour with cubed chicken thighs
Lisa’s recipes are always approachable. She doesn’t go over the top with fancy dinners that the average person couldn’t (or wouldn’t) replicate at home. She is the mother of two middle school age daughters, so her recipes are also kid-approved. Granted, her kids probably eat more vegetables than the average teens/pre-teens, but she was very candid in the early days of her blog about having a picky eater and gives lots of tips for winning them over.

My favorite feature of Lisa’s books (and her blog) is always the “packed lunch” section. She gives tons of ideas for lunches that are both kid and adult pleasing and don’t involve a sandwich every day (I for one would lose my mind if I had to eat a sandwich every day!). That chapter of this book does not disappoint!
an overhead photograph of a plate of pan fried cubed chicken thighs for easy Chinese chicken
The only (sort of) negative thing that I have to say about the book is that, looking at the cost per serving of some of the recipes, I think that it might still be seen as somewhat cost-prohibitive by a family on a very strict budget. I recognize, though, that this is less of a flaw of her book and more of a flaw of our food system, which sells high-calorie processed foods at a much lower premium, calorie for calorie, than fruits, vegetables, and other unprocessed foods. Still, the book delivers lower cost ways to incorporate whole foods into your diet in an accessible way that can be useful for anyone – even those on a very tight budget – to at least start moving in the direction of eating a little better.

Easy Chinese Chicken

an overhead photograph of the 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget cookbook with a bowl of easy Chinese chicken in the foreground
That leads me to this easy Chinese chicken from the book. It is similar to my standard Chinese restaurant order, sesame chicken, except without the cloying sweetness and the overwhelming bloat I always feel after. I prepped this meal ahead by:

  1. Cutting the chicken thighs into chunks
  2. Mixing the marinade in a jar
  3. Mixing the sauce ingredients in a jar (I deviated slightly from Lisa’s recipe, which directs you to cook the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes in a pan before adding the remainder of the sauce ingredients, by just shaking everything together in one jar)
  4. Cutting up the broccoli (I cooked the broccoli using the stir-fry broccoli recipe from the book)
  5. Adding the jar of marinade to the container of chicken an hour or so before I started making dinner

an overhead photograph of a bowl of Easy Chinese chicken
Prepping the meal ahead meant that my time from starting dinner to getting it on the table was cut at least in half. I cooked brown rice in my Instant Pot then breaded and pan-fried the chicken while it was cooking. The sauce reduced quickly and I had dinner on the table in about 40 minutes (cleaning up while I went, taking photographs, and getting a few other things done around the house while turning the chicken and stirring the sauce).
an overhead photograph of a small bowl with Chinese chicken, brown rice, and broccoli in the foreground with a larger bowl of Chinese chicken in the background
This easy Chinese chicken from 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget was a delicious dinner and a great way to start my foray into meal prepping! I definitely recommend the book. Follow this link if you would like to get a copy of 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget for yourself!

*I received a copy of this book to review and write about on my blog. I have followed and supported the 100 Days of Real Food blog for many years. As always, all opinions are mine and mine alone!

This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Click here to save this recipe to your Pinterest chicken and dinner boards!
a close up picture of a bowl with Chinese chicken, broccoli, and rice, with a larger bowl of Chinese chicken in the background

Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite and The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!

Lisa Leake

Yield: 4 servings

Easy Chinese Chicken (Meal Prep Version)

15 minPrep Time:

25 minCook Time:

40 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

    For the marinade
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • For the sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I used the full teaspoon and it was a little spicy for me)
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup water
  • For the chicken
  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil

Instructions

  1. To prep ahead: in one jar, shake together the marinade ingredients. In another jar, shake together the sauce ingredients. Cover and refrigerate. Cut the chicken into cubes, place in a storage container, and refrigerate.
  2. At least fifteen minutes and up to 12 hours before you want to cook the chicken, add the marinade to the chicken.
  3. When you are ready to cook the chicken, place the whole wheat flour on a plate and roll the chicken pieces around in the flour to coat completely. Move the chicken to another plate.
  4. Heat the coconut oil in large skillet over medium heat (I used a 12-inch cast iron skillet). When shimmering, add the chicken pieces in a single layer and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until browned. Remove to a clean plate (I did this in two batches), leaving the browned bits in the pan. Do not remove the pan from the heat.
  5. After all of the chicken is cooked, give the jar of sauce ingredients a good shake and pour into the pan that you cooked the chicken in. Stir, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and reduce until the sauce is thickened. Add the cooked chicken pieces to the pan and stir to coat. Serve immediately with cooked rice and your choice of vegetables.

Nutrition

7.8.1.2
562
https://chattavore.com/easy-chinese-chicken-meal-prep-version/

 

Filed Under: By Course, By Main Ingredients, Chicken & Turkey, Easy Recipes, How to Make-Ahead and Meal Prep, How-To, Main Dishes, One-Pot Recipes, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: chicken, dinner, main dish, meal prep By Mary // Chattavore 3 Comments

6-Ingredient Orange Cheesecake Bars

March 23, 2018

6-ingredient orange cheesecake bars are delicious and sunny and just what you need right now if you are dreaming of warm weather! #cheesecakebars #desserts #springdesserts | Chattavore.com

6-ingredient orange cheesecake bars are delicious and sunny and just what you need right now if you are dreaming of warm weather!


It’s officially spring (though I don’t know how many times I have muttered the words “I hate the cold!” this week, with temps dropping into the thirties). When the daylight hours stretch longer, I start to crave sunnier flavors like these 6-ingredient orange cheesecake bars. I made them with beautiful Red Cara navel oranges that I picked up at the store and they make me dream about the day (that can’t possibly be too far away!) when I finally get to wear my shorts again.

Find the recipe for 6-ingredient orange cheesecake bars over at SoFab Food!
https://chattavore.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Red-Orange-Cheesecake-Bars-4.jpg

Filed Under: Easy Baking, Easy Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: dessert By Mary // Chattavore 1 Comment

Five Star Food Fight 2017

August 2, 2017

I had the opportunity to be a judge at Sunday's Five Star Food Fight 2017 at the Chattanooga Market!

This past weekend I finally had the chance to judge one of the cooking competitions at The Chattanooga Market – the 2017 Five Star Food Fight! I’ve been waiting years for someone to ask me to do something like this and finally got my chance when Melissa, one of the owners of Chattanooga Magazine who also runs the Market called me last week to see if I was game to judge this event that concludes Restaurant Week!
I had the opportunity to be a judge at Sunday's Five Star Food Fight 2017 at the Chattanooga Market!
I felt like a bit of an imposter when I got up on stage to judge with the likes of my buddy Charlie Loomis, the executive chef at Feed Co. (one of my favorite restaurants) and Jim Gallivan, a chef and the program director at Culinard (the culinary program at Virginia College), along with Mike McCloud, the president and CEO of the World Food Championships and Dale Faunce from Springer Mountain Farms. Um, you guys, what is my life now????? Dyan Damron, a health coach from the Nashville area, emceed the event.
I had the opportunity to be a judge at Sunday's Five Star Food Fight 2017 at the Chattanooga Market!(Photo of judges from Dyan Damron’s Facebook page)

I’m hoping that if I get a few of these things under my belt I’ll feel a little less nervous. I was kind of freaking a little bit when they told me I was going to have to speak into the microphone. I’m not afraid of public speaking – I do it all the time – but I was just a little unprepared. If you saw me I hope I didn’t look too redonkulous.
I had the opportunity to be a judge at Sunday's Five Star Food Fight 2017 at the Chattanooga Market!
Anyway, let’s talk about the food. Springer Mountain Farms sponsored the Food Fight so the chefs were given chicken thighs, breasts, and livers to work with, along with $50 to purchase ingredients from the market. That meant that the food that we were served was ultra-fresh and local. It doesn’t get much better than that, people. I’m going to be honest, I was pushed a little bit as I had not eaten chicken livers since I was a kid and my grandmother used to fry them up. Back then I really didn’t realize what they were. But, you know, I’m a big girl so I ate my chicken livers like a big girl, and you know what? They were pretty good.
I had the opportunity to be a judge at Sunday's Five Star Food Fight 2017 at the Chattanooga Market!
Chef Tanner Marino from Broad Street Grille was up first with this plate of popcorn chicken thighs and livers, chicken breast breaded with kettle corn, succotash, slaw, and a cobbler with goat cheese and frozen custard on top.
I had the opportunity to be a judge at Sunday's Five Star Food Fight 2017 at the Chattanooga Market!
Next up was was Chef Cliff Phillips from Feed Co. He served chicken in a parchment packet with julienned vegetables, red potatoes carved into a mushroom shape, and a cheese tuile (crisp), along with a glass of Chardonnay.
I had the opportunity to be a judge at Sunday's Five Star Food Fight 2017 at the Chattanooga Market!
Chef Ben Park from Easy Bistro was up next with an amuse-bouche of a chicken liver and goat cheese custard topped with a salad made of pea shoots (I think?) and grapes, then a colorful bowl of chicken, tomatoes, corn, blackberries, and lettuce.
I had the opportunity to be a judge at Sunday's Five Star Food Fight 2017 at the Chattanooga Market!
I had the opportunity to be a judge at Sunday's Five Star Food Fight 2017 at the Chattanooga Market!
Defending champ Chef Patrick Halloran of Hummingbird Pastaria served up a lasagna with homemade whole wheat pasta sheets, béchamel, a chicken thigh/liver sausage, and goat cheese, with a summer salad on the side.
I had the opportunity to be a judge at Sunday's Five Star Food Fight 2017 at the Chattanooga Market!
Finally, Chef Philippe Gehin of Mountain Cove Grille served up a chicken breast stuffed with a sweet and spicy sausage, with confit of chicken livers and thighs.
I had the opportunity to be a judge at Sunday's Five Star Food Fight 2017 at the Chattanooga Market!
In the end, I ended up with two ties on my ballot (I’ll never tell!!!!) and had to choose a favorite to circle. Chef Ben Parks from Easy Bistro took the trophy and he seemed pretty excited about it!
I had the opportunity to be a judge at Sunday's Five Star Food Fight 2017 at the Chattanooga Market!
In the end, I had a great time judging the Five Star Food Fight! I’m holding out for the Cast Iron Cook Off, since you guys KNOW I’m obsessed with my Lodge…

Filed Under: Uncategorized By Mary // Chattavore 2 Comments

Sugar’s Ribs

February 22, 2017

Sugar's Ribs is a popular BBQ joint near I-75 on Chattanooga's Missionary Ridge, and it's easy to see why they're still around. | Restaurant Review from Chattavore.com

Sugar’s Ribs is a popular BBQ joint near I-75 on Chattanooga’s Missionary Ridge, and it’s easy to see why they’re still around.
Sugar's Ribs is a popular BBQ joint near I-75 on Chattanooga's Missionary Ridge, and it's easy to see why they're still around. | Restaurant Review from Chattavore.com
So the week before last I totally got taken down with some sickness. Cold, flu, I don’t know…all i know is that I was pretty miserable for an entire week. It did not, however, affect my appetite. Saturday I was feeling mostly better (except I was so tired) and I was craving barbecue. Philip and I headed to the Missionary Ridge location of Sugar’s Ribs. I previously wrote about their downtown location, which has since closed, but had never been to this location.

Sugar’s Ribs is a spot where you walk up to order, they give you a number, and your food is delivered to your table. The atmosphere is very casual and laid-back with inside seating and patio seating…it wasn’t too chilly but since I still didn’t feel great we decided to sit inside (near a window, of course). Each table has a selection of sauces and our server, Lisa, brought us a couple more. It didn’t take too long (maybe about ten minutes) for our food to be delivered to our table.
Sugar's Ribs is a popular BBQ joint near I-75 on Chattanooga's Missionary Ridge, and it's easy to see why they're still around. | Restaurant Review from Chattavore.com
I knew that I wanted pulled pork, but I couldn’t decide between the pulled pork sandwich and the pulled pork tacos. I asked the cashier for her recommendation and she told me that the tacos were her favorite, so that’s what I went for, with crispy potatoes on the side ($9.95 + $.75 for the potatoes, which are considered a special side). The tacos were served on flour tortillas with shredded cabbage, radishes, a little bit of crispy okra, crumbled queso fresco, lime crema, grilled sweet onions, roasted salsa, and cilantro. The smoky pork was amazing and the flavor combinations were perfect. The crispy potatoes are baked first, then chopped and fried until very crispy, sprinkled with a little bit of cheese. They were so crispy and well-seasoned, very delicious.
Sugar's Ribs is a popular BBQ joint near I-75 on Chattanooga's Missionary Ridge, and it's easy to see why they're still around. | Restaurant Review from Chattavore.com
Philip decided to go for the smoked sausage plate with okra fries ($9.75 + $.75 for a special side). The plate also came with a cornbread muffin. The sausage is house-made and freshly smoked. It was a little crisp on the outside and it was very tasty, though it was not spiced like a traditional sausage (which I liked, because I don’t love sausage). The okra fries were very thinly sliced pieces of okra fried until crispy, like chips. They were crunchy and tasty (they also serve smoked okra, which is fantastic). The cornbread muffin was okay, pretty average. By the way, all of the sauces were tasty.
Sugar's Ribs is a popular BBQ joint near I-75 on Chattanooga's Missionary Ridge, and it's easy to see why they're still around. | Restaurant Review from Chattavore.com
Lisa almost talked us into banana pudding, which is made from scratch, but I had just bought ice cream and decided that I better skip the banana pudding. Lisa was a fantastic server, keeping our drinks topped off and talking to us about the dishes and the restaurant. She told us that the owner is a fantastic guy and she loves working for him. He also owns the Boat House, Canyon Grille (which we’ll try one of these days), and a new restaurant being built on Hixson Pike. We loved the food and the service. Our only complaint was that because of the pay at the register set-up the cashier told us that if we wanted to leave a tip we would need to leave it on the table. These days we usually have a little cash, but I know a lot of people don’t carry cash and I would have hated if we hadn’t had money to leave a tip for Lisa!

If you’re looking for great BBQ in Chattanooga, give Sugar’s Ribs a try!

Sugar’s Ribs is located at 2450 15th Avenue, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37494. They are open Sunday – Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday – Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. You can call them at 423-826-1199. For more information, check out the Sugar’s Ribs website or find Sugar’s Ribs on Facebook.
Sugar's Ribs is a popular BBQ joint near I-75 on Chattanooga's Missionary Ridge, and it's easy to see why they're still around. | Restaurant Review from Chattavore.com

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: barbecue restaurants, downtown Chattanooga restaurants By Mary // Chattavore 2 Comments

14 Amazing Dishes to Serve Your Valentine!

February 10, 2017

If you want to stay in this year, here are 14 amazing dishes to serve your Valentine! | recipes from Chattavore.com

If you want to stay in this year, here are 14 amazing dishes to serve your Valentine! 
If you want to stay in this year, here are 14 amazing dishes to serve your Valentine! | recipes from Chattavore.com
I’ve never made it much of a  secret that we don’t bother with Valentine’s Day around here. We started dating the week before Valentine’s Day and so it just kind of got eclipsed by our “dating anniversary” and then we just decided we really didn’t care all that much. Still, there’s something about all that rich food – steak, seafood, cheese, and chocolate – that makes my heart race a little bit. Not to mention that the color palette encompasses my favorites (pink and red). So, even though I won’t be celebrating, maybe some of these recipes will help you celebrate!

blue cheese fondue | chattavore
Bleu Cheese Fondue
Steaks aren't exactly the easiest thing to cook, but I finally got it right with this perfect pan-seared ribeye. It's great for Valentine's Day, date night, or Tuesday night dinner! | recipe from chattavore.com
Pan-Seared Ribeye
Garlicky Shrimp Scampi
Garlicky Shrimp Scampi
Twice-Baked Potatoes
Twice-Baked Potatoes
Easy Caesar Salad
Easy Caesar Salad
This beet salad with goat cheese is fresh and full of vibrant flavors. A homemade green goddess dressing ties the whole thing together! | recipe from Chattavore.com
Beet Salad with Goat Cheese & Green Goddess
spaghetti and meatballs | chattavore
Spaghetti & Meatballs
roasted red pepper alfredo // chattavore
Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo
baked tortellini // chattavore
Creamy Baked Tortellini
You can buy a mix to make garlic cheddar biscuits at home, but with this recipe you won't need to leave your house for great biscuits! | recipe from Chattavore.com
Garlic Cheddar Biscuits
beer cheese bread | chattavore
Quick Beer Cheese Bread
Amaretto & Toblerone fondue is pretty much chocolate heaven in a fondue pot..rich creamy, and full of almond flavor! | recipe from chattavore.com
Toblerone Fondue
chocolate stout cake| chattavore
Chocolate Stout Cake
This adult Cheerwine cocktail is quick and easy, and if you have a reasonably stocked liquor cabinet, you probably have what you need to make it right now. | Recipe from Chattavore.com
Adult Cheerwine Cocktail

If you want to stay in this year, here are 14 amazing dishes to serve your Valentine! | recipes from Chattavore.com

Filed Under: Uncategorized By Mary // Chattavore 2 Comments

About Chattavore

Hi, I'm Mary! Welcome to Chattavore, a destination for people who want to feed themselves and their families well every day! Life can be crazy, which means that getting dinner on the table can be a challenge (more often than not!) and my mission is to take all your favorite recipes and figure out how to serve them on a Tuesday.

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