Asian Saturdays

That title actually comes from something Mr. E says all the time. Why? Because he loves Asian food, and on the weekends when lunch rolls around, he is usually in the kitchen making some for himself. Could be as simple as a pack of ramen noodles, or a really tasty dish filled with exotic ingredients. And every time he sits down at the table to eat he will declare "Oh look, it's Asian Saturday!"

It is no secret how much we love Asian cuisine in our house. All of us. Heck, Max would be happy if I gave him rice for every meal, every day. We can't get enough of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai...all of it.

Most of the time when we reach for a take out menu, you can bet it is going to be Chinese. We have a few different places in town we love, and we tend to rotate our trips to them. Oh, and let's not forget the buffets too! That is actually where Alex had this dish for the first time. On the Asian buffet we've been going to for years, but this was a "new" dish to him.

So the next time we were getting take out, he said to me, "Mom can I see if they have that dish I had at the buffet last time?" Sure enough they did and this was even better than the first.

Well, we can't be ordering take out or visiting the buffet all the time, after all private school and diapers aren't cheap! So it was time for mommy to come up with a make at home version he could enjoy just as much, anytime!

Black Pepper Chicken

2 lbs. boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces

5-6 stalks celery, chopped (about 2 cups)

1 medium white onion, chopped

1 TBS corn starch, divided use

3 1/2 tsp. black pepper, divided use

3/4 c. chicken broth

1/4 c. soy sauce

4 TBS vegetable oil, divided use

3 TBS white vinegar

Salt to taste

Cooked White Rice 

In a large bowl, combine chicken, 1/2 TBS corn starch, sat and 2 tsp. black pepper. Mix to coat. In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, soy sauce, vinegar, 2 TBS oil, 1/2 TBS corn starch and 1 1/2 tsp. black pepper.  Heat 2 TBS oil over medium high heat. Saute onions and celery until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and saute', stirring often for 5-7 minutes. Add sauce into the pan. Stir well. Bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to medium low. Cook for additional 10-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through and slightly thickened. Serve over cooked rice and extra pepper.

Shared at Weekend Potluck