Cream Cheese Wontons

Cream Cheese Rangoon - CopyKat Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

Vegetable shortening or oil, for frying
8 ounces package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons scallion thinly sliced
Garlic powder (optional)
48 wonton wrappers

Instructions

Heat enough vegetable shortening or oil to fill 2 to 3 inches in a medium pot to 350 degrees F. If you have an electric fryer, you can use that.
In a small bowl beat together the cream cheese and scallions. If desired a touch of garlic powder may be added for additional flavor. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese mixture onto a wonton wrapper. Fold the wonton by brushing a little water over all of the edges of the wonton skin. Fold the wonton diagonally into a triangle. Be sure to seal all of the edges completely; this will keep the filling from running out of the wonton when being cooked. Take the two opposite corners and press and twist them together. You may need to tack them together by brushing with a little water.
When the shortening is heated, you can use a thermometer and test to see that it is 350 degrees F, or you may test with a small piece of wonton wrapper. If the wrapper bubbles immediately when dropped into the hot fat, it is ready. Drop only 4 or 5 pieces at a time into the hot fat. After about 1 minute, the wonton will begin to brown, then it will brown rapidly, so be careful to remove it when it is lightly browned. If your oil is shallow, you may need to flip over the wonton. Carefully remove the wontons and drain briefly on paper towels before serving.

Honey Walnut Shrimp

Panda-Express-Honey-Walnut-Shrimp--2

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup water
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup walnut halves
4 egg whites
2/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 pound large shrimp , 18-20 count, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
1 cup vegetable oil for frying
scallions for topping , optional

INSTRUCTIONS

Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.

1. Add the water, sugar and walnuts to a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

Boil for two minutes and remove the walnuts and dry on a dish to dry.
Whisk the egg whites until they are foamy then add cornstarch and continue whisking until combined.
Add the shrimp to the batter and one at a time using a fork or my favorite pig tail flipper pick up 1 shrimp at a time allowing it to drip off so that the shrimp has a thin coating and maintains it’s shape.
Heat your oil in a medium sized pot on medium high (350 degrees) and fry until light golden brown, 4-5 minutes.
To make the sauce, add the honey, mayonnaise and sweetened condensed milk and whisk to combine.
Add the fried shrimp to the sauce and coat with a large spoon.
Place into your serving plate and top with the candied walnuts.
Serve immediately with steamed rice.
Optionally you can top with sliced scallions.

Sweet Fire Chicken

Panda Express Sweet Fire Chicken Copycat - An easy homemade version that tastes so much better (and healthier) than take-out!

yield: 4 SERVINGS

prep time: 15 MINUTES

cook time: 15 MINUTES

total time: 30 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups diced pineapple, fresh or canned
1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce, or more, to taste
2 green onions, thinly sliced

FOR THE CHICKEN

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into
1-inch chunks
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
2. Working one at a time, dredge chicken in flour, dip into eggs, then dredge in flour again, pressing to coat.

Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet, 3 or 4 at a time, and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bell pepper and pineapple and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in chicken and Thai sweet chili sauce until well combined, about 1-2 minutes.
Serve immediately, garnished with green onions.

Orange Chicken

What You Need:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp. soy sauce, divided
2 Tbsp. white wine (or rice wine)
2 tsp. minced ginger
1 clove of garlic, minced
¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. cornstarch, divided
Canola oil, for frying
1 Tbsp. honey
2/3 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp. orange marmalade
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
¼ tsp. crushed red chili flakes
¼ tsp. sesame oil

Step 1: Marinate Chicken

Start by cutting the chicken into small, bite-size pieces—about 1 to 1-1/2 inches long. Then, whisk together two tablespoons of soy sauce, wine, ginger and garlic in a large bowl. Add the chicken and stir until the pieces are well coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 25 minutes.

Step 2: Toss to Coat

Once time is up, use a large slotted spoon to move the chicken cubes out of the marinade and into a new bowl. Discard the marinade mixture. Then, sprinkle 1/4 cup of cornstarch over the chicken. Toss lightly to coat.

Step 3: Brown Chicken

Next, heat up the oil to fry the chicken pieces in a large pot—between 1/4- and 1/3-inch of oil will be enough. Then, working in batches, add a single layer of marinated chicken pieces to the hot oil. Fry, turning occasionally until the chicken is well-browned and cooked through. Each batch should take about four minutes, total. When cooked through, move the chicken pieces out of the fryer and onto a paper towel-lined plate so the excess oil can drain away.

Editor’s Tip: At this point, the chicken will be delicious on its own. Sample a piece or two, but resist the urge to eat them all. The end result is much better. Trust us.

Step 4: Make Sauce

Place a small saucepan over medium heat and add the remaining soy sauce, honey, orange juice, marmalade, rice vinegar, chili flakes and sesame oil. Stir to combine. Then, in a small bowl, mix together the remaining cornstarch and two tablespoons water. This mixture is called a slurry. Bring the orange sauce to a low boil, and add the slurry—one spoonful at a time—while whisking. Keep adding the slurry until the sauce is thickened.

Step 5: Toss Together

Combine the chicken pieces and the sauce in a large bowl. Serve with cooked rice and broccoli. Enjoy!

Chow Mein #2

Panda Express Chow Mein Copycat - Tastes just like Panda Express except it takes just minutes to whip up and tastes a million times better!

yield: 4 SERVINGS

prep time: 10 MINUTES

cook time: 10 MINUTES

total time: 20 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 (5.6-ounce) packages refrigerated Yaki-Soba, seasoning sauce packets discarded*
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, sliced diagonally
2 cups shredded cabbage

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, ginger and white pepper; set aside.
2. In a large pot of boiling water, add Yaki-Soba until loosened, about 1-2 minutes; drain well.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and celery, and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in cabbage until heated through, about 1 minute.

Stir in Yaki-Soba and soy sauce mixture until well combined, about 2 minutes.
Serve immediately.

NOTES:

*Yaki-Soba is ramen-style noodles and can be found in the refrigerated aisle of your local grocery store.

Chow Mein

Prep Time:10 min

Cook Time:10 min

Total Time:20 min

Ingredients

2 (5-7oz) packets of refrigerated Yokisoba Noodles
3-4 cloves of Garlic
1 1/2 tsp freshly grated Ginger
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp White/Black Pepper powder
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Toasted Seasame Oil
1/2 large Onion
3 stalks of Celery
1 1/2 cups shredded Cabbage
Salt to taste

Instructions

Peel and grate 3-4 cloves of garlic and about 11/2 teaspoons of fresh ginger into a small bowl.
Add the soy sauce, brown sugar and pepper to the bowl and stir it all together well. Set the sauce mixture aside.
Slice the onion, celery stalks & set aside. Also shred roughly 1 1/2 cups of cabbage too.
Discard the seasoning sauce packets from the Yakisoba noodle packs and add the noodles to a pot of boiling water to loosen them. You don’t want to cook the noodles (as they are pre-cooked), so just a minute or two, separating the strands with a fork or spaghetti spoon and then drain the noodles well.
Heat the olive oil and toasted seasame oil together in a large wok or skillet.
Add the onion and celery and toss or saute them on high heat for about 1-2 mins until slightly tender (you want them still crisp and not soggy)
Immediately add the yakisoba noodles and sauce mixture, tossing and stirring until everything is well coated in the sauce (2-3 mins).
Toss in the cabbage and turn the heat off, keeping the cabbage fresh and crispy. Give it a quick taste and add salt if necessary.
That’s it folks! It’s as simple as that. Serve hot with your favorite stir-fry or Asian dish like Lemon Chicken or Chili Pork with Peppers. Yummm…..