SIRACHI CHICKEN SANDWICH (PART 1)

Culinarily speaking (if there is such a word), my life is played out in two realms. Realm one is on-diet, and realm two is off-diet. Realm one means using healthy cooking, eating and sandwiching habits. Realm two means cooking, eating and sandwiching with some abandon.

There is a third realm which I sometimes fall into around major holidays or major depressions, when reckless abandon takes over, all bets are off and anything goes on the plate. My objective at all times is to avoid realm three, but I'm not always successful.

A favorite realm two (off-diet) staple for us is Chicken Adobo (popular Philippine dish/cooking process). My recipe for Chicken Adobo is no where near authentic Filipino cuisine, however I learned to make a modified version from a Filipino friend. Delicious, but a little high in calories.

One day while in realm one (on-diet), I was asked to make a batch of chicken Adobo. Instead I improvised using the same Adobo cooking method but tweaking the ingredients to lower the calories. The outcome was amazingly simple, delicious, totally different and almost guilt free. We now call it Sirachi Chicken and it makes TWO meals. Sirachi Chicken over rice and one of the best sandwiches you'll ever have. Here is part 1 of the two part process for a Sirachi Chicken Sandwich:

Ingredients:

1 large package chicken breasts, skinless/boneless, trimmed and washed

1/2 cup Kikoman soy sauce

1/2 cup Srirachi sauce (easy to find, check Wal Mart Asian section)

1/4 cup water

5 to 6 medium size garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 large onions, finely chopped

3 to 4 tbls cooking oil

Method:

Saute garlic at the bottom of a large skillet, add onions and saute until translucent. Lay chicken breasts on top of the onion garlic mix in the pan, do not stir. Pour the soy sauce, Srirachi sauce and water over, do not stir. Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook uncovered for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until the chicken is fork tender. Serve over white rice (preferably Jasmine)

Stay tuned for the Sirachi Chicken Sandwich on Kaiser Roll.. Delicious.