Tangy Asian Tenderloin

So remember when I wrote about the Tangy Asian Chicken Thighs that I just could not stop eating? No? Ok well look back here.

I knew when I created the marinade that it would be brilliant on pork as well, and last night I tested my theory. And I was right. SO good.
And the same proportions used on 6 chicken thighs worked on one 1.25 pound tenderloin.
3 TBSP honey
2 1/2 TBSP soy sauce
3 cloves of garlic, grated
2 inches of fresh ginger, grated

For my basic How To on cooking a pork tenderloin, see here.

Step one: marinate a few hrs in the fridge. 

Looks kinda gross, I know, but it will be so tasty in the end.

Take the meat out of the fridge and LET IT COME TO ROOM TEMPERATURE. 

Preheat your oven to 400º and set your pan to medium heat w/ just enough olive oil that your meat won't stick. I was using a non-stick pan, so I only used a small drizzle.

Slapdash photo, I know.

Cook on the first side seven minutes.

Then flip and place pan in the oven for another seven minutes.

Remove from pan and let rest, and place the leftover marinade in the hot pan to reduce to a delicious sauce. Remember to cover the pot handle with something, as that sucker has been in a 400º oven.

Super crap photo. Apologies.

Just like last time I served this with some seasoned quinoa, and roasted a mix of broccoli and cauliflower, because that's what I had goin' on in my fridge.

For the quinoa (keen-wah): follow package instructions, and when it is done but still in the hot pan, I sprinkle in some kosher salt and good olive oil. For this meal, I also mixed about a tablespoon of honey with a tablespoon of soy sauce, and poured that mixture over the hot quinoa and stirred well to combine. That made it so the quinoa also had a sweet and tangy flavor that tied it into the meal, but not the ginger/garlic bite that the pork had.

For the mixed veg: cut up your stalks into medium sized florets, drizzle with olive oil and salt, and roast in a 400-425º oven for 20 minutes. Done.

I don't know if this is like the time I was ordering spring rolls from the local Thai place 2-3 times a week for a solid month before OD-ing on them, but I cannot get enough of this marinade at the moment.

And the leftover pork would make a killer sandwich... maybe a panini on ciabatta with some extra sauce and some grilled eggplant. Hmmm... will have to look into that in the future ;)

My Your Thighs Look Tasty

So I'd had about 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs in my fridge, and really wanted to do something delicious with them. This is another case of It Was On Sale, Now What Do I Do With It?
With a little internet searching and a lot of exasperation, I came up with the following fabulous feast.

Tangy Asian-Inspired Chicken Thighs over Quinoa, with Honey-Ginger Glazed Carrots
YUM!
YUM to the TENTH DEGREE!!!
Did I mention how delicious this absurdly simple chicken recipe is?
Because it was supremely flavorful.

For the chicken thighs, the marinade/sauce is as follows:
3 TBSP honey
2 1/2 TBSP of soy sauce
3 grated/minced cloves of garlic
2 inches of fresh ginger, grated

No salt needed, due to the soy sauce. And do NOT substitute dried ginger for the fresh. It will not have anywhere near the same kick or flavor.

This created a rather thick sauce, so I rubbed it directly on the chicken thighs with my hands, to make sure it was evenly distributed. I covered the container with cling film and put it in the fridge to marinate for a few hours.

To cook, I placed the chicken thighs in a small amount of olive oil in a nonstick pan, cooking about 6 minutes on the first side, and maybe only 3 on the second. I was truly eye-balling this, and not watching the clock, so those numbers are estimations at best.
DO NOT WASTE THE MARINADE!!!
Once you have cooked all your chicken, pour/scrape the extra marinade into the frying pan and pick up all the brown bits from the pan and reduce until a pleasant color and consistency. Pour over chicken thighs.

For the carrots:
Four carrots, diced into equal sized sticks.
In a small sauce pan I put 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add to that 1 inch of freshly grated ginger, and about 4 tablespoons of honey. Melt together and stir.
Add 1/4 cup water, and then the carrots, and cook on medium-high for about 8 minutes, lid on, until carrots are tender. Then remove the lid and cook off liquids.
Carrots will come out supremely sweet and tender, with a gentle kick from the ginger.

Carrots at the boiling-off-the-liquid stage

For the Quinoa:
Follow package instructions. (2 cups water to 1 cup rinsed quinoa, bring to boil and them simmer 10-15 minutes.) I then add a pinch or two of salt and drizzle with olive oil. Maybe 2 tablespoons worth.
The quinoa was really just a healthy bed to place the chicken on.

Quinoa with all water absorbed and fluffed with a spoon.

Simple assembly on the plate, and I'm telling you, this chicken was ADDICTIVE. I'm so glad I made extra, because having it for lunch the next day was like reliving heaven.

Sure, I may have been burping tangy ginger breath the rest of the night (blamed on the bubbles from The Marquis, not the actual dish) but it was just so good!!!

Really, if you are reading this, you must try this soon. I will definitely be adding it to my regular dinner option routine.

(Note - this would also work beautifully on pork.)

Enjoy!

I certainly did.