Honey teriyaki roasted chicken leg quarters

It's been a while since I roasted any other part of the chicken besides the breast. Roasting or baking chicken breasts can be tricky. If you leave it in the oven for too long, the meat turns out dry and chewy. Last night I decided to roast chicken leg quarters and it was the best roasted chicken meal I've had in months. The meat was juicy and tender unlike the roasted chicken breast I use to have before this. 

Its actually really simple to make this roasted chicken. All you have to do is marinate the meat in some teriyaki sauce, oyster sauce, a little mixture of chili-tomato sauce and some honey. I can't give a specific measurement but all I can say is, taste the mixture and if the flavors are balanced and tastes right for you then its done! If possible, let your chicken marinate for an hour or longer before you roast it. Set your oven to 190ºC / 375ºF and roast your chicken for 40 minutes or more (depending on the size of the chicken).

Roasting chicken can get your oven messy, so here's a tip. Line the oven's baking tray with foil paper and place it in the lowest part of the oven. The chicken parts should be on the oven's wire rack shelf placed in the center of the oven. While roasting the chicken, the juices/fats will fall onto the foil paper instead of the tray, making it easier to clean up after.

Back at home, when my mum makes roasted chicken, she usually serves it with some french fries and coleslaw. I decided to make a healthier version by making some roasted pumpkin instead. Its easier to make as well. Just slice the pumpkin into wedges, coat the sliced pumpkin wedges with some olive oil, sprinkle some black pepper on it and pop them into the oven at 180ºC / 356ºF for 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of the wedges). Simple isn't it?

Try it for yourself!

Baked Lemon-Mayo Basa Fish with herbs

Baked Lemon-Mayo Basa Fish with herbs and roasted carrots 

Back in KL, Dory fish would be the usual choice if we wanted to make a certain dish that requires white fish. But over here in HCMC, I use Basa fish, a local river fish which is similar to Dory. I usually pan fry the fish but this time around I've decided to try baking it.

Below are the ingredients that you need to make this very simple dish:

2 Basa or other white fish fillets
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/3 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

And now for the step-by-step on how to get this simple dish done.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC / 390ºF

Marinate the fish fillets with a little lemon juice and let it sit for 5 minutes

Combine the remaining lemon juice, mayonnaise, black pepper, dried oregano and parsley in a bowl

Place the marinated fish in a baking dish coated with olive oil and generously spread the combined mayonnaise paste over the fish. Bake at 200ºC / 390ºF for 20 minutes or until fish flakes when tested with a fork

As for the roasted carrots its pretty simple. Just slice a carrot into sticks or it would be even easier if you can find baby carrots. Just drizzle them in olive oil and sprinkle on some black pepper. That's all!

Pop this babies into the oven at 180ºC / 356ºF for 40 minutes or until they get tender

WALLAAAA! Dinner is served....

Now isn't that simple? Anyone can make this dish. It only takes about 20 minutes to prepare and less than an hour for it to be cooked. I hope this post would inspire some of you working peeps out there to cook your own dinner instead of spending money on unhealthy food.

Enjoy....