Grilled Sriracha Broccoli

When I was trying to come up with sides for my recipe swap, these delicious Bang Bang Chicken Skewers, I remembered my friend Mary Ellen raving about grilled broccoli. She's made a few variations but this Grilled Sriracha Broccoli sounded like the perfect accompaniment to the chicken skewers.

I've never grilled broccoli before but I think it's my new favorite way to prepare it. I used my charcoal grill since I needed it for the chicken skewers, but I'll definitely try my indoor grill pan as well. I had 3 broccoli crowns so I should have doubled the sauce - it was delectable. We were dragging our pieces through the sauce left at the bottom of the baking dish. So, so good.

The broccoli had a nice smoky flavor and the heat from the sriracha wasn't too overpowering (I used maybe 2 teaspoons) and was offset by the sweetness from the hoisin sauce. I can't wait to make this one again.

Grilled Sriracha Broccoli
As seen on Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce (more or less depending on your tolerance for spice)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 large head of broccoli cut into three sections

Whisk the first five ingredients to make the glaze.

Pour the glaze evenly onto the broccoli and spread with a brush.

Place flat side down on a hot grill. Grill 4 minutes, flip and grill 2-3 more minutes until charred and slightly tender. Serve immediately

Recipe Swap: Bang Bang Chicken Skewers

If you've ever been to a Bonefish Grill you've probably had their famous Bang Bang Shrimp, delicious fried shrimp coated in a creamy, spicy sauce. I've always wanted to try making them at home but I'm not a big fan of frying - it's messy and leaves the whole house smelling for days. For the grilling recipe swap I received Caroline's recipe for Bang Bang Chicken Skewers, a grilled knockoff version of the dish that uses chicken instead of shrimp (although if I'd had shrimp I would have used them, too).

In my opinion, the most important part of any make-at-home version of the Bang Bang Shrimp is the sauce. This was the perfect combination of creaminess from the mayo, sweetness from the chili sauce and spice from the sriracha. We both enjoyed the sauce mixed with smokiness from the grill.

We both love fried food as much as the next person, but this grilled version was pretty awesome. I think I may prefer it simply because of the fat and calories, not to mention the heaviness that comes with fried food. I felt like I could eat more of the chicken because it was grilled vs. fried. I can't wait to try this recipe with shrimp - I know it's going to be amazing.

To see what other grilling recipes were made for the swap scroll down past the recipe to the LinkUp. Thanks to everyone for participating, especially Caroline for submitting this recipe.

UPDATE June 2014: I don't make this recipe with red pepper anymore. I've been making it with grape tomatoes, red onion, zucchini, and mushrooms for awhile now, so I thought I'd update the recipe. Soon I'll get around to reblogging it, but for now I've simply updated the recipe below.

Bang Bang Chicken Skewers
Modified from The Barbee Housewife, originally from Center Cut Cook

4 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 zucchini, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 red onion, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 12-oz package of mushrooms, cut in half
1 pint grape tomatoes
Olive oil, a few tablespoons for drizzling
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
2 teaspoons chile garlic sauce, or more to taste

Soak wooden skewers for 30 minutes before using. You can also use metal skewers.

Thread the chicken, zucchini, onion, mushrooms and tomatoes onto the skewers (keep each thing separate since they have different cooking times). Drizzle the chicken and veggies with oil, then season with salt and pepper.

Whisk together the mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce, and chile garlic sauce. Set aside.

Pre-heat your grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Add the skewers. Cook the veggies for 6-8 minutes, or until tender, and the chicken 10-12 minutes.

Remove the skewers from the grill and let rest a few minutes. Remove the chicken and veggies from the skewers before eating. Toss the chicken with the sauce and serve alongside the veggies.

Sponsored Post: Kung Wow Spicy Kung Pao Chicken Tenders

Chinese New Year began on Monday, February 10, and to help kick off the celebration Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia partnered with food bloggers to try some of their products.

SP and I were looking for a quick meal after having a big lunch and this recipe for Kung Wow Spicy Kung Pao Chicken Tenders sounded like the perfect snack. From mixing the sauce to cooking the chicken, the whole thing took all of 15 minutes to prepare.

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I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor of the Kung Pao sauce. It wasn't overly spicy but added a pleasant heat to the chicken. The dipping sauce was the perfect compliment as well. The original recipe calls for either chicken tenders or chicken wings - I opted for the tenders because we had just purchased a club pack of chicken breasts at the store, but we both agreed the chicken wings would have been even better.

I'm including the recipe for both versions below. Obviously the tenders take much less time to prepare, which was perfect for our needs. However, wings would be a great alternative to the traditional Buffalo wings, a nice Asian twist perfect for celebrating the Chinese New Year.

Kung Wow Spicy Kung Pao Chicken Wings (or Tenders)
Slightly modified from Thai Kitchen/Simply Asia

1 pouch Simply Asia® Spicy Kung Pao Stir-Fry Sauce
2 pounds chicken wings (or breast tenders)
Cooking spray
1 Romaine heart, cut into large dice
Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce (recipe below)
2 scallions, thinly sliced

If using wings - Preheat an oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the wings in an even layer. Bake for 30 minutes, then baste the wings with some of the sauce. Bake for another 15 minutes, baste with sauce, bake for another 15 minutes.

If using tenders - Mix the stir-fry sauce with the chicken in a large bowl. Heat a non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray over medium high heat until smoking. Add chicken pieces in one layer. Cook, about 3 minutes per side, basting with more sauce as they cook. Flip, baste with more sauce and cook another 3 minutes or until cooked through.

Arrange the lettuce on a plate, top with the chicken pieces and dollop the Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce in the center. Garnish with the chopped scallion and serve immediately.

Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
Recipe from Thai Kitchen/Simply Asia

1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Thai Kitchen® Sweet Red Chili Sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Store leftover sauce in the fridge.

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Chile Chicken and Cheese Rice

I brought the camera downstairs, turned on the chandelier and opened the dining room curtains for light and I still managed to forget to take a photo until I was halfway finished with my dinner.


This morning SP wanted to know what I wanted for dinner so he could go grocery shopping. I looked through my recipes and found an old favorite - Chile Chicken and Cheese Rice. It was good, but not spicy enough (despite the 5 jalapenos) and a tad too salty. I still ate a good amount, though.