One Pot Chicken

Recently I ate at Mama Woks, but what's more interesting to me (and probably to all of you) was their "three piece chicken" that was served in one big pot of smoking, yummy, goodness. How I came to order this dish was epic in it's own right; when we sat down, we noticed that an elderly woman was chewing away by herself, with a table filled with classically Chinese influenced dishes. One of them happened to be the "three piece chicken". Okay, maybe not that epic, but amazing none the less, I mean, this old woman was the prime example of a foodie all and all. I was inspired and determined that I will order what she's having. I was not disappointed. When the dish came out, it was contained inside of a clay pot and covered; the anticipation creeps at me as I lifted the top (slowly for dramatic effect) and was overwhelmed by the simplicity of the presentation, while seduced instantly by its subtle aroma.

The "three piece chicken" reminds me of what good Chinese food was like; all elements that makes up Asian cooking are clearly presented with sweet, sour, salty, and subtle spices worked well to harmonized this dish. I have no idea however why it was called "three piece chicken", as the pieces are cut up into bite sizes. Maybe it's a loosely "English" name for something far more fierce and meaningful, like "Dragon of wisdom seas" or maybe they just simply cut small pieces of chicken out of three larger pieces. As I'm typing this, I'm beginning to lean towards the later.

So, this brings us to my "one pot chicken". Basically, I'm taking all the flavor profile that I found the "three piece chicken", deconstruct it, and cook it all in one big pot to save time. This is perhaps the easiest dish that I've made in a while. If you like good foods, and don't have a lot of time to make it, read on.

Ingredients:

• chicken breast (cut into bite size)
• onion (cut into quarters)
• ginger (chopped finely)
• garlic (diced)
• soy sauce
• black peppers 
• green onion
• corn starch
• chicken broth (or water, but use stock when you can)
• lime
• basil (chopped finely)
• celantro (chopped finely)

Methods:

•  Put everything into one large pot and put heat on medium to medium high; cook for about 20-30 mins. Make sure to stir occassionally, and add corn starch at towards the end to thicken the sauce. Add more soy sauce, sugar, and lime to taste, otherwise you're good to go. Serve with rice of course.