Fried Chicken Bento Recipes

Steps:

• In 3-quart saucepan, heat 2 inches oil over medium-high heat to 350°F.
• Meanwhile, place cornstarch in medium resealable food-storage plastic bag. Shake chicken strips in cornstarch to coat. Discard any remaining cornstarch.
• Place egg in small bowl. Mix bread crumbs and garlic-pepper blend on small plate.
• Dip chicken strips into egg, then roll in bread crumb mixture. Fry half of the chicken in hot oil about 2 minutes or until golden brown outside and no longer pink in center. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining chicken. Cool thoroughly before packing into bento or lunch box. Store in refrigerator.

Steps:

• Trim breast and pound to 1/4 inch cutlets. Completely coat cutlets in a 50/50 mixture of Chili Powder and Cumin. In a large pre-heated oil-coated skillet, fry cutlets until cooked through over med-high heat. Let cutlets cool for 10-15 minutes then cut into bite-size strips.
• Heat Refried Beans over low heat while letting chicken cool and cutting vegetables.
• Dice tomato into bite-size pieces. Mince onion and jalapenos (seeded or not depending on your heat preference).
• When chicken is able to be handled comfortably and beans are heated through, you can begin assembly. Spread 1/4 of the refried beans on one side of tortilla leaving about a 1/2 to 1 inch of uncoated tortilla around the edges. Fill the center of bean coated tortilla with chicken, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and cheese. Roll up the tortilla into the shape of a burrito.
• In a large skillet (Preferably cast iron, but not necessary) preheated to medium and sprayed with PAM or lightly coated with butter, placed burritos in the pan with the folds face down. Cover and fry for about 5 minutes. Flip and cook for 5 more minutes while covered. Tortilla shell should become nicely toasted.
• Serve with Salsa and or Guacamole on the side. I also make some Spanish rice to go along with this dish as well. Enjoy!

Steps:

• Mix first 3 ingredients together in bowl big enough to hold the chicken. Add the chicken. Let this marinate for 30 minutes, turning over halfway through.
• Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
• Take the chicken out and pat dry. Reserve marinade. Put chicken skin side down (if you aren't using skinless) in pan and cook until browned on that side (just a minute or two) and then flip and brown the other side.
• Pour reserved marinade over chicken and cover tightly. Lower heat and simmer until chicken is done, about 5 minutes.
• Remove cover and raise heat back to medium high. Reduce marinade until it is more of a glaze. Toss chicken in glaze to cover.
• NOTE: You could certainly substitute beef or tofu for the chicken in this recipe. Just adjust the cooking accordingly.