I Am... Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
If you want juicy, air fryer chicken breasts are the way to go. No more dry meat, just juicy, moist, perfectly cooked chicken breasts every time. Air fryer chicken breasts are juicy, quick, and never dry. I usually meal prep a bunch of chicken breasts at the beginning of the week (especially if I have a really busy week) and I find that the air fryer is the best, most consistent way to make them. I then use the cooked chicken breasts in salads, wraps, burritos, tacos, sandwiches, noodle bowls, pasta, or even on their own as a no-carb snack.
How to make air fryer chicken breast
How to air fry ALL the chicken breasts: boneless skinless chicken breasts, boneless skin on chicken breast, bone in skinless chicken breast, and bone in skin on chicken breast.- Season. Place the breasts in a bowl and season with a drizzle of oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. The oil helps conduct heat and seasoning adds flavor. Feel free to use your favorite chicken seasoning, like these !
- Air fry. Place the chicken in the air fryer in a single layer and air fry, flipping halfway through, until the internal temp reaches 165°F. (See below for times)
How long to cook chicken breast in the air fryer?
- Boneless chicken breasts: Air fry at 400°F for 12-15 mins, depending on size, flipping halfway.
- Bone in chicken breasts: Air fry at 400°F for 25-28 mins, depending on size, flipping halfway.
- Frozen boneless chicken breasts: Air fry from frozen at 360°F for 25-30 mins, depending on size, flipping halfway.
Why make air fryer chicken breast?
- If you like super juicy baked or roasted chicken, air fryer chicken tastes just as juicy and tender, maybe even more so
- Air frying chicken breasts is faster than roasting/baking
- It’s also more energy efficient because you don’t need to preheat or turn on your oven
- Super easy cleanup
Bone-in skin-on vs. boneless skinless
Both work: if you care about presentation and want really pretty chicken breasts, use skin on, bone in chicken breasts because the skin crisps up beautifully and also self-bastes the meat underneath. The bone in helps it keep it’s shape. Boneless skinless chicken breasts are delicious as well though – I use them in a huge amount of recipes and they are my go to.The secret to juicy air fryer chicken breast
The secret to juicy air fryer chicken breasts is…there is no secret! Well, there is a secret, actually, it’s to not over cook them. Definitely invest in an instant read thermometer, it will ensure that your chicken is cooked to the right temp every time. If you over cook your chicken breast you’ll end up with dry chicken. Sometimes I even pull breasts out when they reach 155-160°F because the carry over heat while the breasts are resting will bring them up to 165°F. The best kind of thermometer is a thermocouple style, but you don't have to spring for the fancy expensive ones: this one is nice and inexpensive and still super fast. The other tip I have is, letting the breasts rest a bit before slicing or shredding. Letting them rest for 2 minutes will let the juices settle, keeping the breasts juicy, instead of spilling everything out on to the plate. Also, I like putting the rounded side of the breast down first (the side that would have had the skin on it) so that when it’s flipped over, the presentation side gets a bit more time to brown.Do I need to preheat the air fryer for chicken breasts?
Unlike using a regular oven, you don’t need to preheat the air fryer, which means dinner gets on the table faster.Do you need to flip the chicken in the air fryer?
Technically you don’t need to because the air in an air fryer circulates around, but for even crispiness and presentation, I recommend it. Start cooking the chicken rounded side down then flip it to finish rounded side up so it looks pretty and golden.How do I reheat chicken breasts in the air fryer?
To reheat already cooked chicken breasts in the air fryer, let the breasts heat up at 350°F for 2-3 minutes.What can I serve with air fried chicken breasts?
Since you have the air fryer out, why not try:- Air fryer asparagus
- Air fryer brussels sprouts
- The best air fryer roasted broccoli
- If you're tired of frozen fries: Air fryer parmesan wedge fries
- And even dessert: Air fryer donuts
Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
Juicy chicken breasts in air fryer deliciousness.
- air fryer
- 2-3 chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
In a bowl, toss the chicken breasts with oil, garlic powder, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.
Place the breasts, without overlapping, rounded side down and air fry per the temperatures and times below, flipping halfway, or until the the internal temperature reaches 165°F or until the juices run clear.
- For boneless chicken breasts (skinless or skin on): 12-15 mins @ 400°F
- For bone in chicken breasts (skinless or skin on): 25-28 mins @ 400°F
- For frozen boneless chicken breasts (skinless or skin on): 25-30 mins @ 360°F
(All times dependent on size)
Remove from the air fryer immediately and let rest for 2 minutes before enjoying.
I Am... How to make Buldak Ramen at home
Do you love spicy things? If so, you probably love buldak, and you'll probably love this homemade buldak ramen too. It’s fiery hot, spicy red, and so, so good. It’s one of my favorite things at Korean restaurants even though it’s so spicy I can’t handle. It's also super popular for Korean BBQ. I especially love it with cheese!
What is buldak?
Buldak, aka fire chicken, is a spicy barbecued Korean chicken dish. “Bul” means fire and “dak” means chicken. Buldak is bite sized pieces of chicken doused in a spicy sauce made with gochugaru, gochujang, soy sauce, jocheong (rice syrup), garlic, and ginger. It’s a pretty new dish that became popular in the early 2000s both in part to buldak restaurants and Samyang buldak instant noodles.What is buldak ramen?
Buldak ramen, made famous by popular Korean brand Samyang are SUPER spicy instant ramen noodles. They’re called buldak bokkeum myeon or hot chicken flavor ramen and essentially they’re instant ramen that are buldak flavored. They are one of the spiciest instant noodles available in the world and there are several different flavors. Unlike most instant ramens that are soupy, buldak ramen is a sauced noodle: after the noodles are cooked, they’re drained and mixed with the buldak sauce. The noodles are incredibly popular and Samyangs best selling noodle.How to make buldak ramen
- Mix up the sauce. In the bowl you want to eat your noodles in, mix up 1 tbsp gochujang, 1 tbsp gochugaru, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp chicken bullion powder, 1 clove garlic, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
- Cook the noodles. Cook the noodles according to the package.
- Toss the noodles in sauce. When the noodles are ready, pull them directly from the pot into the bowl with the sauce. Toss until all the noodles are glossy and saucy, loosening with noodle water if needed and get your spice on 🥵
- Enjoy!
How spicy is buldak?
It’s pretty darn spicy! Every one’s spice tolerance is different but I will say that the spice of buldak is one that builds and builds. The nice thing about making it homemade is that you get all of the flavor with only as much spice as you likeIs buldak ramen the spiciest ramen?
The original buldak bokkeum myeon hot chicken flavor ramen are super spicy at 4,404 Scoville units, but they aren’t the spiciest noodle Samyang makes. The spiciest noodle is the buldak bokkeum myeon mini (hot chicken flavor ramen mini) which is 12,000 Scoville units. 2024 edit: These days there is a 3x spicy buldak that is purported to be over 13000 Scoville units.What is in buldak sauce
- gochugaru - Korean chili flakes bring smokiness and a bit of heat and crunch.
- gochujang - This is where the majority of the spice is coming from, especially if you use an extra spicy gochujang.
- soy sauce - soy sauce adds umami and saltiness. If you have Korean soy sauce, use that, otherwise the next best for this recipe is Japanese soy sauce.
- sugar - a little bit of sweetness accentuates the spicy heat. The combo of sweet and spicy is classic in Korean food. Traditionally they use jocheong (rice syrup) but we’re going to go with sugar for ease.
- garlic - fresh garlic adds the heat. If you a garlic lover, raw garlic is essential, add as many cloves as you can handle. For the chicken, the garlic cooks, but if you’re just making buldak sauce for noodles, the raw garlic will surprise you at how spicy it is.
Gochujang vs gochugaru
If you’re not familiar with Korean food, you might not know what gochujang or gochugaru is.- Gochujang is a spicy Korean sauce. It’s savory, sweet, spicy thick fermented paste made from chili powder and sticky rice. It adds sweet and heat and a ton of flavor. Traditionally it comes in tubs, but these days you can find it in convenient squeeze bottles in the Asian aisle of literally any grocery store and online, of course.
- Gochugaru, on the other hand, are Korean chili flakes. Korean chili flakes are fruity, sweet, smoky, sun dried bright red flakes. They’re not too spicy and their heat is gentle and delicious. I always buy coarse gochugaru which looks like flaky sea salt. They usually come labeled with mild, medium, or hot, so you can buy them according to your spice preference.
What kind of noodles for buldak ramen
You can use any kind of noodles but if you’re going for the Samyang style buldak noodles, instant ramen noodles are best. You can use any pack you like, just throw out the seasoning pack. We like Nongshim Shin Ramyun noodles because they’re are thick and chewy. If you don’t have any instant ramen noodles on hand you can even try this sauce with spaghetti or udon. If you can find it near you, Nongshim even sells a plain ramen these days (this post not sponsored by the way).
That’s it! Hope you guys get your spice on!Buldak Ramen
A buldak ramen you can customize the spice level of
- 1 tbsp gochujang (or to taste, see notes)
- 1 tbsp gochugaru
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 portion cooked noodles of choice
- 2-4 tbsp noodle water (as needed)
In a bowl, mix together the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, chicken bouillon, rice vinegar, garlic powder, sugar, and toasted sesame oil.
Cook the instant ramen according to the package, save 1/4 cup water and drain well.
Toss the noodles in the sauce, loosening with extra noodle water if needed. Top with sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and seaweed and enjoy!
If you prefer it on the spicier side, add 1 tsp of your hot sauce of choice. When going for pure spiciness, we prefer Dave's Insanity.
To make your noodles less spicy, add less gochujang.
Estimated nutrition does not include your noodles of choice.
I Am... Mayo Ramen
If you’re looking to up your instant ramen game with a luxurious and creamy broth, mayo ramen is the recipe for you! All you need is a pack of your favorite instant ramen, a squirt of kewpie mayo, minced garlic, and an egg.
You’ve got to try this!
There’s a Japanese ramen Tiktok hack that’s going viral: kewpie mayo in ramen. The kewpie mayo adds a rich and creamy flavor to the ramen broth and people are going wild over it, saying that it makes instant ramen taste just like long-simmered ramen broth from a legit ramen restaurant. So, if you’ve ever wondered, is mayo good in ramen, the resounding answer is yes!Where is mayo ramen from?
Ramen and mayo is not a new thing - in Japan they even sell mayo flavored ramen. Not surprising, considering Japan is obsessed with Kewpie mayo. But recently, a squirt of mayo in instant ramen has been trending on Japanese Youtube and Tiktok.What does mayo ramen taste like?
It tastes like instant ramen with a luxurious boost of umami and richness thanks to the kewpie mayo and garlic. Instead of your typical thin instant ramen broth, the kewpie mayo and egg help thicken and give body to the broth, making the soup cling to the noodles better.Why it makes sense
Adding an extra bit of fat to ramen broth is classic in ramen making, usually in the form of aroma oil (that’s the little packet of fat you get in instant ramen seasoning) By boosting the fat content by using kewpie mayo, your instant ramen will instantly (LOL) become thicker and more flavorful. The kewpie adds complexity, mouthfeel, and a huge amount of flavor by helping the broth stick to the noodles as you pull them up.How to make mayo ramen
- Make the sauce. In a large bowl, whisk together mayo, a raw egg, 1 clove garlic minced, and the seasoning packet from an instant ramen pack.
- Cook the instant ramen. Bring 2 cups of water up to a boil and cook the noodles according to the package time. When your timer goes off, remove from the heat.
- Add the hot water to the sauce. Pour the hot water into the sauce, swirling as you go - the hot water will cook the egg and emulsify it into a creamy soup.
- Add the noodles. Carefully add the noodles to the soup.
- Serve. Top with sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds, as well as any other toppings you’d like. Enjoy immediately!
Mayo ramen ingredients
- ramen - this one is pretty simple, just grab your favorite instant ramen! More on the best ramen to pick, below.
- Kewpie mayo - the key to this magical ramen hack is kewpie mayo, a Japanese mayo. It’s rich creamy, and just a touch sweet.
- garlic - a bit of raw garlic in the sauce adds a hit of garlicky flavor. It’s cooked and mellowed out a bit by the hot soup, so it’s not raw when you eat the ramen, it ends up being just garlicky goodness.
What is kewpie mayo
Kewpie mayo is Japan’s favorite mayonnaise and salad dressing brand and you’ll pretty much find it in every Japanese household. It’s rich, yet light, and incredibly delicious. Kewpie mayo is so beloved in Japan that they even had specialty kewpie mayo cafes to celebrate all things kewpie. You can find it, in its signature squeeze bottle with a red flip top at most grocery stores these days, in the Asian aisle. The mayo itself is a bit more golden that your standard mayo and much more creamy and luxurious. Kewpie mayo is made with just egg yolks – as opposed to regular mayo which is made with whole eggs – and rice vinegar for a hint of sweetness. It’s absolutely addictive and we always have a bottle in the fridge. Read more about Kewpie mayo here.Where to buy kewpie mayo
They sell kewpie mayo at all Asian grocery stores, in some major grocery stores, and onlineKewpie mayo substitutes
If you can’t find kewpie mayo but you absolutely want to make this ramen, you can sub regular mayo and add a bit of rice vinegar and sugar.Kewpie mayo recipe:
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (Hellmann’s/Best Foods)
- 3/4 tsp rice vinegar
- 1/4 tsp sugar
The best instant ramen to use
For this particular ramen hack, you’ll want an instant ramen that comes with a soup base. Go for a Japanese brand if you can: Sapporo Ichiban makes a huge variety of flavors that are widely available. Nissan (Top Ramen), the original creator of instant ramen, is really popular too. The original ramen mayo hack was made with Nissan Sapporo miso ramen, so if you can find that, you’re golden. It’s super common so you can probably find it quite easily and like most instant ramen it’s pretty cheap too.Toppings for instant ramen
Everyone knows that toppings make ramen even better. Add some to make your bowl even more luxurious:- toasted sesame seeds
- thinly sliced scallions
- ramen egg
- veggies
- seaweed
- corn
- cheese
- kimchi
- protein: tofu, sliced chicken, ground meats, sausage, bacon
Things to make with kewpie mayo
Now that you have a bottle of kewpie mayo, here are some other things you can make!- takoyaki
- Japanese potato salad
- chicken karaage
- Japanese egg salad sandwiches
- Sushi bake
- Tiktok Salmon Rice Bowl
Mayo Ramen
Up your instant ramen game with a luxurious and creamy broth that tastes just like tonkotsu
- 1 package instant ramen (miso or tonkotsu flavor preferred)
- 1-2 tbsp kewpie mayo
- 1 clove garlic (crushed)
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp green onions (sliced)
In a large bowl, whisk together the seasoning packet from the instant ramen with the kewpie mayo, garlic, and egg until it comes together in a thick sauce.
Cook the instant ramen in 2 cups of water according to the cook time on the package.
Carefully pour the hot noodle water into the sauce, whisking as you go so it emulsifiers into a smooth, thick broth.
Add the noodles to the soup, top with scallions and toasted sesame seeds and enjoy hot!
Because all instant ramen is different, estimated nutrition does not include ramen. Please add to the ones on your ramen package.
I Am... One Day No-Knead Focaccia
If you love bread, this recipe is for you: no knead, one day, full proof, homemade bread. Specifically, an impressive bubbly, crispy, gloriously golden tray of no knead focaccia is the stuff bread dreams are made of. I love bread so much. I have a sourdough starter (named Justin Bread-ber) that I love so much that I have both dehydrated and frozen back ups of him. Bread is absolutely magical. That being said, I know that bread can be intimidating even though it is the easiest thing to make. I mean, people baked bread back in the day when there was no electricity or ovens. But no-knead focaccia is the best thing to start with. If they can do it, you can do it. I believe in you.
What is focaccia?
Focaccia is a delightful oven-baked Italian flatbread that is made with yeast. It comes in rounds, rectangles, and squares. It’s bubbly and squishy and has a signature golden brown top that’s dimpled and adorned with olive oil, flaky salt, and herbs. There are so many regional types of focaccia that you could do a focaccia tour of Italy twice around and still find different kinds to eat. It’s a beauty of a bread because there are so many varieties topped with different ingredients.How to make no knead focaccia
- Measure - start off by measuring out the flour, water, yeast, and salt. It’s best to use a kitchen scale, but if you don’t have one, I’ve included cup measurements. Thankfully bread is super forgiving and you don’t need to be extra accurate.
- Stir - Stir the flour, water, salt, and yeast together in a bowl until everything comes into a shaggy ball.
- Proof - Cover the dough and let it proof for 30 minutes in a warm spot in your kitchen. After 30 minutes, lightly wet your hands and grab some of the dough and fold it over and in on itself. After each fold, turn the bowl 90 degrees. In the end you’ll complete 4 folds. Cover and let the dough proof for another 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, lightly wet your hands and grab the dough with both hands, scooping it up and holding it over the bowl. Some of the dough will naturally fall down towards the bowl. Tuck the ends that fall down towards the bowl under the dough. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. The dough will look like a blobby rectangle.
- Dimple - Drizzle olive oil in a cake pan and place the blobby rectangle directly into the olive oil. Use your fingers to gently spread out the dough and dimple slightly. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes to an hour, or until doubled and poofy. Right before baking, drizzle generously with olive oil and dimple the dough: use your fingers to press down into the dough, almost all the way to the bottom of the pan.
- Bake - Bake the focaccia in a preheated 450°F oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden and baked through. Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes before enjoying warm or at room temp.
No knead focaccia ingredients
- flour - regular all purpose flour is what we’re using. If you have bread flour on hand, it will give your focaccia more structure and therefore more fluffiness, but it’s not absolutely necessary.
- salt - bread is only 4 ingredients and salt is essentially for flavor. If you want to get fancy you can use flavored salts on top, but in the dough, simple fine table salt is best because it dissolves easily into water.
- yeast - we’re going for instant yeast, the kind that comes in little packets or jars. Just look for yeast that says “quick-rise” or “fast-rising.”
- water - this is a 90% hydration dough meaning there’s quite a bit of water in it. The large amount of water is what makes it super easy to stir up the dough so we don’t need to knead it. We want a warm-ish water so the yeast has a happy environment to grow. In this case, warm means warm but not hot to the touch.
- olive oil - you can’t have focaccia without olive oil. Giving your baking pan a nice drizzle of oil means your focaccia gets a crisp and almost deep fried bottom crust. A generous drizzle of olive oil on top and in the dimples of focaccia is signature. Make sure you’re using an olive oil you like the flavor of.
- toppings - you can keep it simple and just go for olive oil and salt. You can also go a with a bit more and add your favorite fresh herbs. Really, you can top this with anything: tomatoes olives, cheese, garlic, go wild!
Why no knead focaccia?
The beauty of no-knead bread is that the ingredients do all the work for you. You don’t need a mixer, a bread machine, or to even really use your arm muscles. Everyone can make no-knead bread, with little to no equipment. No-knead bread is the gateway bread, the bread will show you how it’s possible to make homemade bread yourself!How does no knead bread work?
Typically, when you make bread, please excuse this pun, you need to knead it. Kneading bread is what develops the gluten in the dough, making bread chewy. It also incorporates air which is what makes the dough puff up and inflate when proofing and baking. No gluten and no air means flat, dense bread. So, then, how and why does no-knead bread work? It’s science! No-knead bread uses a relatively long rising (fermentation) time instead of kneading to develop gluten. No-knead breads have a very high hydration, meaning they have a lot of water in the dough, making it easy to mix with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Instead of kneading a small amount of water into a large amount of flour, an almost equal mix of water and flour and simply stirred together. Time and yeast do the rest of the hard work by producing a bubbly, strong, elastic network that holds air well.What is lukewarm water for bread?
We want water that’s warm to the touch, but not hot, if you want to get specific, we’re looking for between 80°F and 100°F.How to do stretch and folds
Stretch and folds are super simple. It helps if you think of your bowl as cardinal or compass directions. The top of the bowl is North, the bottom is South, right is East and left is West. Lightly wet your hands and scoop underneath the dough at North. Pull the dough up and fold it over down South. Then, scoop under the dough South and fold it up towards North. Do the same with East and West. You will have completed 4 folds.How to do coil folds
Coil folds are stretch and folds but in the opposite direction. Instead of folding the dough up and over on top of itself, you’re folding it underneath. Lightly wet your hands and use both hands to reach underneath the dough and pull up so the dough is hanging from your hands. Some of the dough will naturally fall down or stick to the bowl so it’ll look like you’re holding a very floppy cat. Tuck the two floppy ends underneath the bulk of the dough, first the top floppy part, then the bottom floppy part, kind of like you’re folding a letter in thirds. Turn your bowl 90° and do another stretch and fold. Your bread should look kind of like a loose blobby rectangle.No knead focaccia tips and tricks
Here are some tips and tricks to make your focaccia the best it can be!Cold fermentation
Some people are very particular about the flavor of yeast. I’m one of them. I definitely prefer slow, cold fermented doughs which means if I have enough foresight, I will almost always make my dough the day before and let it cold ferment in the fridge. What this means is stopping (also card retarding) the proofing. When you put dough in the fridge, the coldness slows down the yeast growth and stops the yeast from digesting the flour. Slower yeast growth leads to better flavor development because there is less off gassing. If you do a cold ferment, you’ll want to put your dough in the fridge after the second set of coil folds, once you have put your dough into the baking pan. Keep it wrapped up and just pop it in the fridge. The next day, about 2-3 hours before you want to eat your bread, take the pan of focaccia out of the fridge and let it sit at room temp or in a happy proofing temperature for 2 hours or until doubled and very poofy.What temperature for proofing no knead focaccia
If you’re really particular and want to have the ideal temperature for your focaccia to thrive, you’ll want your ambient air temperature to be 85°F. Nice and toasty for all the yeasties to grow and bubble. Some ovens have a proofing setting and if yours does, go ahead and use it. Otherwise, you can always pop your proofing focaccia into your toaster oven or microwave; just be sure to leave a sign on the door so no one accidentally kills all your hard work.What kind of pan for no knead focaccia
You can really use any kind of pan you want as long as it can contain your dough. If you use a rimmed sheet pan your focaccia will be thinner and if you want a fluffier, thicker focaccia, you should use a cake pan. This recipe will fit nicely into an 8 inch cake pan or a rimmed quarter sheet pan. In this post, I used an 8.6 x 6.6 inch rectangular pan.When to dimple?
Most people dimple their focaccia at the end, right before they pop it in the oven. The truth is, you should dimple twice: right when you put your dough in the baking pan and then again right before you bake. Dimpling the first time helps expel any extra air which will give your focaccia a good crumb. Dimpling right before you bake means you’ll get more airy bubbles and a good crumb. Because the dimples are little pockets where the olive oil can pool, you’ll want to have just the right amount. Dimpling right before you bake helps you know that you’ve proofed just enough. The dimples will stay indented and the dough around dimples will be bubbly and airy.Bread heads
For all the bread heads out there, this is a 90% hydration dough which makes it super fluffy and bubbly. Here are the baker percentages if you want to adapt the recipe:| Ingredients | Grams | Baker’s % |
| flour | 240 | 100% |
| salt | 5 | 2% |
| instant yeast | 2.5 | 1% |
| water | 225 | 90% |
More breads
Once you’ve dipped your toes into bread making, try these recipes out:- Parmesan garlic knots - seriously the BEST garlic bread knots you’ll ever have
- Soft and fluffy Parker House rolls - these are so soft and pillowy, you’ll want to make a bed and sleep on them
- Sourdough of course - Try your hand at sourdough. Step-by-step instructions on how to cultivate your very own starter and make your first loaf with wild yeast
- Pretzels - Homemade pretzels are a serious flex, they take a bit more time than these regular bread but they are so worth it
- And even Pretzel Dogs - it’s almost Oktoberfest so why not make some pretzel dogs
One Day No-Knead Focaccia
Make impressive bubbly, crispy, and gloriously golden focaccia with almost no effort.
- 2 cups all purpose flour (240 grams)
- 1 tsp salt (5 grams)
- 3/4 tsp active dry yeast (2.5 grams)
- extra virgin olive oil (to taste)
- flaky sea salt (to taste)
- fresh rosemary (to taste)
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and the salt.
In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, add 225 grams (about 1 cup) warm water. Sprinkle on the instant yeast.
Stir the yeast into the water then add to the bowl with the flour and salt. Use a silicone spatula to mix well, until everything comes together in a shaggy ball. Scrape down the sides if needed, then cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, use lightly wet hands (or you can use nitrile kitchen gloves) and complete a set of stretch and folds, picking up the dough and folding it over on itself. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
After resting, complete a set of coil folds, sliding your slightly wet (or gloved) hands underneath the bulk of the dough and picking it up over the bowl, letting the weight of the dough fall down. Tuck the ends under each other, turn the bowl 90 degrees and do another coil fold.
At this point, you can cold ferment your dough in the fridge (see the above post) or transfer the dough to an olive oiled cake pan.
Gently press the dough out to the edges and dimple slightly with oiled hands. Cover and proof for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, lightly oil your hands and dimple the dough again. Cover and let rest for another 30 minutes or until completely doubled and very poofy.
Heat the oven to 450°F and drizzle the top of the focaccia generously with olive oil. Dimple one last time and sprinkle on flaky sea salt and fresh rosemary.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top of the focaccia is golden and crisp and the focaccia is cooked through (you can use an instant read thermometer inserted into the middle, it should read between 190–210°F). Remove and let cool for 30 minutes, then slice and enjoy!
I Am... Air Fryer Dry Ribs
If you’ve had dry ribs at the pub and want to make them at home, these ribs are for you. If you’re a pub-lover just for the pub food, you’re my kind of person. I always, always happily agree to go to the bar or the pub because bar food! Bite-sized, usually deep-fried, and always delicious - I’m down.
What are dry ribs?
Dry ribs are deep-fried, seasoned pork riblets. They’re crispy, juicy, and completely addictive. I’m pretty sure dry ribs aren’t a popular menu item, but whenever I see them I’m excited because they’re so good. Usually, I see riblets served as saucy ribs but trust me when I say, dry riblets are superior. First off, they’re faster and easier to make and second, they aren’t super sticky and saucy which makes them a better finger food. These ribs are perfect for game day, a snacky-snack, or even a meal if you make a vegetable side dish and some rice. I love them because they’re pretty hands off thanks to the air fryer. Traditionally dry ribs are deep-fried but I’m on the air fryer train and I’m not getting off anytime soon.How to make dry ribs
- Cut - cut the ribs into individual rib pieces. Super simple, just cut between the rib bones to create single rib bites.
- Season - place the riblets in a bowl and add 1 tbsp of oil, some soy sauce or oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, garlic powder, and sugar, mixing until coated.
- Dust - Take the ribs, shaking off any excess marinade and toss in cornstarch.
- Air fry - Lightly oil the air fryer basket and preheat the air fryer to 350°F. You don’t necessarily need to preheat, but I find that food gets more crispy when you do. When hot, carefully arrange the ribs, in a single layer, in the basket and drizzle the tops with a bit of oil. Air fry for 10 minutes, then shake or flip and fry for another 10 minutes or until crispy, golden, and cooked through.
- Enjoy - Let cool slightly and enjoy!
Dry rib ingredients
ribs - this is the essential ingredient. Look for riblets, pork spare ribs, rib-tips or even a rack of baby back or spare ribs that you ask the butcher to cut for you in half length-wise. oil - a little bit of oil is going to help with browning and heat transfer. These dry ribs will be air fried so a coating of oil around each rib will help it cook evenly and keep the ribs juicy. seasoning - how you season your dry ribs is up to you. This recipe goes in a more asian style (more on that below) but you can season them any which way you like, from old bay to your favorite chile rub to even just salt, pepper, and garlic powder is amazing. coating - a simple coating of cornstarch is going to give these dry ribs a very light crispy crust. It’s barely there and that’s how we want it. These guys aren’t even remotely battered, just lightly dusted so you get a little bit of a crust that gives way to a juicy, meaty rib bite.Dry rib seasoning
I went with a simple mix of oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, garlic powder, and just a smidge of sugar. The result is savory and a touch sweet with lots of garlic notes. The key is to season with a savory mix with just a bit of sweetness. The Shaoxing wine adds a slightly complex note. It’s a little hard to describe, but a really fun and tasty backbone ingredient in Chinese cooking that you can read more about here. If you don’t have Shaoxing wine on hand and want to substitute in something similar, you can go for sherry vinegar. Or, if you have rice vinegar, you can use that and increase the sugar a bit. That being said, I’ve seasoned these ribs with so many different combinations.Are dry ribs pork or beef?
In this case, dry ribs are pork, specifically pork riblets, which are essentially shortened ribs. They’re cut from the same part of a pig, the ribs. Instead of leaving the ribs long, they’re cut cross-wise so the rib bones are short making them perfectly bite-sized.What kind of ribs for dry ribs?
Pork spare ribs, riblets, pork rib pieces, pork bone-in rib tips, and the names go on and on. Essentially, these pork ribs are just pork ribs that are cross cut so the rib bones are only 1 to 1.5 inches in length (see below). Asians love this cut of ribs so you’ll find the cut commonly at the butcher counter at Asian grocery stores. You’ll see them at national grocery store chains too, depending on how well stocked the meat department is. If you don’t see them, you can always ask the friendly butcher in the meat department if they can cross-cut a package of pork baby back ribs or pork spare ribs. The best part of riblets is the fact that they cook quickly.Our favorite air fryer
I love deep-fried food and I love our air fryer because it gets us about 75% of the feels of deep frying with about 10% of the effort. We recently got this air fryer and both Mike and I are in love. It replaces our old air fryer which was over 5 years old and wow, there is a HUGE difference. Everything is so much more crispy and brown and there is a bunch more space.How to make dry ribs in the oven
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can bake dry ribs in the oven. Follow the recipe then place the coated ribs on a lightly oiled rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Bake the ribs in a 400°F preheated oven for 15 minutes, then flip and continue to bake for another 5-10 minutes or until crispy and cooked through.How to deep fry dry ribs
If you don’t have an air fryer, you can deep fry these guys as well. Heat up 2 inches of neutral oil in a heavy bottom pot over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F. Carefully deep-fry in batches, for 7-9 minutes per batch, until golden, crispy, and cooked through. Drain on a wire rack.What to serve with dry ribs
I love sauce and these guys would be amazing dipped in: You can also serve them up with:How to reheat dry ribs
To reheat any leftovers, simply air fry for 5-8 minutes at 350°F or warm in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy! I hope you’ll have a lil appetizer/bar food day. These guys are great for game day or an indulgent home happy hour. I hope they make you as happy as they make me. xoxo stephAir Fryer Dry Ribs
Crispy, juicy, completely addictive ribs done in the air fryer in minutes.
- 1 lb pork spare ribs (cross-cut and cut into individual ribs)
- 2 tbsp neutral oil (divided)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (or oyster sauce)
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (optional)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
Cut the riblets into individual bite-size pieces.
Add the ribs to a bowl, with 1 tbsp of oil, the soy sauce/oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, garlic powder, and sugar.
Remove any excess marinade from the bowl with the ribs and discard. Add the cornstarch to the ribs and toss to coat.
Preheat the air fryer to 350°F. Carefully oil the basket of the air fryer and lay the ribs out in a single layer, being sure not to crowd. Drizzle the remaining oil over the ribs.
Air fry for 10 minutes, then flip and air fry for an additional 10 minutes or until golden, crisp, and cooked through.
Remove from the air fryer and enjoy!
Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main
I Am... Yaki Udon
Yaki udon, with its thick and chewy noodles, super savory sauce, crisp vegetables, and slices of seared pork is my idea of pure comfort food. It’s super easy to put together and I can’t imagine a better one pan meal. I LOVE yaki udon. It reminds me of long lazy nights, huge piles of noodles steaming on a flat top grill, and the sounds of happy people chatting and enjoying festival food in Japan.
What is yaki udon?
Yaki udon, literally translated, is fried udon. Thick and chewy udon noodles are fried with pork, cabbage, onions, and carrots, in a slightly sweet, super savory soy and mirin based sauce. It’s usually topped off with seaweed and bonito flakes that gently dance in the heat of the noodles. It’s almost just the same as yakisoba, but with udon noodles. Yaki udon is super popular at Japanese festivals, at izakaya (Japanese pubs), and just about anytime.How to make yaki udon
You’re just 5 minutes away from pure noodle satisfaction.- Soak. The easiest way to defrost frozen udon noodles is to give them a quick soak in some warm water. Use your hands or a pair of chopsticks to loosen them up, then drain.
- Fry the pork. Add a touch of oil to a pan and cook the pork slices, flipping as needed, until golden and cooked through.
- Cook the vegetables. Stir fry the vegetables until slightly soft.
- Add the noodles. Fry the drained noodles, along with soy sauce, mirin, and dashi, tossing until the noodles are glossy and coated with sauce.
- Enjoy! Top off with some bonito flakes and nori and enjoy!
Ingredient notes
- Udon noodles - my all time favorite kind of udon noodles are the frozen ones! They’re called sanuki udon and essentially, they’re fresh udon noodles that are cooked, then flash frozen. Read more about frozen udon below.
- Dashi powder - dashi is a super savory, clear, umami rich stock made from seaweed and dried fish. You can make it from scratch or, there are amazing dashi packs and instant dashi powder/granules, kind of how there is chicken stock powder or bouillon. More on that below too.
- Mirin - mirin is Japanese sweet rice wine and a key ingredient in Japanese cooking. Compared to sake, it has a lower alcohol content and higher sugar content that occurs naturally from fermentation. It’s used as a seasoning and glazing agent. They sell mirin in the Asian aisle, at Asian grocery stores, and online. If you don’t have mirin, you can sub the same amount of sugar.
- Katsuobushi - this is an optional ingredient but it will make your yaki udon super umami forward and authentic! Katsuobushi are dried, thinly shaved bonito flakes that they put on top of yakisoba, yaki udon, and takoyaki. They’re those little pale whisps that look like they’re dancing when the food is hot. You can find katsuobushi at Asian grocery stores and online.
Yakiudon vs yakisoba
If you asked me to choose between yakiudon and yakisoba, I would choose yakiudon every time, hands down! Udon noodles are a joy to eat: thick and chewy and SO satisfying. Mike and I love udon so much that we went on an udon pilgrimage to the birthplace of udon, Kagawa, Japan. They don’t have yakiudon there, but they do have the best udon in Japan. Udon is truly the best noodle to make in saucy stir fry. The noodles soak up so much flavor and hold up without getting soggy. With yakisoba sometimes you get sad broken noodles. You’ll never have that problem with udon. Udon noodles are hearty, thick, and a joy to eat!Frozen Udon is the Best Udon
Frozen udon is the best: it’s practically instant and takes on all the flavors of whatever you’re cooking it with. We always have a pack (or five) of frozen udon bricks in the freezer. Of course, you could use those instant udon packs, that come shrink-wrapped, but if you want udon on another level, head to your local Asian grocery store, take a peek in the freezer and do yourself a favor and buy the frozen udon. Frozen udon is sold in bricks, with usually 5 bricks in a package. They’re super easy to prepare: just thaw and go. And best of all, most of the frozen udon that’s sold in North America is actually imported from Japan. We often see brands sold here that are the same as what we buy at the grocery store in Tokyo. They taste infinitely better than the shelf-stable cryovac udon. Basically, look for the words Sanuki Udon somewhere on the package.Dashi powder
Dashi powder is the quickest way to add dashi flavor to any dish. Essentially, it’s a flavor booster. You can buy dashi powder in the Asian grocery store or online. It adds a bunch of flavor and umami. If you don’t have any on hand, you can substitute it with chicken stock powder, but if you do, your udon may end up saltier than if you use dashi.How to customize yaki udon
Yaki udon is a super customizable noodle dish. Make it your own!- Beef yaki udon: sub 1/2 lb thinly sliced beef
- Chicken yaki udon: sub 1/2 lb sliced chicken
- Shrimp yaki udon: sub 1/2 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
- Vegetable yaki udon: leave the pork out and add 1 cup extra vegetables, such as: mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli
- Plain yaki udon: leave the pork and vegetables out
More udon recipes
If you’re looking for other udon-inspiration, try these recipes:- Everything Bagel Pesto Stir Fry Yaki Udon
- Weeknight Thai Curry Stir Fry Udon Noodles
- The ultimate 10 minute spicy beef weeknight stir fry udon
- Spicy, Savory, and Completely Addictive Mentaiko Kimchi Udon
- Chewier, Better, Faster, Stronger: 4 Ingredient Cacio e Pepe Udon
- Chicken Udon Recipe
- Turkey Curry Udon Recipe
- Sunday Brunch: Bacon and Egg Yakiudon
We even went to Kagawa
And if you want, check out our trip to the birthplace of udon. -StephYaki Udon
Super easy and pure Japanese comfort food.
- 1 brick frozen udon (about 250g/8.8oz)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (Japanese preferred)
- 1 tsp instant dashi
- 1 tsp mirin (or sugar)
- 1 tbsp neutral oil (eg. grapeseed)
- 1 pork chop (about 1/2lb)
- 1/4 medium onion (sliced)
- 1 cup cabbage (chopped or shredded)
- 1/2 carrot (julienned or shredded)
- 1/2 cup katsuobushi (shaved dried bonito flakes, optional)
Soak the frozen udon in a bowl of warm water, loosening to make sure the strands of noodles are separate. Drain and set aside. Mix together the soy sauce, dashi powder, and mirin (or sugar) with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat up the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced pork and cook until the pork is seared and cooked through, 2-4 minutes.
Add the onion and sauté, stirring, until soft, but not brown. Stir in the cabbage and carrot, cooking until soft, but still a bit crunchy, 1-2 minutes.
Add the drained udon noodles and bowl of sauce. Toss everything together, over medium-high heat, until the sauce reduces and coats the noodles, 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and season with salt and pepper. Finish with sliced nori and bonito flakes, if using.
I Am... Rice Paper Croissants
If you’re on Tiktok you’ve seen rice paper croissants. The good ones look just like crispy, golden, flaky croissants with layers upon layers. I admit, I doomscroll way too much. I love a good Tiktok hack, I love rice paper, and I love croissants, so testing out rice paper croissants was a no brainer.
What are rice paper croissants?
They’re just what they sound like, croissants made of rice paper. Classic French croissants are a multiple day affair with yeasted dough and copious amounts of butter, so these technically aren’t croissant-like at all, except in name and shape. They do share the layers though! Think crispy, crunchy outsides with multiple chewy, mochi-like layers inside. They’re delightful.Who invented this hack?
I’m not sure who technically invented them, but they’ve gone viral thanks to @twaydabaeb who first saw the recipe on @tastyjapan’s account. Since then, they’ve gone legitimately viral with tonnes of people trying them out for themselves.What do rice paper croissants taste like?
They’re crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, so nothing like a croissant. That being said, they taste good, like a sweet treat that’s reminiscent of a combination of French toast and mochi. If you’ve had Japanese mochi or Hawaiian butter cake before, this rice paper croissant will remind you of that.Why rice paper croissants though?
Why not?! Sure, these are technically far away culinarily from croissants, but for our purposes, they have layers like croissants and they kind of look like croissants. Plus, if you have someone gluten-free in your life, you can surprise them with some gorgeous golden rice paper croissants.How to make rice paper croissants
- Heat and prep - preheat your oven to 350°F and prep a rimmed baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
- Make the custard - In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, melted butter, baking powder, vanilla extract, and cinnamon (if using). To go the extra mile, strain your egg batter through a fine mesh strainer.
- Soak the rice paper - Pour the egg mix into a bowl that’s shallow enough to let you place the rice paper rounds in flat. If you don’t have a large enough bowl, use a rimmed baking sheet. Take a single sheet of rice paper and dip it into the egg custard briefly, flipping.
- Stack - Place the egg-soaked rice paper on a cutting board. Repeat 2 more times so you have a stack of 3 sheets of eggy rice paper stacked up.
- Cut into thirds - Cut (using a sharp knife or kitchen scissors) the stacked rice paper into thirds. The middle piece should be a triangle while the two outer pieces will be half moon/circles.
- Roll - Take one of the side stacks of rice paper and lay it directly on top of the middle triangle. Take the remaining side stack and lay it on top of the middle triangle, so that it’s perpendicular/horizontal to the triangle shape. Roll the rice up from the wide bottom up to the point of the triangle.
- Bake - Place the rice paper croissant on the prepped baking sheet and curve in the sides slightly to make it crescent-shaped. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. The rice paper croissants will be golden and crispy on the outside.
- Enjoy - Let the croissant cool down a bit and enjoy while still warm! The outer shell will be crispy and crunchy and the inside layers will be slightly gooey, chewy, and mochi-like.
Ingredients for rice paper croissants
- Rice paper - Grab a package of round rice paper, it doesn’t matter which size you get, but most of the tutorials online use the larger size. More on rice paper and where to buy it below.
- eggs - the base of rice paper croissants is eggs. Rice paper croissants are more reminiscent of French toast rather than the flaky butter bread-iness of regular croissants.
- milk - the milk helps thin out the eggs and make the batter more of a custard instead of simply beaten eggs.
- sugar - sugar is for sweetness, obviously, but it will also help with browning and crunch.
- butter - you can’t have croissants without butter! Plus the butter aids in coloring and browning. You’ll have to melt the butter so you can easily add it to the batter, the microwave is your friend here.
- baking powder - this is going to help give the batter a little bit of rise, as well as help with crisping and browning.
- vanilla and cinnamon - Vanilla adds a nice creaminess to the rice paper croissants and helps make them taste more like a pastry. If you don’t have any though, I would say optional. As for the cinnamon, I think it’s completely optional. Cinnamon is in the original recipes I’ve seen on Tiktok, but regular croissants don’t have cinnamon in them, so this is completely up to you. If you’re looking for more of a French toast flavor, add in some cinnamon. For the croissants in this post, I opted for no cinnamon.
What is rice paper?
Rice paper, or bánh tráng in Vietnamese, is a standard in Vietnamese cuisine. Rice paper is exactly what it sounds like: thin, edible wrappers made of rice. They come dehydrated and are rehydrating with water when it’s time to eat. Rice paper consists of rice that’s steamed, made into a batter, then dried into a thin sheet. Contrary to the one-ingredient name, sometimes rice paper also contains tapioca starch. Either way, rice paper is always gluten-free which makes it an amazing choice to use as a wrap or when sliced up, gluten-free noodles.Where to buy rice paper
If you live in a city with a grocery store that has a large international aisle, you’ll be able to find rice paper in the Asian aisle, near the rice vermicelli. All standard Asian grocery stores will carry several kinds of rice paper in the dry noodles aisle. If you’re lucky enough to live near a Vietnamese grocery store, you can also find a whole aisle of rice paper varieties from small to extra large. If you can’t find rice paper locally, it’s also readily available online.Other recipes that use rice paper
I LOVE rice paper. Honestly, it is one of the most versatile and best ingredients out there. Try it in these recipes:Do Tiktok rice paper croissants work?
Yes! They are fun, easy to make, and unique. I love the contrast between the crispy outside and the mochi-like chewy insides. They don’t taste like croissants in any way, but I throughly enjoyed making and eating them. Enjoy! These rice paper croissants aren’t like the other croissants. They’re very demure, very mindful, very cutesy ;) xoxo stephRice Paper Croissants
This tiktok croissant hack makes crispy, golden, flaky croissants with layers upon layers.
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1.5 tbsp sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)
- 1 tbsp butter (melted)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 6 sheets rice paper
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a shallow bowl (large enough to lay the rice paper in), whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and baking powder. Make sure everything is well combined and there are no streaky egg bits. Strain the egg custard through a fine mesh strainer if desired.
Take a single rice paper sheet and dip it into the egg mixture, flipping once. Lay the coated rice paper sheet on a cutting board and repeat with 2 more sheets of rice paper so they are directly on top of each other.
Cut the stacked rice paper into 3 pieces, with the middle being a triangle and the two sides being half circles.
Take one of the side half moons and lay it directly on top of the middle triangle.
Take the last half moon and lay it down perpendicular/horizontal to the triangle.
Roll the rice paper up and place on the prepared baking sheet.
Slightly shape the tips of the rice paper croissant into a crescent shape. Repeat with the remaining rice paper then sprinkle sugar on top if desired.
Bake both croissants in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven, let cool and enjoy.
I Am... Chicken Tortilla Soup in Just 15 Minutes
I am obsessed with chicken tortilla soup. I love that warm and savory broth-y soup topped off with crunchy bits of deep-fried tortilla strips, cheese, sour cream, and avocado. Tortilla soup is serious comfort food. I went through a phase a couple years back when all I would eat everyday for lunch was chicken tortilla soup. A tiny little Mexican place had just opened up in the neighborhood and Mike and I tried it and loved it. Soon, I started begging to go for lunch everyday. I said it was because I wanted to support local and see our neighborhood Mexican restaurant succeed but really it was because I was obsessed with their lunch special: chicken tortilla soup with a mini burrito. I loved the burrito but the real star was the soup. Deep red with hints of toasty toasty chiles with ALL the toppings. We moved a couple years after my obsession and before leaving, I asked if I could get their recipe. They very kindly gave me a general outline since we were regulars - ever since then I’ve been making this soup at home.
What is tortilla soup?
Tortilla soup or sopa de tortilla is a Mexican soup made from tomatoes, garlic, onions, and chiles. It’s topped off with fried corn tortilla strips. It’s broth-y, warming, and delicious. It can be made with beef or pork but the best and most traditional version is chicken tortilla soup.How to make chicken tortilla soup
Making tortilla soup is amazingly simple for how delicious it is. They key is to add in a dried chile for some smoky warm heat.- Sauté: Gently sauté some aromatics like onions and garlic.
- Add: To the aromatics, add in chicken broth, fire roasted tomatoes, a dried ancho chile, a chopped jalapeño, and some chicken.
- Simmer: Let everything simmer so the flavors meld.
- Shred: Take the chicken out and chop or shred it.
- Serve: Scoop some soup into a bowl then top it off with crispy tortilla strips (or chips), shredded cheese, avocado, jalapeño, and sour cream. Enjoy living your best soup life!
Chicken tortilla soup ingredients
You can easily find all the ingredients for this chicken tortilla soup at the grocery store. Heck, it’s almost a pantry soup, if you have some staples on had. You’ll need: onion, garlic, chicken broth, fire roasted tomatoes, chicken, tortillas strips (or chips), and some toppings.- Dried ancho chile - ancho chile peppers are the dried version of poblanos, a slightly spicy Mexican pepper. When dried, ancho peppers are dark red with glossy wrinkly skin. They have a sweet smoky fruity flavor with a warm mild heat. You can find them in the Mexican aisle. They’re used whole to flavor soups and stews and when they’re ground up you get ancho chile powder.
- Fire roasted tomatoes - You can find these canned in the tomtato aisle. Fire roasted tomatoes are roasted over an open fire – they even come with blackened bits – then diced and canned. They add smoky sweet juicy tomato packed flavor to tortilla soup.
- Tortilla strips - The best thing to do is grab some corn tortillas, cut them into strips, and gently fry them in oil until they are incredibly fragrant, crispy, crunchy, and absolutely accidtive. Here’s how to fry tortilla chips [https://safedealform.info/you-need-homemade-tortilla-chips-in-your-life/](https://iamafoodblog.com/you-need-homemade-tortilla-chips-in-your-life/) , instead of triangles, cut them into strips for this recipe. Frying your own tortilla strips is the best option, but if you have a bag of tortilla chips hanging out, you can use those too, which is what I did in these photos.
How to make this the BEST soup
Because tortilla soup doesn’t have a huge long list of ingredients (thank goodness!) it’s important that each ingredient is its absolute best. For me, tortilla soup is all about the add ins and toppings. Here are some tips on how to make the best tortilla soup:- Fry your own crunchy tortilla strips. I know, I know, the photos in this post have store bough tortilla chips (a travesty!) but be better than me and fry your own tortilla strips. It’s easy: slice a couple of corn tortillas into strips. Heat up a bit of oil over medium high heat. Add the tortilla strips and cook until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oil, drain and sprinkle with salt. They’ll be incredible, trust me.
- Have a little topping bar. Scoop out the soup into bowls, then create a little topping bar with chopped cilantro, green onions, shredded cheese, avocados, lime, jalapeños, sour cream, and tortilla strips. This way everyone can add in as much or as little garnish as they like. If you’re like me, it’s all about the toppings!
- Finish with a bit of chili powder. Sprinkle on a tiny bit of chili powder – even better if it’s homemade – for an extra hit of flavor.
Stovetop Chicken Tortilla Soup
Lightly sauté the onion, garlic, and jalapeño in a bit of oil then add the chicken broth, tomatoes, and chicken to a pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken, shred, add back into the soup, season and serve with the toppings.Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Add all of the ingredients to crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. When done, remove the chicken, shred, add back into the soup, season, and serve with the toppings.Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Add all of the ingredients to the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Quick release, remove the chicken, shred, add back into the soup, season, and serve with the toppings.Creamy chicken tortilla soup
This chicken tortilla soup isn’t creamy, but it’s super easy to add some heft, creaminess, and tang. All you need to do is stir in 1/2 cup softened cream cheese at the end, right before you serve it up. Make sure the cream cheese is at room temp so it blends and melts into the soup evenly.Sides
I love tortilla soup as a meal, but if you want to round it out a bit, maybe add some:- mexican rice
- chicken tinga tacos
- birria tacos
- or even barbacoa tacos
- and of course homemade tortilla chips
- and guacamole too
Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Warm and savory broth-y soup topped off with crunchy bits of deep-fried tortilla strips, cheese, sour cream, and avocado.
- instant pot
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 dried ancho chile
- 1 jalapeño (chopped)
- 4 cups chicken stock (no sodium preferred)
- 14.5 oz fire roasted tomatoes (1 can)
- 1 chicken breast (or 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs)
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Toppings
- 1 jalapeño (sliced)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (roughly chopped)
- 1 avocado (cubed)
- 1/2 cup cheddar (shredded)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup tortilla chips (crushed)
- 2 lime wedges
Stovetop: Lightly sauté the onion, garlic, and jalapeño in a bit of oil then add the chicken broth, tomatoes, and chicken to a pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken.
Crock pot: Add all of the ingredients to crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours.
Instant Pot: Add all of the ingredients to the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Quick release, remove the chicken, shred, add back into the soup, season, and serve with the toppings.
Just before the soup finishes cooking, prepare the toppings: slice the jalapeños, chop up the cilantro, slice the avocado, and cut the limes.
When the soup is done, remove the ancho chile and discard. Carefully remove the chicken, shred, then divide into bowls. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, then ladle on top of the chicken. Finish with jalapeños, cilantro, avocado, cheddar, sour cream, tortilla strips, and lime. Enjoy hot!
I Am... How to Make Cheesy Potato Balls
Hello crispy, crunchy, creamy, cheesy potato balls! If you love cheese and cheese pulls, this is cheese pull heaven. It’s everything you never knew you wanted, in one portable, pick-up-able, potato-y package. I love me some cheese pulls. Give me ALL the cheese, especially when it’s melted and especially when it gets gooey and pull-able. There’s something so visceral about stringy melted cheese. Cheese makes everything better and these smooth and fluffy mashed potato balls stuffed with mozzarella cheese is no exception. They are essentially a take on croquettes.
What are croquettes?
Croquettes are little stuffed balls or cylinders that are coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. They’re usually made with béchamel or potatoes and can have a multitude of fillings. Croquettes are originally from France but nowadays they’re eaten almost everywhere. I love croquettes! There’s nothing better than mashed potatoes coated in crispy panko then deep fried to a satisfying golden crunch.What are cheesy potato balls?
These little cheesy potato balls are essentially a croquette stuffed with cheese. A deep fried cheese stuffed mashed potato ball, that melts in your mouth. The outsides are crispy-crunchy and the insides are filled with creamy mashed potatoes and a molten core of cheesy goodness. These cheesy potato balls were inspired by two different things: LA’s famous Porto’s potato balls and those Korean cheese balls you see in mukbang. If you’ve been to LA then I’m sure you know about Porto’s Bakery, the Cuban bakery famous for their papas rellenas potato balls. They’re stuffed with picadillo (a Cuban meat dish) and are SO good. Mike and I always make a stop when we’re in the area to stuff our faces on potato balls and cubanos. The other inspiration for this cheesy potato ball is the Korean mozzarella cheese ball. Korean cheese balls are chewy, crispy doughnut-type deep fried cheese balls that are super popular with mukbangers (those youtubers who eat INSANE amounts of food). Cheese balls are usually sold alongside Korean fried chicken. They’re really cheesy and melty and are great for cheese pulls. I combined the deliciousness of a mashed potato ball with the gloriousness of a cheese ball and here were are: cheesy potato balls! They hit all the right notes and even though we’re in the middle of a heat wave right now, I made the commitment to deep fry these guys at night so we could have a decadent after dinner snack, just because.How to make cheesy potato balls
1. Peel and boil the potatoes
Start by peeling your potatoes and then cutting them into large, even chunks. After your potatoes are peeled, place them in a large pot and cover with COLD water. Starting with cold water ensures that your potatoes cook evenly. If you add potatoes to boiling water, the outsides will cook faster than the insides. Add a generous amount of salt and turn the heat up to medium high. When the potatoes and water come to a simmer, set a timer for 15 minutes. The potatoes are done when fork tender. Poke a fork into a chunk. If it slides through easily, it’s done. Drain the potatoes well.2. Mash the potatoes and cool them
I usually like to push my potatoes through a sieve so they’re extra light and fluffy but for these potato balls it doesn’t matter so much, so just give them a light mash making sure they don’t have any lumps. Stir in just 1 tablespoon of cream - you want a stiff potato so it’s easier to shape - and season with salt to taste. Spread the potatoes out to cool. You can make the potatoes the day before and keep them in the fridge overnight if you want to make the potato balls in two steps. Just make sure to take the potatoes out of the fridge and let them come to room temp because they will be easier to shape.3. Shape and fill the potato balls
Use a ice cream/cookie scoop to scoop out about 2 tablespoons of potato then pat into a round patty. Cup your hand and place a cube of cheese inside and bring the potatoes up and around the cheese to cover making sure that potato surrounds all of the cheese. You want the cheese to be totally encased in potato otherwise the cheese will leak out while you’re frying. Lightly roll the potato ball between your hands.4. Coat the potato balls
Prep a breading station with three bowls: flour, whisked egg, and panko. Use your right hand to pick up a ball and roll it in flour, then put it in the bowl with the egg. Use your left hand to roll it around in the egg until it’s coated. Place it into the panko and use your right hand to roll it around until it’s completely covered in panko. Using different hands for the wet and dry ingredients will keep your hands from clumping up.5. Deep fry the potato balls
After all the balls are coated, heat up the oil on medium high heat. You want the oil temperature to be between 350°F and 375°F. When you add your potato balls, the oil temp will drop, so aim for 375°F to start with. I use an instant read thermometer to make sure I’m in the right range. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can check if your oil is ready with an uncoated wooden spoon or uncoated chopsticks. Just put the spoon/chopstick into the oil. If:- Nothing happens, the oil isn’t hot enough
- The oil starts bubbling around the chopstick/spoon steadily, you’re ready to fry.
- If there are too many bubbles and it looks like it’s boiling around your chopstick, your oil is too hot
So satisfying to make and eat
These cheesy potato balls look impressive but they are actually really easy to make and even easier to eat. If you have leftover mashed potatoes, this recipe becomes even quicker, but I recommend making mashed potatoes just for this purpose - more on that later.Ingredients for cheesy potato balls
Potatoes
The best potatoes to use for potato balls are Yukon golds. Yukon gold potatoes are a dense, rich, and fluffy potato that will hold up to boiling without getting too water-logged. Waxy potatoes like red or white potatoes end up being gummy so avoid those. If they don’t sell Yukon golds at your grocery store, russet/Idaho potatoes will work too. You can use leftover mashed potatoes too - I’ve done that for croquettes in the past but in this case a stiff potato works best for containing the cheese when deep-frying. If your mashed potatoes have too much butter and cream/milk, the cheese will tend to ooze out while you’re deep-frying.Cream
There’s a very small amount of full fat cream in the potatoes – adding too much extra liquid will make the potatoes too loose to shape into balls. The cream adds body, flavor, and creaminess. If you don’t have cream, you can use milk.Salt
It’s important to salt both the water you cook the potatoes in as well as salting the mashed potatoes. Taste them and salt according to taste. We like to use sea salt or kosher salt instead of table salt because it’s easier to pinch and add to dishes.Cheese
The best cheese for cheesy potato balls is mozzarella, hands down. Mozzarella is the best for meltability and stretch. It adds a delicious mild creamy flavor and pairs well with potatoes. You can use mozzarella string cheese cut into small cubes or shredded mozzarella cheese, which is what I used. I recommend using cut up string cheese because it’s easier to wrap into the potato balls. If you use shredded mozzarella, squish up the mozzarella into little balls before wrapping with potato. Other cheeses will work as well, but cheese pulls will vary.Flour
Flour is the first step in a three-step battering process. All-purpose flour is the gold standard for this.Eggs
You need a whisked egg for the egg wash portion – you could get away with using one but whisking up two eggs gives you more room to coat your potato balls. Make sure you give your eggs a really good whisk so you don’t end up with goopy bits stuck to your potato balls. Pro-tip, don’t throw away your eggs after you’re done, you can scramble them up for a quick snack.Panko
The secret to light and crispy breaded things. Panko is what makes Japanese pork tonkatsu so good. You might think a breadcrumb is a breadcrumb is a breadcrumb, but panko isn’t just breadcrumbs, they’re better! Panko, also known as Japanese breadcrumbs, are fluffier and larger than regular breadcrumbs because they’re made from crustless white bread. They and are dryer and flakier which makes deep-fried panko crusted things airy and extra-crispy. It’s worth it to buy a bag of panko, especially if you love crunch. Panko is sold in most grocery stores in the Asian aisle but it’s cheaper to buy it at an Asian grocery store.Oil
You need about 1-2 cups of oil to deep fry your potato balls. Go for a high smoke point oil as you want the oil temperature to be between 350°-375°F. The best oils for frying are, in order of highest to lowest smoke point: safflower, rice bran, soybean, corn, sunflower, canola, or grapeseed. You want a neutral oil that has no flavor. We usually buy safflower because I think it’s cute, but go for what’s affordable.Tips for making cheesy potato balls
- Room temp mashed potatoes: Cooled down mashed potatoes won’t burn your hands, they’re easier to mold, and they hold their shape better. I made the mash the day before (okay, actually several days before because I forgot about them) and then just popped them out on the counter to bring them up to room temp. Bringing the potatoes up to room temp is also key because you don’t want to deep-fry cold balls as the outside will color but the cheese inside won’t melt.
- Same sized balls: Using a cookie scoop or a measuring spoon will keep your potato balls the same size meaning they’ll all finish cook at the same time. Plus your potato balls will look nice and professional. Maybe you can start a cheesy potato ball food truck!
- Consistent heat: It’s inevitable that your oil temp will rise and fall when you’re adding stuff to the oil. Try to keep it at the same consistent temperature. I use an instant read thermometer to check obsessively because I’m type-A like that.
Time to eat!
Now that you’ve fried up your balls it’s time to eat! Be careful because the cheese can be really hot. We like to eat these as is, pulling them apart so you get the cheese pull effect. You can have them plain or with ketchup or hot sauce. They’re essentially a snack food but if you like, serve them up with some Korean fried chicken! PS - Do you have extra panko? Here are some other recipes that use it too! Easy oven-fried tonkatsu, air fryer chicken strips, cheddar cheese broccoli tots, and quail scotch eggs.Cheesy Potato Balls
- 2 large russet potatoes (peeled and cubed)
- 1 tbsp cream or milk
- salt (to taste)
- 40 cubes mozzarella cheese (1/2" cubes)
- 1 cup flour
- 1-2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
- 1.5 cups panko
- High heat oil for deep frying (such as grapeseed)
Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover with cold water. Add a generous pinch of salt to the pot. Bring to a boil and cook potatoes on medium high, uncovered, until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well and mash. Stir in the cream and salt to taste. Set aside to cool.
When the potatoes are cool (you can make them the day before then take them out of the fridge to come to room temperature for 1-3 hours) use a ice cream scoop or measuring scoop to scoop out 2 tablespoons of potato. Shape into a ball and then flatten slightly and place a cube of cheese in the middle. Bring the mashed potato up around the cube of cheese, enclosing it. Roll gently into a ball shape. Repeat as needed.
Set up a breading station with three shallow dishes. One with flour, one with lightly beaten egg, and one with panko. Working gently, with one ball at a time, dip the ball into flour, shaking off excess, then coat in egg wash. Roll in panko to coat completely. Set aside on a plate or tray and continue to coat all of the balls in panko.
In a deep sided, heavy bottomed pot, heat up 2 inches of oil over medium heat until it reaches 375°F. Gently place the potato cheese balls in the hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd, turning occasionally and maintaining oil temperature of 350°F, until the breading is golden brown and crisp, 2-3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to paper towels to drain. Let cool slightly and enjoy hot while the cheese is still stretchy.
Variations: Add garlic powder, onion powder, bacon, or green onions to the mashed potatoes. Change up the cheese.
I used shredded cheese because it’s what I had in the fridge but it’s a lot easier to just cube up mozzarella or string cheese and wrap that.
Recipe makes about 40 balls
I Am... Easy Chicken Enchiladas
If you’re looking for a cozy, warming, filling, all-in-one dish, enchiladas are it. Corn tortillas wrapped up around a super savory meaty filling, smothered in homemade enchilada sauce and topped off with cheese, what could be better? I first fell in love with enchiladas in New Mexico. Mike and I were on a road trip and boy oh boy did I fall hard for the the land of enchantment – which handily happens to be the state slogan. One of the best meals we ate was at Mary & Tito’s: the enchiladas (extra chile please!) are something I still dream about. If you love enchiladas that are plump, juicy, full of filling, with a lot of sauce and cheese, this is the enchilada recipe for you!
How to make enchiladas
They may seem complicated, but if you can roll up a tortilla, you can enchilada!- Prep the sauce. We’re going to go all out and make a homemade green enchilada sauce but if you’re in a hurry, you can used jarred enchilada sauce - you can find both red and green sauce in the Mexican aisle at the grocery store.
- Make the filling. Don’t go rolling up just plain meat inside your enchiladas! You want the filling to be flavorful, juicy, and moist. Give your filling an extra boost by mixing in a good amount of enchilada sauce and cheese.
- Roll. Lightly heat up your tortilla, the spoon some filling in the center. Roll the tortilla up tightly and place it seam side down in an oven safe baking dish.
- Sauce. Spoon on some extra enchilada sauce and finish with generous amount of cheese.
- Bake. Bake the enchiladas until they are heated through and the cheese is melty and delicious.
- Top and enjoy! Finish everything off with some toppings: cilantro, onions, salsa, sour cream, extra chiles. Enjoy hot!
Ingredient notes
Enchilada sauce - enchilada sauce is surprisingly easy to make, especially because a blender does all the work for you. That being said, you can use store bought sauce if you’re in a hurry. Chicken - I like to air fry the chicken because air fried chicken is so easy and good, but you can also use leftover rotisserie chicken or baked chicken too. Cheese - A blanket of melty cheese on top as well as cheese inside the enchiladas make these guys extra cheesy comfort food. Tortillas - I like to use corn tortillas, which is traditional, but enchiladas with flour tortillas are popular too and flour tortillas are a lot softer, making them very easy to roll. If you are using corn, be sure to heat up the tortilla first (preferably in a nonstick pan, or if not, a microwave) to make them soft and pliable. Toppings - What are enchiladas without toppings? Sour cream is a must. I also like a squeeze of lime, diced red onions, sliced avocados, and chopped cilantro.Red vs green enchiladas
Generally, there are two kinds of enchiladas: red or green. Red enchiladas have red enchilada sauce, made from dried red chile peppers. Green enchiladas have green chile sauce, made from roasted green chile peppers. We’re going to make green enchiladas because I am obsessed with green chile!What is an enchilada?
If you haven’t had the pleasure of having one before, an enchilada is a rolled corn tortilla stuffed with meat (or beans or vegetables), covered with sauce, and baked. Enchiladas are originally from Mexico, but a lot of people associate them with American Tex-mex, even though you can find them across the entire Southwest.Variations
I love chicken enchiladas, but to be honest, you can fill these with almost anything, including all the meats: seasoned ground beef, barbacoa, carnitas, chicken tinga (shown below), al pastor, or carne adovada.What to serve with enchiladas
- who doesn’t love Mexican rice?!
- quick and easy homemade salsa verde
- better than store bought tortilla chips
Best Chicken Enchiladas
From scratch green chile enchilada sauce makes this the best ever chicken enchiladas.
- 1 lb tomatillos (paper skins removed)
- 4 Anaheim chiles (or Hatch, when you can get them)
- 1/4 medium onion (roughly chopped)
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 cup fresh cilantro (roughly chopped)
- 1 tsp dried oregano (Mexican preferred)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 4 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 2 cups shredded cheese (of choice, divided)
- 18-20 small corn or flour tortillas (or 8-10 big ones)
- fresh cilantro (chopped, optional, to serve)
- lime wedges (optional, to serve)
- hot sauce (optional, to serve)
Make the enchilada sauce: set the oven to broil. Wash and dry the tomatillos and chiles. Toss with a bit of oil and toast on a foil lined baking sheet until charred, flipping once, about 15-20 minutes.
When the tomatillos and chiles are done, remove the tomatillos from the baking sheet, placing in a blender. Carefully wrap the foil up around the peppers so they are in a little package so they can steam. Let steam for 10 minutes and then peel off the skins and remove the stems and seeds. Add the peppers to the blender, along with the onion, garlic, cilantro, oregano, and cumin. Blend until finely chopped. Taste and season with salt.
Set the oven to 375°F and lightly oil or use non-stick spray on a baking dish.
Add 2 cups of the green enchilada sauce to a bowl with the shredded chicken and 1 cup of cheese. Mix well, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Lay a tortilla flat (warm them up in the microwave briefly if they need to be more pliable) then spoon on some filling in the center. Roll up tightly and place seam side down into the prepared baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and chicken mixture.
Top generously with the remaining enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake in the oven until cheese is melted and bubbly, 20-30 minutes. Top with cilantro and serve with hot sauce and lime.
I Am... Easy Rustic Vodka Sauce Recipe
Vodka sauce isn't just to booze it up, it really makes your pasta better. Let’s back up a bit. Just what exactly is vodka sauce? It’s pink, it’s pretty, and it really does have vodka in it. It’s little bit retro (it was super popular in the 70s and 80s) and something you almost always see at classic old school Italian American pasta places. Vodka sauce is rich, luscious, and is one of the best homemade pasta sauces you’ll ever learn to make. If you’ve only ever had the jarred stuff before, you’re in for a treat. Vodka sauce, like so many beloved foods, has somewhat of a murky beginning. Some people say that it’s completely Italian American and some say it originated in Bologna, Italy.
A more rustic style vodka sauce
American vodka sauce tends to be on the more creamy side, but I like my vodka sauce with a more Italian bent: easy to make with a few good ingredients that you can taste. So this version is more of a rustic style with chunks of veg you can see, much more olive oil, and not too much cream. There's a lot of time spent simmering but very little time actually making the sauce. I set timers for every step so there's not a lot of watching the stove (although I stay in the kitchen to drink and chat). It's important to get good olive oil and canned tomatoes if you can.Secrets of restaurant pasta
As we mention in our cookbook, That Noodle Life, the secret of good pasta is pretty simple. You need a good bronze die cut pasta (that's the kind that looks sandy), cook it to 2-3 mins less than the time on the package, drain but don't rinse, and finish in the sauce for 2-3 minutes. It might seem like a lot (and your arm won't like it) but in the final minute, the pasta and sauce goes from watery to creamy and it clings to your pasta like nothing else. To avoid your pasta breaking, gently stir it with a silicone spatula or silicone covered tongs.How to make vodka sauce
- Render the pancetta (or prosciutto). Cut the pancetta into cubes. Add to a medium pot along with a good glug of olive oil (1/4 cup) over low heat. You're basically shallow-frying your pancetta here. Remove the pancetta and set aside, so it remains crispy.
- Make your soffrito. I like to add the garlic in first for 2-3 minutes let the edges brown a touch. Stir in the onion and carrots and cook until slightly soft, about 15 minutes. Good soffrito takes time, so don't rush it.
- Add the vodka. This is the fun part! Stir in the vodka, scraping the pan a little to deglaze, and let it cook down and reduce by half. This takes about 10 minutes on our stove. Don't smell it for the first 5 minutes or your nose will burn up (unless you are a functional alcoholic).
- Add the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes and let everything come to a simmer. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then let simmer for 30 minutes to form the sauce.
- Finish with cream. Stir in the cream and continue simmering until the sauce emulsifies and becomes a beautiful rosy orange, about 15 minutes. Taste and finalize your seasoning.
- Sauce your pasta. Saucing pasta in the pan for at least 2 minutes will emulsify the sauce and prevent a thin watery finish. Some say this is the most important step to a really good pasta dish.
Ingredients for vodka sauce
- Pancetta. Pancetta is Italian smoked pork belly. It adds smokiness, salt, and umami to the sauce. I'm not as picky about pancetta vs prosciutto as other people and honestly it's an optional ingredient. Leave it out if you would like a cleaner brighter sauce, or are vegan/feeding vegans.
- Onion and carrots. Soffrito is the base of Italian sauces and this one is no different. Cook it low and slow to create the flavors that your sauce will build on.
- Garlic. Some Italians say that technically it's a sin to add garlic to many sauces, but it'll be our little secret because I love garlic.
- Vodka. The quality of the vodka isn’t so important here, so if you aren’t a drinker and don’t have a usual brand of vodka, just buy the cheapest one you can find. See below for brand recommendations.
- Whole tomatoes. Try to buy an organic can of diced or crushed tomatoes. Be careful of buying expensive cans of san marzano from Italy, a lot of them are fake.
- Heavy cream. The cream is what gives the sauce body and that classic orange vodka sauce color.
What is vodka sauce?
Vodka sauce is a tomato based cream sauce that is made with vodka. The vodka adds a distinctly sharp, bright flavor and helps emulsify the cream and tomatoes together. It’s a super comforting sauce that comes together quickly and pairs perfectly with pasta.What does vodka sauce taste like?
Vodka sauce is creamy and rich. It’s luxurious and silky on the tongue thanks to the cream and sweet with a bit of acid from the tomato. As the sauce cooks over a low flame, the tomatoes caramelize and turn jammy, melding and combining with the vodka. The vodka flavor isn't anywhere to be seen, but the alcohol carries so many more flavors than you'd get with just water or even white wine. The tomato is dominant, with a hint of brightness and herbaceous pepperiness.Is there vodka in vodka sauce?
Yes, there is vodka in vodka sauce. Lots of sauces have alcohol added to them: the alcohol bonds with fat and water, so food become smells and tastes better. Simply said, food cooked with alcohol becomes more aromatic and flavorful. Most authentic Italian sauces have wine and in this case, we switch out wine for vodka.What brand of vodka should I buy
Honestly it doesn't matter too much because vodka should be colorless and tasteless. Smirnoff tends to win the double blind taste tests in those categories, and if you would prefer a bit of an upgrade, I have a soft spot in my heart for Stoli, Titos, and Costco Kirkland brand. But really, any vodka will do, make sure it's one you like to drink, since we'll only need 1/2 a cup of it.Can you make vodka sauce without vodka?
Yes, you can absolutely make vodka sauce without vodka. It won't be exactly the same, but it will still taste pretty close. To substitute vodka, add a squeeze of lemon and some extra pepper.Is vodka sauce vegetarian?
Most vodka sauce recipes out there are vegetarian. This recipe has pancetta (Italian cured pork belly) in it but you can leave it out to make a vegetarian version.Can you add meat?
If you love some protein in your pasta sauce, you can definitely make this sauce with meat. Actually, this recipe already has meat in it: pancetta. Pancetta is cured pork belly and it is absolutely delicious (and by far the best meat for pasta sauces). It adds smokiness, saltiness, and umami to the sauce. The pancetta gets crisped up and when you get a bite with a little nugget of salty, porky goodness it’s like winning the lottery. Pork and tomatoes are a classic Italian combination because they compliment each other perfectly. If you don’t have pancetta, you can substitute it with bacon. You can also do vodka sauce with ground pork, ground beef, and especially with chicken, which is probably the second best option.Make it spicy
If you love spicy pasta, this vodka sauce is the perfect vehicle. Just add a generous pinch of crushed red pepper flakes in when you’re cooking the garlic and onions - adding the pepper flakes to hot oil blooms them and releases and amplifies their spicy flavor.Which pasta shape is best?
This creamy, spicy, delicious sauce will pair well with any pasta, but we especially love it with short pasta. Penne alla vodka is the classic but you could use any short pasta you love.- Farfalle: Bow ties for the win! Some say bow ties (or butterflies, depending on who you are) are for kids but I say they’re for everyone! Farfalle actually traditionally go with a cream or tomato sauces so they’re perfect with vodka sauce, which is a combo of both.
- Fusilli: Fusilli are curly twirly corkscrews that is perfect for cream sauce. The grooves grape the sauce and they’re just a fun shape.
- Rigatoni: These tubes have nice ridges that the creamy sauce can cling to. They look almost like penne but are bigger and have straight instead of diagonal edges. I really like vodka sauce with rigatoni. Pictured below are calamarata, which are like a distant cousin of rigatoni.
- Shells: Um, shells might be the perfect shape for every sauce because of the little scoop inside where the sauce can snuggle up. More sauce equals more life, amiright?
Easy Rustic Vodka Sauce
An easier, more Italian forward version of the sauce everyone loves
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 lb pancetta (or prosciutto, cubed, optional but highly recommended)
- 1 carrot (diced)
- 1/2 onion (chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (sliced)
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 14 oz canned tomatoes (diced or crushed recommended)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 14 oz pasta
- Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (to taste)
Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a medium sauce pan. If using pancetta, fry your pancetta until crispy, about 5 minutes, then remove.
Add the garlic and fry until the edges are very slightly brown.
Make the soffrito: stir in carrots and onions and cook until soft, 15 minutes.
Add the vodka and reduce by half, 10 minutes. Increase the heat if your sauce doesn't come to a simmer within about 1 minute.
Stir in the canned tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the cream and reduce the heat to low. Continue simmering for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat.
At the same time, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add pasta. Cook 2-3 minutes less than the package time.
Optional: for a more rustic feel, use a masher to crush your sauce into a paste.
When your pasta is done, drain but don't rinse, then transfer the pasta to the saucepot. Stir with a soft silicone spatula for 2-3 minutes, or until a thick sauce coats your pasta.
Transfer pasta to dishes, then top with pancetta (if using), grated cheese, and pepper flakes to taste.
Estimated Nutrition doesn't include pancetta (but does include 3.5oz of dried pasta per serving).
I Am... Easy Parmesan Garlic Knots
Warm garlic knots fresh from the oven should be a controlled substance. I can inhale an entire tray, even when I'm eating them alongside something like this delicious bolognese with pasta. I made the knots from scratch here, but you can easily use store bought pizza dough for somewhat immediate results.
Why garlic knots?
Garlic knots are the best part of pizza night! I love those tender and soft on the inside, crispy on the edges knots dripping with garlic butter. Pure carb-y perfection. I like them with sauce, without sauce, I even eat them cold. I’m a garlic knot monster!How to make garlic knots
First off, I want to say, you don’t have to make the dough from scratch. You can buy pizza dough and make these and you will still experience the immense joy homemade garlic knots will give you.- Make the dough. Or buy it. no one is judging. If you make it, all the ingredients go in a stand mixer until everything comes together a ball. After the dough is a ball, you cover it and let the dough proof until doubled.
- Shape the knots. When your dough is nice and puffy, you punch it down and shape the knots. Push the dough into a log and cut it into 8 strips. Roll the strips out a bit, then knot the dough. Cover the knots with a plastic blanket and let them take a nap until fluffy.
- Bake the knots. Brush the knots with garlic butter then bake them up until golden and delicious.
- Give the knots a butter bath. Double dip the knots for even more garlicky goodness. Shower them with parm and parsley too.
- Enjoy!
Why you should go homemade
If you are wondering why go to all this work:- the satisfaction of homemade dough
- you can freeze them
- they are super soft and fluffy
- golden brown and delicious
- dripping with garlic butter
- a generous dusting of parm and parsley
What if I don’t want to make dough?
Just buy it! I do, all the time. Pizza dough usually comes in 1 lb balls and it is perfect for this recipe.Air fryer garlic knots
If you’re looking at this post and thinking, “this is great and all, but can I use the air fryer?” the answer is yes! All the knots in the photos were made in an air fryer. Prep the garlic knots as described, preheat the air fryer at 400°F for 5 minutes, then air fry them for 10-12 minutes at 350°F, or until golden. Give them a dunk in the extra butter when they come out.Garlic Knots
You can make the dough from scratch or use store bought, either way, these knots are addictive.
for the Garlic Knots (or sub with 1lb store bought pizza dough)
- 3/4 cup warm water (177ml)
- 1 tsp instant dry yeast (3g)
- 1/2 tsp sugar (2g)
- 2.25 cups all purpose flour (270g)
- 1 tsp salt (6g)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (30ml)
Parmesan Garlic Butter
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup butter
- 6 cloves garlic (crushed)
- salt (to taste)
- 2 tbsp finely grated parmesan
- 2 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley (chopped)
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the water, yeast, sugar, flour, salt, and olive oil, in that order. Knead with the dough hook until the dough comes together into a ball, adding 1 tablespoon of water if too dry and 1 tablespoon of flour if too sticky. Using lightly oiled hands, gather the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let proof until doubled 1-2 hours.
On a lightly floured surface, punch the dough down, shape into a long log, and cut into 8 equal strips. Roll each strip into an short rope and tie into a knot. Dust with garlic powder, cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Towards the end of the rise time, heat the oven to 400°F.
Make the garlic butter: melt the butter, add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until just soft but not brown, about 2-3 minutes.
Brush the knots with the garlic butter (save the remaining garlic butter for after the knots are baked) and bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and dunk into the remaining butter. Sprinkle with parmesan and parsley. Enjoy plain or with pizza sauce!
For air fryer garlic knots, air fry 10-12 minutes @ 350°F, or until golden.
To store: leave knots at room temp, in a container for up to 2 days at room temp or in the fridge for 1 week.
To freeze: let cool completely then freeze in a freezer safe bag for up to three months. Let thaw at room temp and reheat as desired.
