I have a unique home situation:
I am currently on a eat whatever I feel like diet, and I love just about all foods, so I'm the easy one now. After 1/1/18 I'm back on my low carb keto diet. Then it gets interesting.
Wife is Celiac. Plus a picky eater.
Older step son won't eat veggies.
Younger step son told us he wants to be vegetarian. His father won't support that, so it's extra stress to try and let him eat the way he prefers when he's with us.
Tonight's meal was a staple of our house - Honey Chicken
3 boneless skinless chicken boobs, sliced into bite sized pieces
3 eggs
Salt, pepper, garlic powder
Corn starch
Rice
Mix the eggs, spices, and chicken well, then dust with cornstarch and mix and cornstarch and mix and so on until you get a nice nasty thick sticky glob of chicken. Moar egg = moar starch = thicker breading.
Heat veg oil to frying temp. Most recipes will say 350-375. If you have a thermometer or fryer that can give you a temp, then use it. I just heat the oil in a sauce pan on my gas stove until I can dangle a piece of the chicken and it starts to fry instead of soaking up oil. I've cooked so damn much I can eyeball just about everything. Just make sure you drop the pieces in individually to avoid stickage.
Fry for a few minutes in batches to not overload the oil. Too much at once will stick together, and you don't want that. You are not looking to go to golden brown at this stage - just getting that batter to set and get a little color on it. Drain the fried chicken on paper towels.
Once through the whole batch once, try to use the chicken that's been out the longest and fry it a 2nd time. It probably doesn't matter but I'm neurotic about some stuff like FIFO. Now you're going for color and crunch.
For the sauce I heat enough honey to look like it will coat the chicken. I add about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of liquid aminos (GF low carb soy sauce substitute - tastes just like your average store bought soy sauce. Gets the job done), and about the same amount of rice vinegar. Well actually it's a solid squirt of honey, and a splash of liquid aminos and vinegar. I told you I don't measure anything. Anyways, heat until bubbly, mixing well by swirling the pan as it heats. Toss the golden crispy chicken in the pan and stir/flip/put in a paint shaker to coat well. Don't let the sauce cook too long otherwise you risk burning it and then you end up with disappointment. Serve with rice.
Have made this with a sweet and sour sauce for dipping and was satisfying that way too. Just don't overdo it with the soy if making sweet and sour.
My vegetarian got hashbrowns and eggs tonight. Ate more hashbrowns than my wife or I do with our breakfasts and was still hungry. I got lucky with only two meals. There have literally been nights where it takes me back to my short-order cooking days where it's 4 separate meals when everyone is hungry and impatient.
Might not be the healthiest in terms of carbs and fat and whatnot, but it's also a helluva lot better than your average take out joint and the Franken-food they're sending with you.
Tip: don't use shitty honey. I get this ambrosia white label stuff that Walmart carries around here and it's good stuff. I like to visit local orchards for their raw filtered stuff when it's in season.
Tip: if you're not using pink himilaian (sp?) sea salt, you're doing it wrong. Stuff is seriously the best.
Tip: if you eat or prepare a lot of rice, get the cheapo Oster rice cooker on Amazon. Should be less than $20 and let's you not worry about how your rice is doing.