How to use Rotisserie Chicken To Make Asian Appetizers

We all know chicken is a great source of protein. Did you know chicken also contains high levels of vitamin B3 also known as niacin and minerals like selenium and phosphorus? Our body needs niacin to help our body’s enzymes work properly for energy. Selenium and phosphorus are minerals that keep our cells and bones functioning properly

There are two types of chicken meat: white and dark. White chicken meat contains less fat and therefore, less calories than the dark meat. Chicken breasts are considered white meat and chicken thighs and legs are considered dark meat. Chicken breasts are great for making soups and stews. Chicken legs and thighs are great for baking, roasting or grilling.

Have you ever wondered what Asian appetizers can be made using leftover store-bought rotisserie chicken? Well, I did, and I am happy to share the three Asian appetizer recipes I created using store bought rotisserie with you. Even though these recipes are appetizers, they are also great for snacks and party foods.

A rotisserie chicken is a perfect way to make my Mu Shu Chicken. Originally, the Mu Shu dish is made with sliced pork and served as an appetizer at Chinese restaurants. It is common now seeing chicken instead of pork being used because of its healthier benefits. The basic concept of the mu shu dish is to stir fry meat, eggs, and vegetables such Shitake mushrooms, tree ears, bean sprouts and Chinese cabbage (these are the traditional vegetables in the dish) and then serve it in a thin homemade flour wrap. Instead of making the thin homemade flour wrap which is time consuming, many people use tortillas. I like the thin pancake wraps but do not want to spend the time to make them. What is my solution? Use super-thin egg roll (spring roll )wraps that you can buy from the Asian grocery store! They work just as well in terms of mimicking the thin homemade wrap texture and flavor. Not to mention it saves a lot of meal prepping time too. If Shitake mushrooms or tree ears are not available to you or not your preferred vegetables, use regular mushrooms and canned bamboo shoots instead. I make my egg like an omelet and then slice it into thin strips. This is only for presentation purposes. You can make scrambled eggs instead to save time. I like light and fluffy eggs, and I learned I can get that texture by adding one tablespoon of water per egg used. Store-bought rotisserie chickens are usually well seasoned with salt, so there is no need to add salt or soy sauce to this dish. The only sauce you will need to use is diluted hoisin sauce with water for stir frying. If you are using super-thin egg roll wrappers, do not over stuff the wrappers to prevent them from breaking and falling apart. Serve this Mu shu chicken as an appetizer at parties, or eat several of them as a quick and easy dinner.

Dim sum are small dishes served at Chinese restaurants during breakfast or brunch. If you like dim sum, baked pastries and curry, this is curry chicken pastry recipe is for you. The recipe is simple and easy to make with common ingredients you can find from any grocery store. Restaurants make their own pastry dough. I have discovered by using the pre-made pie crust dough, I can get very similar results without making a big mess in the kitchen since I am not a great homemade pie dough maker. I don’t own a circular shaped cookie cutter, so I improvised by using a round drinking glass. Turn the glass upside down, and I have a homemade circle cookie cutter, no need to go out and spend money buying one. For the filling, in addition to the chicken, I added frozen peas and carrots. Yes, frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh ones if they have no added salt or as little as possible. Since many ovens do not distribute heat evenly, in order to keep all the pastries evenly browned, I rotated my baking sheet during the baking process to get even browning. This is definitely a great finger food, anytime snack or appetizer.

My foil wrapped chicken with ginger soy sauce recipe is light and flavorful. It is another great way to use up your leftover rotisserie chicken.

Foil wrapped chicken is a common appetizer dish served in Chinese restaurants. It usually has a strong BBQ soy sauce flavor. However, the flavor of this recipe is inspired by one of my favorite Chinese dishes, steamed fish. It is a whole fish or fish filet dish that has been steamed with sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger and topped with green onions and/or cilantro. The fish is soft, moist and full of the gingery flavor, a simple light, and flavorful dish. To mimic that flavor, I diluted my soy sauce with water to prevent the rotisserie chicken from becoming too salty. Even though my recipe calls for canned broken straw mushrooms, regular canned sliced mushrooms will work too.  I did not use green onions in this recipe because I think Cilantro alone gives that special flavor I am looking for. If you do not own a steamer or steamer basket, use a metal colander instead. Place your colander on top of a pie pan or on a plate to prevent the water from going inside your foil wrapped chicken when steaming. There is absolutely no need to go out to buy steaming equipment just for this recipe. The chicken is so tender, moist and flavorful when served immediately after steaming. A must try recipe whenever you want something light and flavorful.

 I hope you will give Asian appetizers a try whenever you want to use up your leftover rotisserie chicken. Let me know which appetizer is your favorite.

                                                           Happy Eating!