Hoisin Chicken with Asparagus

Today was one of those days. A day where The Baby would cry whenever I left the room. A day where The Man left his phone at home, so I had no way of knowing when he was leaving work. A day where The Daughter had misbehaved on the bus; again. A day where The Son was getting picked up early for soccer.

You know, one of those days.

So I wanted dinner that was quick, easy and nutritious.

Marinated and steamed chicken with asparagus on a bed of couscous. 20 minutes from start to finish. Just what I needed for today.

For the chicken today:

• 2 Chicken Breasts, cut into 1" pieces
• 2 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Lemon or Lime juice
• 1 tsp Fresh Ginger, grated
• 1 clove Garlic, smashed
• 4-5 large Mushrooms, quartered

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl and let it marinate for at least an hour.

To make Couscous:

• 1 part dry Couscous
• 2 parts boiled Water

It really can't be easier. Bring your water to a boil. In a bowl put your dry couscous. For a family of four, you don't need more than a cup at most. Then add the boiling water, give it a stir with a fork, then cover with a plate and set aside. It only takes about five minutes.

For the Asparagus:

• Asparagus, washed, woody ends removed.

On the bottom layer of your steamer put the chicken and mushrooms in an even layer. You don't want to double them up because then they won't steam as well.

On the top layer, spread out your asparagus.

Put the lid on and place over your wok on the stove. You'll only need about an inch of water, you want a good steam, but you don't want the super hot churning water to actually touch the chicken. That would boil it. We don't want to boil it.

It takes about 10-12 minutes to cook the chicken, if you have larger bits you may want to check them to be certain. 

Use extreme caution when checking the bottom layer of a bamboo steamer. It does a remarkable job of keeping the steam inside, where we want it; if you open it without protection, it will burn you. Use a towel or oven mitts to remove the top layer.

Plate as desired.

That's my taste on it.