Wow. What a workout! I blasted my arms and shoulders today with the new set of weights that I bought. I upped most exercises by 5 pounds each, and my arms were feeling it by the end of each set.

I am trying to stick to the nutrition guide as much as possible. I think that is important because every review that I have read states you will get better results by following the plan. The only modification I am making is to add in more fats, and making saturated fats okay. The program was designed with the paradigm of saturated fats being poison. I don’t follow that line of thinking.

Things are going well with P90X. The only complaint I have is that I have aggravated my back/side muscle on the right side again. I will have to take it easy and do more stretches. It is like a pinched nerve or something, and it is really annoying.

Until tomorrow, BRING IT!

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I recently showed you how things can go horribly wrong when you over-think a dish. Today I am going to give you the original recipe, with an explanation of how it is executed.
I got the idea for this dish when I was looking through the excellent resource “The Flavor Bible.” If you are a serious cook, the book will help your creative juices by giving you a list of flavor profiles that go well with ingredients. (The link goes to my Amazon store.)
I knew that I wanted to do something with Star Anise, so I jumped to the section of Asian ingredients. I was thinking of Teriyaki as well, but not the cliché sauté you see pulled off. I saw oranges listed, and I immediately remembered about fennel braised in orange juice. Add in Shaoxing into that mix, and the whole package is neatly tied together.
I just mentioned that I did not want the cliché stir-fried teriyaki for this dish. Instead, I cut the chicken legs Chinese style. What does that mean?
You would normally separate the leg and thigh through the joint in the middle. With the Chinese cut, you put an additional cut through the middle of the thigh, and through the thick part of the drumstick. The idea is better portion control, even cooking, and a reduction in cooking time.
The problem with putting the components together and cooking them is that the chicken has a far longer cooking time then the fennel. Each component must be braised separately, the braising liquid combined for the final sauce, and then the construction of the final dish.
I prefer a low and slow braise for the chicken, and a quick braise for the fennel. It is important to do each separately, or you risk mushy fennel for the dish.

a photo of the Star Anise Chicken dish

Loveliness on a plate!

Star Anise Chicken with Braised Fennel

Servings: 4 (2 protein, 1 fruit, 2 condiment, 1 vegetable)

Ingredients:

  • 4 chicken legs with back attached, cut in the Chinese style
  • 2 tablespoons palm sugar, grated (if you do not have palm sugar, brown sugar will be fine.)
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • 1 pod star anise
  • 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ cup Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
  • 1 ½ cups orange juice
  • 1 bulb fennel, top removed
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 orange, segmented
  • 1 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped roughly
  • 1 green onion, sliced on a bias

Method:

  1. Add palm sugar and water to wok over medium high heat. Caramelize the sugar until almost black. Add the chicken to stop the caramel. Toss around in wok to get a good sear on the chicken. Add the ginger and garlic, star anise pods, orange juice and Shaoxing wine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then transfer into an oven at 275°F. Braise until the chicken is just cooked through and tender. (About 2 hours at that temperature.)
  2. While the chicken is working, cut the fennel bulbs into wedges leaving the core intact. Place wedges cut side down in a shallow pan. Add chicken stock to the pan and place it over high heat, and bring it to a boil. Lower temperature to minimum needed to maintain a simmer. Cover the pan and braise the fennel until it is just tender. (About 30 minutes.) Remove fennel from the cooking liquid, add the cooking liquid to the chicken braising mixture.
  3. Once the chicken is cooked, remove chicken pieces to a resting area. Reduce braising liquid over medium high heat until just thickened to sauce consistency, adjusting with cornstarch and water if needed. Taste and adjust the seasoning of the sauce, then strain it.
  4. To build the dish, place orange segments and braised fennel in the bottom of the dish in an interesting pattern. Place braised chicken pieces on top of fennel and oranges, ladle a bit of sauce over that. Finish up with the coriander and green onions.
  5. Serve with rice, if desired.

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Day 17: Plyometrics, Act 3

September 2, 2010

Whew! As usual, Plyometrics kicked my ass. I HATE IT, but I LOVE IT. My heart gets pounding, my blood sugar drops, and I sweat like a 2$ call girl in a seedy motel. (Well, ahem, not that I know what that is like.)

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Day 16: Chest and Back, Ab Ripper X – Act 3

September 1, 2010

I am already into my 3rd week of P90X! It is hard to believe that I have not lost the energy to continue. While I am doing this regime, I have not even had a day off from work yet, and won’t for a few days away. I have stuck it through though, and the workout is a highlight of my night.

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We Interrupt This Recipe … For Inventory

August 31, 2010

I promised a recipe yesterday. I am currently doing inventory today, so I will need to polish and post it tomorrow.

Sorry for the confusion!

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Day 15 – Rest

August 31, 2010

I planned to workout to the X Stretch tonight, but I fell asleep. Turns out that working 20 days in a row will take a toll on you.
I am working on some worksheets for the nutrition angle in Excel. As soon as I get it finished I will put it up. What is the best way for you all? I can post Excel, PDF, or perhaps a Google Document. Let me know in the comments!

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Fail! Crockpot Star Anise Chicken with Braised Fennel

August 30, 2010

Fail! An Epic Fail!
We have a killer banquet dish that I figured would be awesome to translate to the home kitchen. Star Anise Chicken with Braised Fennel is our top seller for chicken in the banquets.
What we do is caramelize palm sugar, stop the caramel with garlic and ginger, then we add Chinese cut chicken [...]

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Day 14: Kenpo X, Act 2

August 30, 2010

I love this workout! It really gets you moving, and it sure brings down the blood sugars. The last time I did it, I found that the workout was not that bad, I took karate when I was younger. Today, I tried to up the intensity, and I sweated my ass off.

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Day 13: Legs and Back 2, Ab Ripper X

August 29, 2010

What a workout. I was lucky enough to do it this afternoon instead of my usual 10 PM time. What a difference that makes! I also swam a couple of laps in the pool to cool down, and then I went and mowed the lawn.
I thought the end of Ab Ripper X was a little [...]

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Day 12: Yoga X, Part 2

August 28, 2010

The last time I did Yoga X, I sweated my butt off. This time was no different. The workout did not hit me as hard as last time. The good news is that I am way more flexible than when I did my fit test.

More after the Jump! →