Best Thai in Frisco

Best Thai
8897 Coleman Blvd
Frisco, TX 75034

So it's Friday night and it's time to try out a new restaurant…decisions, decisions. The Mr. and I wanted something close, casual and different than are recent American & Mexican choices. We decided on Best Thai in Frisco.

The place was simple, but nice. We went early (around 5:30pm) so it wasn't very busy. 

There were a lot of dishes to pick from and I had trouble choosing. I decided to go with a classic "Sesame Chicken" and Chris got the "Jungle Noodle". He liked the name, LOL. When it comes to Asian dishes I typically pick a dish with rice and the husband picks dishes with noodles. We always share though so it works out. 

Look at the rice in a heart shape, very cute! Though I was hoping for more vegetables, I really enjoyed this dish. 75% of how I judge an Asian restaurant is by their meat and this place passed my pickiness! Big chunks of nice white meat with little to no gristle, perfect. The sauce was also great, pretty much the taste you would expect from Sesame Chicken.

Jungle Noodle: Fresh big flat noodles stir-fried with white onion, jalapeno, green bean, tomato and sweet basil (with your choice of beef, chicken, pork, shrimp or tofu)

I really liked this dish too, it had the perfect amount of spiciness! They asked on a scale of 1 to 5 how spicy you want it. Chris got 2. It was perfect. All of the flavors went together very well.

Great place, I can't wait to go back!

Side note: I got my iphone 4s in today and the pictures are complementary of it! I LOVE this phone!

Toasted Barley, Green Bean, and Mushroom Saute w/Chicken

Adapted from MyRecipes

Anyone who likes a lightly sweet asian sauce will love this recipe! I personally LOVE sweet sauces, but my husband on the other hand unfortunately doesn't have the same opinion. He doesn't necessarily hate them, they just don't make him go mmmm like they do me :)

The only negative thing about this recipe is there are a lot of steps...nothing difficult, but a little time-consuming. Oh and the picture makes the dish look bland, but I promise you it's not.

Ingredients for the Chicken:
3 medium chicken breasts
1 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 garlic clove (or 1 tsp minced garlic)

1 tsp dark sesame oil

Salt, Pepper, & onion pepper

Ingredients for Saute 
1 cup uncooked quick cooking barley
2 tsp dark sesame oil (divided)
1 cup water
1 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar
12 oz steam in bag - bag of green beens
10 oz fresh sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tbs low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbs agave nectar (or honey)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 garlic clove (or 1 tsp minced garlic)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare chicken cut each breast in half vertically and lightly season each side with salt, pepper and onion powder. Heat the 1 tsp sesame oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Brown both sides of the chicken, about 1-2 minutes on each side. While browning, mix the brown sugar and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Place chicken breasts in a small baking dish & pour the mixture on top. Bake the chicken for about 8-10 minutes or until barely done.

To cook the barley start by heating 1 tsp sesame oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Toast the barley for about 3 minutes, stirring often. Once lightly toasted add the salt, water & chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Let barley set for 2-5 minutes and then transfer to a large bowl or dish. 

While barley is cooking, steam green beans in microwave per directed on package. Drain green beans and cut in smaller pieces (to your preference). 

Add the remaining ingredients - mushrooms, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, agave nectar, and ground ginger in the skillet used for the barley. Heat to medium-high, add the green beans and saute the mushrooms & beans for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the cooked barley and mix well, letting in saute for another minute. Last but not least cut up the chicken in bite sized pieces and add to the skillet to re-heat, mixing everything together for about 1 minute. Then serve and enjoy! 

Buffalo Chicken Salad

If you need something quick to fix for lunch or dinner, this is a great recipe for that. Super simple and it tastes great (especially if your craving buffalo wings). I typically use pre-packaged buffalo chicken strips, but feel free to make your own!

Ingredients:
Buffalo chicken strips (frozen)
Salad mix (I prefer half baby spinach, half romaine)
Baby carrots
Celery
Ranch dressing
Blue cheese crumble
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
*Use as little or as much as you like for all of these ingredients*

Directions:
Cook the chicken strips in the oven as directed on the package (should take about 20 mins).

While the chicken is cooking add the salad mix to a large bowl(s) and toss with ranch dressing. Then slice up some baby carrots & celery and add to each salad bowl. Sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles & shredded cheddar cheese.

When chicken strips are fully cooked, cut them up into bite size pieces and add to salad. Serve and enjoy!

Quick Chicken Cordon Bleu

Adapted from EatingWell

Picture from EatingWell website

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast cut in halves horizontally (so the breasts are thinner)
1/3 Gruyere or Swiss cheese
2 tbsp reduced-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp & 3 tsp olive oil, divided
1/4 cup chopped ham or bacon or Canadian bacon
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Season both sides of each chicken breast half with salt & pepper. Combine cheese and cream cheese in a bowl. Combine bread crumbs, parsley and 3 tsp olive oil in another bowl.

Heat the 1 tbsp olive oil in a large ovenproof non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Move chicken to center of skillet so all pieces are touching. Spread with cheese mixture, sprinkle with ham and top with breadcrumb mixture.

Bake until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 7 - 10 minutes depending on the thickness of your breasts.

Lemony Orzo-Veggie Salad with Chicken

Adapted from CookingLight

Nice light lunch or dinner. I think I prefer it warm (which I included instructions for), but it's nice cold as well. Only around 300 calories per serving and it makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked orzo
6 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tbs extra-virgin oil oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp honey or agave nectar
1 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cup shredded rotisserie chicken breast (skinless)
1 cucumber, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

Directions:
Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain and place in large bowl.

While orzo cooks, combine lemon juice and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper), stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle juice mixture over orzo; toss to coat. Add chicken, cucumber, bell pepper and onions; toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with cheese.

I ended up adding a little extra salt & lemon pepper to my plate, but it all depends on your taste.

Hot Method: Do not rinse orzo. Lightly saute red bell pepper, cucumber, and chicken in skillet with cooking spray until warm. Toss with orzo and juice mixture (warmed in the microwave); then sprinkle with cheese.

Spicy Apricot-Lemon Chicken

Adapted from MyRecipes

I like sweet and spicy so I thought this chicken recipe was pretty tasty. Another easy recipe I will surely make again. I served the chicken with steamed broccoli (seasoned with lemon pepper & salt) and baked sweet potato fries. Yum!

Ingredients:

4 - 6 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/3 cup apricot preserves

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp olive oil

Red pepper flakes

Pepper

Salt

Directions:

Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt, pepper & the red pepper flakes (to taste).

Place large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and heat the olive oil.  Cook chicken until done, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.

Add apricot spread, lemon juice, and water to pan, stirring until smooth and heated through. Spoon sauce over chicken. Serve over a salad or with sides.

Chicken Piccata with Mushrooms & Zucchini

Adapted from EatingWell

So I want to start off by saying that I know my food & pictures don't always turn out all that pretty in appearance, but that doesn't mean they don't taste delicious! This is a perfect example. It's not as pretty as the picture on the website or pictures you see in cookbooks, but that's b/c I don't like spending extra time on the way it looks (or messing with my camera). I figure it takes long enough to fix the food that as long as it tastes good, then I'm a happy girl! Okay enough about that now I'm starting to ramble lol. This dish was a little time consuming and had a lot of components, but I must say I absolutely enjoyed it!

Ingredients:
6 oz whole-wheat angel hair pasta
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 chicken cutlets, trimmed
1/2 medium white or yellow onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
2 tbs olive oil
10 oz package mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs capers, rinsed
2 tsp butter
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender according to package directions. Drain and rinse.

Meanwhile, whisk 5 tsp flour and broth in a small bowl until smooth. Place the remaining flour in a shallow dish. Season chicken with salt & pepper on each side then dredge in flour. Heat 1 tbs oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and cooked all the way through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; cover and keep warm.

Heat remaining 1 tbs oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, mushrooms and zucchini and cook, stirring, until they soften and start to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate or bowl. Add garlic and wine to the pan and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the reserved broth-flour mixture, lemon juice and 1/4 tsp salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in capers, butter and mushroom/onion/zucchini mixture. Toss the pasta with the sauce mixture. Serve chicken on top of the pasta. A little parmesan cheese makes a great topping (optional).