by Paige McKay
Like many people, I downloaded TikTok months ago to see what the hype was all about. I didn't really understand how it worked, but I did enjoy seeing funny "fail" videos, cat videos and other entertaining videos that had me scrolling for what seemed like hours. Before too long, more and more recipe videos started popping up on my feed. They were recipes from women cooking for their families, famous Food Network personalities like Rachael Ray and Giada De Laurentiis, professional chefs and even kid chefs who have a passion for the culinary arts.
COVID-19 soon hit, and we were quarantined at home, so I decided to try out some of the delicious looking recipes I had come across on this app. I've made several tasty dishes over the last few months - who knew I'd find so many on TikTok! Here are some of my favorites.
Note: some of these videos don't have exact measurements, so these measurements are my rendition and can be altered to your liking.
Marry Me Chicken - from you_can_whip_it on TikTok
Ingredients:
-1 pack of chicken tenderloins or 3-4 chicken breasts
-Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-2 tablespoons minced garlic
-Pinch of red pepper flakes
-1-2 tablespoons butter (just enough for browning chicken)
-1 cup heavy cream
-Splash of chicken broth (about 1/2 cup)
-Splash of white wine for de-glazing pan, optional
-2 heaping handfuls of cherry tomatoes
-1/4 cup Parmesan
Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe skillet) over medium high heat.
Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add to skillet with butter and olive oil and brown each side. Once browned, set aside.
In the same pan, add minced garlic and red pepper flakes if adding. Let cook for a minute or two. If you're de-glazing the pan with wine, add once garlic is fragrant.
Next, add heavy cream and splash of chicken stock. Stir to combine and then add tomatoes. I also added some sliced red onion to mine because I had some that needed to be used up! Bring to a boil. Once boiling, add Parmesan cheese and stir.
Add chicken back in the pan and finish in the oven for 17 to 20 minutes.
Serve with plain pasta noodles or rice and veggies!
Burger Bites - from keto.queen on TikTok
Ingredients:
-2 pounds ground beef
-Steak seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste
-2 cups cheddar cheese
-8 ounces chopped bacon (or real bacon bits)
-Handful chopped white onion, optional
-Burger toppings like tomatoes, red onion, ketchup, ranch, etc.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Grease a 12-hole muffin tin and divide beef equally among 12 spots. Make indention in each one to make a well so you can stuff it. Season each with salt, pepper, and steak seasoning.
In a bowl, combine cheese and bacon (and onion if using). Fill the cups of beef with your cheese and bacon mixture.
Bake for about 15 minutes and top with your favorite burger toppings.
Lemon Honey Chicken - from jeremyscheck on TikTok
Ingredients:
-1 pack boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-2 tablespoons butter
-1/2 cup flour (or enough to lightly coat chicken)
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
-1 teaspoon paprika
-Salt and pepper to taste
-1 cup chicken stock
-Heaping spoonful (or 2) of honey
-Juice of 2 lemons
-Red pepper flakes to taste, optional
-Parsley, optional
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. While oven is preheating, heat large skillet over medium heat.
Prepare your flour mixture in a shallow bowl. Add flour, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper, mix to combine.
Once pan is heated, add olive oil and butter. Lightly coat your chicken tenderloins in the flour mixture and add to pan of melted butter and hot oil. Brown the chicken on each side. You don't have to cook it all the way as it will finish cooking in the oven.
Once chicken is browned, transfer it to an oven-safe dish.
In the same pan you cooked the chicken, add your chicken stock, honey and lemon juice. Heat till combined and thickened, then pour over chicken in the dish. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve with rice or quinoa and your favorite veggies and top with red pepper flakes and parsley if desired.
Best Fried Chicken - from traziarae on TikTok
-1 cup flour
-1 tablespoon brown sugar
-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon pepper
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
-Dash of smoked paprika
-3/4 cup buttermilk
-1 tablespoon of your favorite hot sauce (I used Frank's Buffalo)
-3 boneless chicken breasts or 6-7 chicken tenderloins
-Oil for frying
In a bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cayenne, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
In another owl, combine buttermilk and hot sauce.
Dredge chicken in flour, the buttermilk, and back into the flour. Set aside.
Heat oil in a cast iron skillet or other frying pan/pot. Oil should be at about 350 degrees F.
Cook chicken till browned and cooked internally.
The creator in the video made sliders with her chicken, but you can eat it on its own or with other favorite sides.