Ways to Use Five-Spice Powder
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Five-Spice Chicken Breasts with Sesame-Orange Beans
Five-spice powder packs some serious aromatic punch; it's all you need to season the chicken breasts here. You can sub broccoli florets or chopped kale for the green beans.
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Spiced Whiskey Sour
Five-spice powder turns the classic whiskey sour into something special. You can double, triple, or quadruple the spiced sugar syrup and refrigerate for up to two weeks. Use in cocktails, or drizzle over hot oatmeal.
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Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges
Smoky, fiery chipotle powder counters the warm, sweet five-spice powder and the naturally sweet spuds. For less kick, use 1/4 teaspoon chipotle. Be sure to line the pan with parchment paper to help prevent burning.
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Five-Spice Flank Steak
This quick spice rub lends robust flavor and helps achieve delicious charring on the surface of the meat. Flank steak is a lean cut that's relatively inexpensive; be sure to slice thinly across the grain for tender bites.
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Five-Spice Orange Beef and Broccoli
Orange rind and five-spice powder perfume the dish with sweet notes that are countered by a hit of red pepper heat. Decrease the pepper for kids or folks who prefer to walk on the mild side.
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Warm Spiced Cashews
Chinese five-spice powder lends a distinct toastiness to these sweet and savory nuts. They're perfect to whip-up as a quick make-ahead, crowd-pleasing appetizer for holiday entertaining.
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Five-Spice Sweet Potato Pie
Five-spice powder is a blend of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns that can be found in the spice aisle of most supermarkets. If five-spice powder is unavailable, use pumpkin pie spice.
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Five-Spice Salmon with Leeks in Parchment
Cooking this fish in a parchment pouch uses both the radiant heat of the oven and steam inside the packet to produce moist, succulent results. Toasting and grinding the spices takes a little extra time but pays off with vivid flavor.
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Five-Spice Grilled Chicken Thighs with Blackberry Glaze
Sweet blackberry jam gets a twist from Chinese five-spice powder, a blend of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns. Find it at an Asian market. Serve with Yellow Rice with Spring Peas.
Pantry Checklist:
- Skinless, boneless chicken thighs (8)
- Sugar-free seedless blackberry jam
- Cider vinegar
- Fresh ginger
- Five-spice powder
- Optional: fresh blackberries
Prep: 7 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
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Five-Spice Pork Lo Mein
Chinese five-spice powder is a common spice blend that can be found in most supermarkets. Its five assertive components are cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns. Cutting the cooked noodles makes them easier to combine with the other ingredients and serve.
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Chinese Wide Noodles with Barbecue Pork and Dried Mushrooms
Here's a Chinese comfort-food favorite. A quick, healthy version of char siu pork amps up pork tenderloin with a marinade of sweet-salty hoisin sauce and aromatic five-spice powder—slivers of this meat meld with meaty wood ear mushrooms among chewy noodles bathed in a salty-sweet sauce. If you can't find wide lo mein noodles, try fettuccine.
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Spicy-Sweet Five-Spice Breadsticks
Brush dough with 1 teaspoon melted butter. Combine 1/4 teaspoon sugar, 1/8 teaspoon five-spice powder, a dash of kosher salt, and a dash of ground red pepper. Cut dough into 8 (8 × 1/2-inch) strips. Arrange dough on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; bake at 425° for 10 minutes or until golden.