Greeting fellow culinary enthusiasts! I have been working with my food science students on a culinary project sponsored by Johnson Space Center. The goal is for the students to develop an entrée fit to serve on the Space Station. Many requirements are involved, one of which is thickness. If using a sauce, it must be thick enough not to float away! The following is a modified recipe adapted from an astronaut cookbook. It is doubtful that any of you will be traveling to outer space in your near future but this recipe can be used to freeze entrees in small containers that can later have additional liquids added.

Space Station Chicken With Oriental Sauce

Melt 3 T. salted butter in a skillet over medium heat. Place 3 chicken breasts in skillet with butter. Sauté chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of about 165 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 6-8 minutes per side). Remove chicken from skillet and allow to cool slightly. Dice into ½ inch cubes. In a small bowl, whisk together the contents of sauce packet (I used General Tso’s), ¾ cup water and 1 T. cornstarch. Heat the sauce in the skillet from sautéed chicken. Add the cubed chicken and heat thoroughly.

If serving right away, add an additional cup of water and soy sauce to taste (I also added sugar to the General Tso’s). At this point you can freeze approximately 4 small lunch size portions or 3 dinner size portions. Upon reheating, add additional water for desired consistency and soy sauce for taste. To make a hearty dinner entrée serve with rice or rice noodles. Enjoy!