Coconut Lime Chicken

 

I love dishes so wonderful you feel like your taste buds won the lottery.  But, stickler that I am, the dishes also have to be healthy and make my ever so humble guests hold up their plates and whine, “Please, sir.  May I have some more?” But unlike the hardhearted characters of Oliver!, I happily fill their greedy gullets and put another spot of wine in their glasses.  

 

With this recipe, your guests will be beggin’ you for an autograph!

 

I’m telling you, lads and lassies, if you pass up this dish, you’ve passed up a mortal’s taste of heaven!  Best of all, puttin’ the sauce together is a snap and can be done a day ahead, covered and stored in the frig.

 

Now stop hesitating and let’s get on with it!

 

Coconut Lime Chicken

 

1 cup whole fat coconut milk

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup white wine (for deglazing the pan)

Zest and juice from one lime

1 cup red onion, diced

3 tablespoons of pickled jalapenos, diced

½ teaspoon grated ginger (I used fresh ginger, of course)

1-2 teaspoons of corn starch or rice flour (I used rice flour)

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

chopped fresh cilantro or chimichurri (see recipe below) 

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Getting’ It Together

Blend all ingredients except chicken, wine, and cilantro.

 

Heat a slosh of olive oil in a pan and lightly brown both sides of the chicken thighs. Put them aside. Pour off any excess oil.

 

Note:  Don’t worry that the chicken is not fully cooked. It will be chopped, added to the sauce and cooked until it is done. Leaving it undercooked means more juices will flavor the sauce.

 

Now splash in a cup of white wine to deglaze the pan, and add the brown bits to the sauce.

 

Put the sauce in a large pan and cook until thickened, less than five minutes.

 

Cut the thighs into bite-sized pieces and add to the sauce. 

 

Cook until the chicken is done.

 

Sprinkle cilantro, or chimichurri on top and serve over rice or butternut squash squares, or sweet potatoes.  I served on halves of baked sweet potato.

 

Chimichurri Recipe  (This recipe is good place to start, but I make it differently every time I make it!)

 

1cup diced sweet onion

 

 3 garlic cloves thin sliced

 

½ cup seasoned rice vinegar

 

2-3 packed cups cilantro

 

a few slices of pickled jalapeños to taste

 

Salt to taste

 

Put everything in a blender and blend to the desired consistency.  Add a bit more vinegar if needed.

I served the Coconut Lime Chicken with a side of fresh Brussel sprouts, tossed with some shreds of carrots and cherry tomatoes, cooked altogether in chicken broth.

Now wasn’t that delicious and deliciously easy?  Didn’t your guests sing your praises?  Aren’t you glad you didn’t spend another hundred bucks in a restaurant tonight?

 

Well, I’m always happy to help. Kompai! Cheers! Cin-cin! Prost!

 

Now, don’t forget to subscribe!

 

 

 

 

Couscous Salad – a ‘Go-To’ Dish

Plumping the raisins

Whenever my spouse starts off, “Sweetie, I forgot to tell you,..”  I know I'm going to be doing some fast-enough-to-stop-your-heart cooking.  It’s seven in the morning and the brunch is at ten, or it’s five in the afternoon and she needs a dish for the seven p.m. church supper.  I’m Pavlov trained.  I race for the pantry when I hear ‘Sweeetie.’

Like any good fielder, ya gotta be ready when the ball is smacked in your direction.  No excuses about ‘I wasn’t ready!’ or ‘That ball took a bad bounce.’  You’re either a cook or you’re not.  You either pull something out of the oven/off the stove, or you’re just another wannabe cook and full time whiner.

What’s fast and delicious and a crowd pleaser?  Man, I already gave you some biscuit choices:  plain, cheese, sugared, scones, and shortbread.  Those recipes only require you to keep a normal, well-stocked pantry.

Couscous salad is another addition to your ever-expanding repertoire of ‘got it covered’ recipes.  Check the recipe below.  Everything comes straight from the cupboard except for celery and spring onions, which everyone always has handy, and a bit of fresh cilantro, mint, or parsley.  I use cilantro, but your choice.  Mint grows like a weed.  Plant some now and it’ll last until the first frost and be back even stronger in the spring.

Couscous is one of those ubiquitous pasta-like dishes that stretches from shore to shore around the Mediterranean.  Serve it hot.  Serve it cold.  It’s everywhere, by itself and as part of elaborate stews.

Besides speed, why would I pick something like couscous salad to serve to unsuspecting diners?  It has the freshest of tastes and compliments any dish you’d care to name.  No weird or offensive ingredients. Vegetarian if you want it to be.  Versatile is the word I’m looking for. Spans cultures.  Spans ages.

Don’t be timid.  Charge right in.  First time is a charm.

Couscous Salad

3 T unsalted butter

1/8 t powdered turmeric (This is strictly for color)

1 1/2 Cups chicken stock  (one can is about 2 cups, so you can up the couscous to 2 cups)

1 1/2 Cups dry couscous

1 1/2 Cups diced celery

2/3 Cup currents or raisins, plumped in hot water

1/3 Cup thinly sliced scallions

1/3 Cup lightly toasted pine nuts (or almonds, or cashews)

1/4 Cup minced fresh cilantro

1/4 Cup fresh lemon juice (1 large lemon)

1/4 t ground cinnamon

1/2 Cup olive oil

In a large skillet with a lid, melt the butter at medium heat and add the turmeric.  Add the stock and bring to a boil.  Stir in the couscous, cover the skillet and remove it from the heat.  Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes, then uncover and transfer the contents to a ceramic or glass bowl, breaking up any lumps. 

Toast the nuts in a small, ungreased pan.  When they take on just a bit of color, they’re toasted. Add the celery, scallions, raisins, pine nuts and parsley to the couscous.  Toss the mixture.

In a small bowl, whisk (I use a blender) together the lemon juice and cinnamon.  Continue to whisk while adding the olive oil in a slow stream.  Whisk the dressing until it is emulsified.  When emulsified, the dressing will look creamy.  Drizzle the dressing over the salad.  Toss the salad and season it with salt and pepper.  The salad may be made a day ahead and kept covered and chilled.  Decorate with sprigs of greenery. Serves 6.

Whenever and wherever I serve it, this dish never fails to disappear.  It has one of those complex, yet satisfying flavors that make you want to have ‘just one more’ spoonful.

No longer will ‘Sweetie, I forgot to tell you…’ strike terror.  You’re no longer just a cook.  You’re a kitchen warrior!