Monday, December 20, 2010

Ginger-lemon chicken breast with honey-spicy vegetable sautee


The ginger, lemon and honey flavor combination is a classic. In desserts and teas. And maybe cough meds :P. But now, try it in a light meat and vegetable dish. We were surprised of how good this fit. Also it's a very light dish, with only very little oil used at cooking and no other added fats. The broccoli is a nice touch to the vegetable bed and the strong lemon and lime taste of the meat matches the gentle, subtle sweet coating of the rest beautifully. 






Ingredients (serves 2):
  • 250 g chicken breast
  • 1 big carrot
  • 1 whole broccoli 
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 5-6 cherry tomatoes
  • half a cellery
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • half a lemon
  • half a lime
  • 1 little piece of fresh ginger (about 10 g, 2-3 fingers wide and thick and long)
  • 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
  • 1-2 tablespoons of honey
  • a little water (20 ml)
  • a little olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt (in separate sprinkles)

This will be easier than it sounds. First, get the ginger. Start by cutting the outer exterior off (peeling it):

Cut it finely and put it in a bowl:

Peel and mince (or smash) the garlic cloves and add them to the ginger. Squeeze the half of lemon over them, then add a little of the lemon pulp too:

Get the half of lime. Cut out two thin slices and reserve them for decorating, then squeeze the rest, cut it into little pieces (pulp and zest all together) and add it to the bowl. Cut the chicken breast (if necessary) in two portions and put them in the bowl to marinate while you work on the rest:

Get the vegetables and wash them. Start by chopping the carrot:

When you're done with the carrot, put a little oil in a pot and place it over heat. Add the Worcester(shire) sauce, soy sauce and honey and let the whole thing heat up:

When the pot sauce heats up, add the chopped carrot and let it cook on low heat. Next, return to chopping the veggies and add them to the pot as soon as you finish chopping them, in this order: bell pepper, celery, tomatoes (add whole, don't chop) and broccoli. Reserve about 1/5-1/6 of the broccoli for decorating. Stir occasionally, especially after you add some new material to the pot to ensure everything is glazed with sauce:

At some point, add some water to the vegetable pot and continue to cook on low heat until the water evaporates and sauce gets absorbed (and the veggies on the top layer get steam-cooked).
Heat a little oil in a frying pan and put the chicken breast pieces and all their marinade into it:

Keep them frying on medium heat about 3-4 minutes on each side. Stir in the veggies from time to time:

When the meat is done, place it on two plates together with any sauce in the pan. Add the veggies next to the meat in each of the plates. Place the lime slices on the chicken breasts and use the fresh broccoli to garnish the dish all around. It's ready, serve while warm. Dig in!

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