Hoisin Chicken with Cucumber Salad

A few years ago when I worked in an office, I used to spend a small chunk of the afternoon looking for delicious things to make for dinner. I came across several great recipes, which I would print out and put in the folder section of the recipe binder my mother made for us. The other night, when I asked my friend Kara what she wanted for dinner, her immediate response was "something healthy" (clearly my love of butter has not gone unnoticed over here). I couldn't think of anything healthy and delicious that I hadn't made recently, so I searched through all of the printouts I had in my binder and found this gem. I was nervous that it wouldn't be very satisfying or tasty, at 385 calories a serving, but I could not have been more wrong. This is easily one of the best meals I have ever made and it will definitely go in the repertoire. We went one step further than the recipe and made a green salad with cilantro to serve with the chicken, and it was an amazing addition. The chicken is kind of sweet and spicy, and the cucumber salad is cool and delicious. The whole meal tastes fresh, asian, light, and really flavorful. I ate it again the next day for lunch and was not disappointed then, either. The whole meal takes about 30 minutes to make, from start to finish, so it's totally feasible for a weeknight. The marinade is best made in a food processor, but would be fine if you just chopped everything finely. It makes quite a bit, so I froze some of the marinade and chicken thighs (separately) for another time. Hope you enjoy this dinner as much as I did!

For the Chicken

Ingredients:

-1 package of skin-on chicken pieces (I used thighs and legs. Thighs are really flavorful and very inexpensive. Breasts are fins but make sure you get the skin-on kind because the marinade is a little kicky and you don't want it on the bare chicken).

-3/4 cup hoisin sauce (I got it at safeway in the Asian section)

-3 scallions, chopped

-5 cloves of garlic

-1 2-inch piece of ginger, sliced

-1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and halved (remove 1/2-3/4 of the seeds to tone down spiciness)

-zest and juice of 2 limes

-2 tbs rice vinegar

-1 tsp each salt and pepper

Directions:

-Put everything except for the chicken in to a food processor and blend until smooth. If you dont' have a food processor, mince the ingredients and mix everything together.

-Pour over chicken and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

-Grill or broil until chicken is at an internal temp of 165 degrees.

Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

-1 cucumber, peeled and sliced thinly (I used the side of the cheese grater that has the long thin slicer but a knife is fine)

-1/2 red onion, peeled and sliced thinly lengthwise

-1/2 cup rice vinegar

-2 tbs sugar

-1.5 tsp salt

-1/4 cup ice cubes

Directions:

-Bring the vinegar, salt and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and add the ice

-Toss with the cucumber slices and onions. The vinegar mixture will wilt the cucumbers and onion slices which will turn into marinated, delicious goodness. Store in fridge until ready to serve.

For the Green Salad (Optional):

Put in a salad bowl: 1/2 head of romaine lettuce (washed and chopped), 1/3 cup chopped cilantro. Toss together with about 1/4 cup of the dressing from the cucumbers (there will be plenty).

To Serve: Put green salad on the plate (if you are serving with it), top with a scoop of the cucumber mixture, place a piece of chicken on top of everything. Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh, chopped cilantro or a lime wedge.