The wonderful flavors of southern India - coconut milk, dried Thai chiles and coriander seed - provide a pleasant punch to a basic chicken breast. Although the ingredients look exotic, this is a deceptively easy dish you'll be proud to serve to guests. Feel free to use different cuts of chicken, bone-in or boneless; just adjust the cooking time accordingly. You can also grill the chicken.
| Prep Time: | 10 minutes |
| Ready in: | 50 minutes (including marinating time) |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
| Ease of Prep: | Easy |
| Recipe Ingredients | |
| 1 tablespoon yellow split peas | |
| 1 teaspoon coriander seeds | |
| 1-2 dried red chiles , such as Thai, cayenne or chiles de arbol | |
| 1/4 cup "lite" coconut milk (see Ingredient note) | |
| 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger | |
| 4 medium cloves garlic , minced | |
| 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro | |
| 1/2 teaspoon salt , or to taste | |
| 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1-1 1/4 pounds total), trimmed | |
Recipe Directions
- Toast split peas, coriander seeds and chiles in a small skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until the split peas turn reddish-brown, the coriander becomes fragrant and the chiles blacken slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool for 3 to 5 minutes. Grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle until the mixture is the texture of finely ground pepper.
- Combine coconut milk, ginger, garlic, cilantro, salt and the spice blend in a shallow glass dish. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Preheat broiler. Coat a broiler-pan rack with cooking spray. Place the chicken (including marinade) on the rack over the broiler pan. Broil chicken 3 to 5 inches from the heat source until it is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 4 to 6 minutes per side.
The chicken can be marinated (Steps 1-2) overnight.
Ingredient Note: Look for reduced-fat coconut milk (labeled "lite") in the Asian section of your market.
Health Advantages: low calorie, low carb, low sat fat, low sodium, heart healthy, healthy weight.
| Nutrition Information | ||||||||
| Servings Per Recipe: 4 | ||||||||
| Amount Per serving | ||||||||
| Calories: | 152 cal | Carbohydrate Servings: | 0 | |||||
| Carbohydrates: | 4 g | Dietary Fiber: | 1 g | Cholesterol: | 66 mg | |||
| Fat: | 3 g | Sodium: | 371 mg | Saturated Fat: | 1 g | |||
| Protein: | 27 g | Potassium: | 327 mg | Monounsaturated Fat: | 0 g | |||
| Nutrition Bonus: | Potassium (16% daily value). | |||||||
| Exchanges: | 3 1/2 very lean protein, 1/2 fat | |||||||
