A Life, Lived: Saigon Chicken Breasts

July 15, 2009

Saigon Chicken Breasts

Now, it will come as no surprise to long-time readers of this space that I am a HUGE fan of Asian food. Thai, Malaysian, Vietnamese - I love 'em all. So guess what I selected as my birthday dinner?

This recipe, from Food and Wine magazine, was AMAZING. Now I have been accused in the past of being over the top in my adoration of a fine meal. Fine. I'll accept that. However, this was really good. The best indicator was this morning when Paul wanted to take the leftovers to work for lunch. It is a rare thing for him to want to eat the same thing two days in a row; this is against the rules in his book. If this was good enough to force Paul to alter his view of the world it was bloody good!

The recipe is quick too - you whip up a potent lemongrass marinade that infuses the chicken breasts with flavour before grilling. The same marinade is used (well, not the SAME marinade because you'd kill folks with the cross contamination) doubles as the sauce for the rice noodles. The chicken breast is served over the flavourful rice noodles and you have a quick, light, delicious meal that we'll be making again!

I served some grilled veggies on the side. I drizzled shitake mushrooms, snap peas, and bok choy with sesame oil, and thai hot pepper sauce. I then grilled them in a grill pan while the chicken was cooking until they were tender. I then tossed them in a light asian dressing and they were done. Easy and quick. Just thing to save maximum time for birthday present opening.

Enjoy!

Saigon Chicken Breasts

1 pound dried rice noodles
3 tablespoons finely chopped lemongrass, white inner bulb only
3 tablespoons sugar
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
One 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 serrano chile, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
Four 5-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, pounded 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup coarsely chopped roasted peanuts

In a large bowl, cover the rice noodles with water and let stand until pliable, about 20 minutes.

In a mini-processor, combine the lemongrass, sugar, garlic, ginger, chile and oil and process to a paste. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in the lime juice and fish sauce. Put the chicken in a large shallow bowl and add 1/4 cup of the lemongrass mixture, turning to coat the chicken. Marinate for 20 minutes. Stir the water into the remaining lemongrass mixture.

Light a grill. Cook the noodles in a pot of boiling water, stirring, until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Rinse with cold water and drain again, then repeat the process once more. Let the rice noodles dry, lifting them to separate the strands.

Grill the chicken over a medium-hot fire or in a preheated grill pan for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Let cool for 1 to 2 minutes, then cut the breasts into thick strips. Toss the rice noodles with the lemongrass dressing, cilantro and the peanuts, top with the chicken. Garnish with some chopped cilantro and roasted peanuts and serve.