Ginger Chicken with Almonds

If you are thinking that I have been MIA for too long, you are right. I have been on a cooking hiatus. I occasionally go into cooking streaks, where one minute I can find recipe after recipe each sounding so wonderful and delicious I want to immediately make them all, followed by severe dry periods, where I can't find a single recipe that sounds good to save my soul. Let's just say that I was in a dry spell that lasted much longer than usual. My apologies.

One night, during this recent dry spell, I had chicken in the refrigerator that I wanted to use for dinner. Since I had no particular cravings for recipes in my cooking repertoire, I went to the computer. I enthusiastically started a recipe search looking for the perfect chicken dish only to find that the longer I searched, the more things sounded blah. Nothing, absolutely nothing, looked or sounded appealing. I searched all my favorite sites, then moved on to new sites, old sites, common sites, and some unexpected sites. Still nothing.

Then as I looked through Simply Recipes, I ran across Ginger Chicken with Almonds. I wasn't 100% convinced after reading the recipe, but it sounded appealing enough to at least try. I found myself doubting the recipe even as I was making it, even thinking at one point that taking pictures of it (so I could share it with you) would be a waste of time. My most sincere apologies to Elise, the cook and author of Simply Recipes. Oh my goodness! This was the best chicken I have made in awhile. It's that good. Paired with rice and a fresh vegetable, this chicken made a quick and easy weekday meal with flavor that surpassed my expectations. Try it. You will not be disappointed.

INGREDIENTS:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2-2 pounds total)

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger plus 1/4 cup julienned fresh ginger

4 teaspoons grapeseed oil or other high flash point oil such as canola oil

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

4 large scallions (or 6 small), trimmed

1/2 cup mango chutney, large pieces chopped

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

DIRECTIONS:

1. Slice chicken crosswise into 1/2-inch thick pieces. Toss with ground coriander, grated ginger, 2 teaspoons oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.

2. Stir together chutney, broth, and garlic in a small bowl; set aside. Thinly slice white parts of scallions. Julienne green parts; set aside.

3. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallion whites and julienned ginger; stir-fry 30 seconds.

4. Add chicken and stir-fry until thoroughly cooked, 4 to 6 minutes.

5. Add chutney mixutre and scallion greens; cook for 2 minutes, while stirring.

6. Transfer to shallow bowls with hot cooked rice. Sprinkle with toasted almonds slices and serve. (The almonds are not photographed.)

Yields: 4-6 servings. Each serving contains: Calories 294; Total Fat 9.4g; Saturated Fat 1.7g; Cholesterol 97mg; Sodium 361mg; Total Carbohydrates 14.4g; Dietary Fiber 1.4g; Sugars 8.7g; Protein 37.3g; Vitamin A 9%; Vitamin C 9%; Calcium 5%; Iron 12%

Recipe from Simply Recipes; no modifications.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.