Thai On Thai - Grilled Chicken on a Noodle Salad

I grew up on a beef/dairy farm which meant we ate beef all week long and chicken was reserved for Sunday dinner. How we'd look forward to it too. Tradition's a good thing sometimes, so we stuck with it last night and cooked some cluck just for old time's sake. The only thing is, it wasn't quite like any chicken we would've eaten way back in the day. Believe me.

Picture a mess of skinless boneless chicken thighs marinated for hours in a mixture of basil, mint, cilantro, ginger and other assorted "tangs" and grilled over hot charcoal till it's all crispy on the outside and tender inside.

That's what we had for dinner last night although the Big Guy swore he could have cooked it better. Personally I could find absolutely nothing wrong with it; however, he said he needed to get his grill hotter, oil it down good and maybe even skewer the chicken pieces so they didn't stick and were easier to turn. Whatever.

Sittin' pretty on top of a Thai Noodle Salad loaded with noodles and veggies, this "cool" food is guaranteed to impress. What makes it even more attractive is the whole darn thing can be prepped early in the day before the heat gets too oppressive, so when dinner rolls around the kitchen stays cool. Bonus!

I really have only one complaint about it - yup, just one. We shoulda' doubled the recipes.

Thai Grilled Chicken (adapted from Best of Bridge Series, The Rest of the Best)

2 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs

Marinade:

1/3 cup fresh basil

1/3 cup fresh mind

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 cup peeled, chopped fresh ginger

3 garlic cloves

1-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1-1/2 tablespoons fish sauce

1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons liquid honey

1 Anaheim pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

Combine above ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until finely chopped. Place chicken in a zip bag and pour marinade mixture over top. Seal back and move ingredients around to make sure marinade covers all pieces of chicken. Refrigerate overnight or for several hours. Remove chicken from marinade and grill on a hot grill until chicken is no longer pink inside. Hint – oil grill well and make sure it’s very hot before placing chicken on it.

Thai Noodle Salad (adapted from Best of Bridge Series, The Rest of the Best)

Vinaigrette:

Zest of 2 limes

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 Serrano pepper, minced (or Jalapeno if you want it less spicy)

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine well. Set aside.

8 ounces Chinese egg noodles

1/2 pound asparagus spears

2 cups peeled shredded carrots

1 cup julienned jicama

1 red pepper, julienned

1 cup thinly sliced green onions

In a pot of boiling water, blanch asparagus spears for 1 minute to bring out their color. Remove from pot and cool under cold running water. Cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces. Meanwhile cook Chinese noodles according to package directions. Drain well. Combine noodles, asparagus, carrots, jicama, red pepper and green onions in a large bowl. Toss with vinaigrette. Cover and refrigerate for several hours to blend flavors. Makes 6 servings.

A year ago - Santa Fe Corn Pie

Comments

[Lea]

hmmmmm - my dad has a grill up on his covered party deck of his tree-house I can use any time - "I" might have to become a grill master! This looks great for the summer!

[June]

Lea - it is fabulous grillin' food. The flavor of the chicken is just not to be believed and not a darn tomato in site!