Tea Trade Chicken
Having a well-stocked spice pantry pays off in this sophisticated dish; just stop at the store for the chicken and bell pepper. Serve braised bok choy and brown basmati rice alongside.
From EatingWell: November 1997, EatingWell Serves Two
Yield: 2 servings
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup rice wine, or dry sherry (see Note)
- 2 tablespoons strong-brewed black tea
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened orange juice, or pineapple juice
- 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat (8 ounces)
- 2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
- 1/2 small red bell pepper, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Preparation
- Combine rice wine (or sherry), tea, juice, soy sauce and honey in a small bowl.
- Combine cinnamon, ginger, pepper and salt in a small bowl. Rub spices evenly on both sides of chicken.
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and reduce heat to medium. Cook until the chicken is golden outside and no longer pink in the middle, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the pan. Add bell pepper and garlic; cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Increase heat to high and add the reserved rice wine-tea mixture. Bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan. Simmer gently, spooning sauce over chicken, until heated through, about 1 minute.
- Ingredient Notes: Sake is a dry rice wine generally available where wines are sold. Junmai, a special designation for sake, denotes sake brewed from rice that has been milled less than other special-designation sakes. More pure than other sakes, junmai has no distilled alcohol added. It is characterized by a well-rounded, rich flavor and body and more acidity than most sakes.
- Sherry is a type of fortified wine originally from southern Spain. Don't use the "cooking sherry" sold in many supermarkets — it can be surprisingly high in sodium. Instead, purchase dry sherry that's sold with other fortified wines in your wine or liquor store.
Nutrition Per serving:
238 calories; 7 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono); 63 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrates; 4 g added sugars; 24 g protein; 1 g fiber; 469 mg sodium; 296 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (70% daily value), Selenium (30% dv), Vitamin A (15% dv).
1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1/2 other carbohydrate, 3 very lean meat, 1 fat