Sometimes I bought extra ingredients just as a backup. But occasionally that bottle of sauce or pack of sour cream just got forgotten in the kitchen, which is the case for my white wine vinegar.
So I thought, since I'm making salad with honey mustard dressing for lunch, why not use the white wine vinegar instead of cider, balsamic, or other types of vinegar? After all, it deserves some attention after being lost in the pantry for weeks.
Grilled chicken salad with honey mustard dressing made with white wine vinegar -
Ingredients?
- 1 or about 0.8 lb chicken breast
- 1 zucchini
- 8 to 10 cherry tomatoes
- 2 eggs
- 1 big box of mixed salad greens
- Some Parmigiano Reggiano
- Some salt
- Some freshly ground black pepper
Dressing:
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon grainy Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
How?
Halve the cherry tomatoes and make 2 hard-boiled eggs. Peel away the eggshells and cut into smaller pieces. The eggs don't need to be in perfect cubes.
Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breast. Peel and slice the zucchini. Brush some oil on the grill pan and turn to medium high heat. Wait till the grill pan turns hot before transferring the chicken and zucchini slices over. Try to get nice grill marks on both sides of the zucchini, that means being patience and wait for it till cooked enough, do not rush to flip the slices. It's better to get darker marks then nothing at all.
Once the zucchini slices and chicken breast are cooked through, remove from heat and set aside. Let the meat rest for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into thick slices.
Mix all the ingredients under the dressing section. Taste and see if need to adjust with more salt and black pepper.
Assemble the salad by tossing the leafy greens with a portion of the honey mustard dressing. Top with chicken, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes. Scatter the eggs throughout then drizzle some more dressing. Sprinkle some more black pepper and top with Parmigiano Reggiano shavings.
Chicken breast, eggs, and cheese, this salad can actually be a great post-workout meal.
You can also pack this salad in a fashionable jar and bring to a picnic. Just put the cherry tomatoes and chicken on the very bottom, followed by zucchini, eggs, and salad greens. Save the dressing and cheese shavings on the very top. Don't worry, the cherry tomatoes and chicken on the bottom get along with this moist dressing for at least couple hours.
Making creamy pasta doesn't necessarily means using roux or heavy whipping cream. Why not change the scene a bit and give coconut milk a try? Coconut cream is often relate to Thai cuisine, so why not ride along with it and incorporates even more Southeast Asian flavors into this fusion pasta recipe? Let's have some fun in the kitchen!
Thai style creamy fettuccine with chicken and spinach -
Ingredients (for 4 to 6 portions)?
- 1 small pack/350 grams fettuccine
- 2 chicken breasts
- 15 medium button mushrooms
- 3 big bundles spinach
- 1 lemon
- 1/2 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 to 3 red chilies
- 1 can/200 ml coconut cream
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (optional, used only if saucier pasta is preferred)
- 1/2 cup loosely packed kaffir lime leaves
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Some salt
- Some black pepper
- Some Parmigiano Reggiano
How?
Bring a big pot of water to a boil and add few pinches of salt. Transfer the fettuccine over and cook till almost al dente. Once ready, drain well and set aside for later use. If timed well, the pasta and the sauce should be done right about the same time.
Zest the lemon then juice it.
Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Destem the chilies and chop into smaller rings. Peel and cube the onion. Halve the button mushrooms. Cut the spinach into about 2.5-inch long sections.
Season both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Put the kaffir lime leaves in an herb sachet so it'll be easier to pick them out later on.
Use a big pot or deep pan, drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil and turn to medium high heat. Once the oil gets warm, transfer the chicken breasts over and sear till slightly browned. Flip to the other side and keep searing till colored.
Remove the chicken breasts from heat and let the meat rests for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice the chicken and set aside for later use.
Still using the same pot, drizzle one more tablespoon of olive oil. Add in cubed onion along with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Give it a quick stir and cook till the edges of the onion turns slightly browned.
Add in garlic and chilies, cook till aromatic but not burning the garlic. Transfer the button mushrooms and spinach over.
I mean lots of spinach, especially they wilts easily and blend nicely with the creamy sauce.
Once the spinach starts to wilt, pour in coconut cream and fish sauce. Also add the kaffir lime leaves and make sure it gets submerged under the sauce. Bring to a boil then keep it at a simmer, continue to cook for 2 more minutes. Remove the kaffir lime leaves, we want to infuse a gentle flavor touch with the leaves without overpowering the sauce.
Lastly, mix in the lemon zest and lemon juicy. Add the chicken slices to the pot.
Transfer the fettuccine to the mixture. Cook in medium heat till the pasta reaches desired texture.
Served with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Creamy but refreshing at the same time thanks to the kaffir lime leaves and lemon. You can incorporate lemon grass to this recipe too, but nothing beats the bright aroma from fresh lemon.
Other fusion food recipes:
