Chicken with Bok Choy and Cucumber over Rice



Refreshing and filling chicken with vegetables and citrusy soy sauce.

Hot summer nights mean that I don't always want to cook or even think about turning on an oven. I want to prepare and eat something cool and refreshing yet filling for the three sons. This recipe was designed last year for the Alpha Plan and continues to be a hit. Adapted from a recipe found in Bon Appetit (May 2008), the original called for snow peas, but I swapped in fresh broccoli florets instead which worked fine. This evening, the mix was served over brown rice, but noodles are good too.

Prepare the chicken, veggies, and rice or noodles in advance and place in the refrigerator until everyone is ready to sit down to the table and eat.  Add the dressing just before serving or the chicken will get mushy.

serves:  4                    prep time:  30 minutes

2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
3 cilantro sprigs plus 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 green onions, chopped
1 crown of broccoli, cut into small florets
1 baby bok choy, thinly sliced crosswise
½ English cucumber, quartered lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons ponzu sauce or soy sauce
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
Brown rice, rice noodles, or pasta, cooked

Poach the chicken breast by bringing a medium skillet filled with salted water to simmer. Add the chicken breast, 3 cilantro sprigs and half of the chopped green onion.  Cook until chicken is no longer pink inside about 7-10 minutes depending on the size of the breasts. Transfer chicken to a platter to cool.  In the same water, cook the broccoli until crisp tender, about 1 minute.

Drain and cool the broccoli, discarding the green onion and cilantro sprigs. Coarsely shred the chicken. Mix chicken, chopped cilantro, the other half of the chopped green onion, broccoli, bok choy, and cucumber in a bowl and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Whisk together ponzu, vinegar, oil and ginger in a bowl. Add dressing to the chicken mix and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve over rice or noodles.

Place one cup of steamed brown rice or noodles on a plate and top with a quarter of the chicken vegetable mixture.  Serve watermelon slices on the side.  This entire meal offers under 400 calories, almost 7 g fiber, lots of vitamins C, several B vitamins, selenium, phosphorous, and manganese.

*Ponzu Sauce is basically a citrus enhanced soy sauce. You can squeeze one teaspoon each orange and lemon juice into ½ cup soy sauce. It can be refrigerated for a week or more.

- Kim Fielding