KnitOne,PearlOnion: Honey-Jalapeño Chicken

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Honey-Jalapeño Chicken

I get a lot of emails from cooking and knitting sites. Kinda predictable since this is a blog about cooking and knitting.

So, I open an email a few days ago from The Splendid Table and this deliciousness appeared:

Honey-Jalapeño Chicken Tenders.

Yum.

The original recipe is from The Farm: Rustic Recipes for a Year of Incredible Food by Ian Knauer.

Both daughters were home on Sunday so I decided to make these little lovelies. I used chicken breasts instead of tenders….I think they a bit heartier when grilling.

Honey-Jalapeño Chicken

1/4 cup honey

3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped (I used only 3)
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
Juice of the lemon you just zested (I added this)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 pounds chicken tenders (I used boneless breasts, cut into thirds)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Sour cream or plain yogurt for serving

1. Preheat the grill and oil the grill rack.

2. Whisk together the honey, soy sauce, oil, garlic, jalapeño, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Toss the chicken in the marinade and let stand for at least 10 minutes. I put my concoction in a zip-lock bag and let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour.

3. Grill the chicken until well browned and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Serve the chicken sprinkled with the cilantro and a dollop of sour cream or yogurt on the plate.

The chicken was zesty and flavorful, not too spicy and perfectly cooled and complemented by the sour cream and cilantro. Lynne from The Splendid Table suggested pairing the chicken with couscous and corn-on-the-cob, but I opted to serve risotto and grilled asparagus and pineapple.

Well now…the lemon/honey combo is certainly tasty and useful for more than just a sore throat!