POACHED GINGER CHICKEN with COCONUT RICE

Who would have thought such amazing recipes could be found in the free Coles food magazine every month? Not I. March’s edition has a beautiful Chicken & Spring Onion Stir-fry on the cover and inside Asian cuisine, figs, grapes and spring onions are explored passionately, not to mention some melt-in-your-mouth cakes. After eating a delectable Wagamamma Ginger & Udon Stir-fry today at a celebration lunch with my partner & business partner, I decided that I needed something just as light and flavoursome for dinner. Poaching chicken is not something I do often, but it is an excellent low-fat way to cook poultry. As I mentioned in the cooking steps below, you just have to make sure that you check that no pink flesh remains in the chicken breast or disaster can strike. The coconut rice is a bit of a splash out, however if you use light coconut milk the fat content reduces dramatically. A perfect meal for a rainy Monday night.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 spring onions, trimmed & washed 
• 4cm piece of ginger, peeled & sliced into thin pieces 
• 600g chicken breast fillets, either similar size or cut into even large pieces 
• 1/3 cup gluten-free soy sauce 
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes 
• 2 cups jasmine or doongara rice
• 400ml can light coconut milk 

COOKING 

1. Place 4 whole spring onions in a large, deep frying pan with ginger slices and chicken (if the spring onions are too long for your pan, cut them in half). Pour enough water in to cover the chicken pieces by 2cm. Finely cut the 4 remaining spring onions into fine long strips, then place in a medium bowl filled with ice and water (this will make the onions curl at the tips). 

2. Cover the frying pan with a lid (or use a baking tray if you do not have a lid). Bring the chicken mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat, then leave the chicken to simmer for 10 minutes, partly removing the lid. Remove the largest piece/fillet of chicken from the pan and cut into it, checking that no pink flesh remains. Cover the chicken loosely with foil for 5 minutes to rest, then remove and slice into even slices. Reserve 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid and combine in a small bowl with soy sauce and sesame oil. 

3. Meanwhile, make coconut rice. Place rice in a sieve and drain well with cold water. Place drained rice in a medium saucepan with coconut milk, 1 cup water and a pinch of sea salt. Cover the saucepan and bring to the boil over medium-high heat, then simmer for 8-10 minutes or until no liquid remains. Turn off the stove and let the rice sit for 5 minutes before removing the lid and fluffing it up with a fork. 

4. Drain the spring onions in iced water and combine with chilli flakes and sea salt, if you desire. Drizzle soy sauce mixture over the top of the sliced chicken and spring onions. Serve the coconut rice on the side. (Discard the ginger, water and spring onion liquid in the large pan). 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes

Total Cooking time / 35 minutes 

x Emily 

CHICKEN VERMICELLI SALAD

I had a truly lovely Vermicelli Chicken Salad at ‘Sings’ restaurant in Brisbane last Monday night and was extremely eager to make my own. I was so incredibly eager that I rocked up to the restaurant again for Sunday lunch, however to my dismay it was closed. How selfish of those workers, I thought, to not be open when I needed them most. I therefore had to rely on my distant memory of the dish from a week ago. Whilst my salad did not taste as authentic as my restaurant experience, I was quite happy with the end result. If you are a lover of spicy food, add more sweet chilli sauce to the dish. Play around with different vegetables, such as boy choy or galangal. An easy, no-fuss midweek dinner. 

INGREDIENTS

• 250g rice vermicelli noodles
• 400g chicken breast fillets, cut into even 4cm pieces
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 400g bean sprouts
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons teriyaki chicken sauce 

Dressing

• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup gluten-free sweet chilli sauce 
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped

COOKING 

1. Combine the chicken pieces, oil, 2 spring onions and teriyaki sauce in a medium bowl. Refrigerate to marinade for 30 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, place noodles in a boiling large bowl or pot of water. Make sure all noodles are covered by water. Leave for 5 minutes, then drain well with cold water. Set aside. Make the dressing by combining all ingredients in a small bowl and whisking to combine. 

3. Heat a wok over medium heat. Add marinaded chicken, stirring often until chicken is cooked through and no pink colour remains. Add bean sprouts to the wok, stirring well to combine for 2 minutes. Then add cooked noodles, stirring well for another 2 minutes until noodles are coated with the marinade. Remove from heat. 

4. Place chicken and noodles in a large serving bowl. Drizzle the dressing on top of the noodles and toss to combine. Serve warm. 

Serves / 4 - 6 

Total Preparation time / 40 minutes (including refrigeration time)

Total Cooking time / 12 minutes 

x E