Thai Style Barbecue Chicken

This is such an easy recipe to prepare. All of the intensely bold flavor comes from the marinade, which is packed with herbs, fragrant spices, aromatics and coconut milk. The heat of the curry and pepper is balanced with the slight sweetness from the coconut milk. Just a little prep the day ahead and let it marinate in the refrigerator overnight and then grill it the next day. This is really a one-two-three-easy recipe and anyone can become a Thai barbecue "expert" for their family and friends. The best part of this dish besides the wonderful, exotic flavor? It is totally low in carbohydrates. I hope you enjoy!

Thai Style Barbecue Chicken

Ingredients:

8 - 4 ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

8 large cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup shallots, chopped

2 tsp. white pepper

1 Tbsp. coriander

2 tsp. yellow curry powder

2 tsp. Thai fish sauce (Nahm Bplah)

1 tsp. Splenda

1/2 cup coconut milk

Blend all of the marinade ingredients together in a large vessel and arrange the chicken so that all of the pieces are coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, discard the marinade and wipe any solids from the chicken with a paper towel. Preheat a cast iron grill pan on high until extremely hot. Grill the chicken about 4 minutes per side for the thin cut breasts or until done, no longer pink inside and the juices run clear. This can also be done on your outdoor barbecue grill.

Note ~ This recipe can be halved to serve four.

Nutrition Facts

8 Servings

Amount Per Serving
Calories 177.2
Total Fat 6.0 g
Saturated Fat 4.9 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.1 g
Cholesterol 74.9 mg
Sodium 168.3 mg
Potassium 45.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate 4.0 g
Dietary Fiber 0.6 g
Sugars 1.0 g
Protein 28.3 g

Mussels in Thai Green Curry Sauce

Green curries are wonderful and can be as spicy as a red curry but they tend to be a bit sweeter. Different curries can be purchased in most supermarkets as a paste. There are many good quality brands that are very flavorful and they are such a great convenience. That is why I chose to use a prepared curry paste in this recipe. This is a simple, fast and easy recipe that the entire family will enjoy and you can control how spicy you want to make it. You can even add sliced green thaibird chilies or jalapeno to really heat it up and go volcanic if you like. It's up to you. Green curry mussels is classic Thai and you may have already tried it in your local Thai restaurant. If you haven't experienced this dish yet you are in for a fantastic surprise. I hope you enjoy.

Mussels in Thai Green Curry Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. shallots, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated

1 1/2 lbs. mussels, scrubbed and cleaned, discard any mussels with broken shells (about 24 to 32 medium sized in the shell)

1 - 13.5 ounce can coconut milk, well shaken

2 Tbsp. Thai green curry paste (or to taste)

1 lime, juiced

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

thaibird chile or jalapeno, sliced (optional)

vegetable spray

Heat large saute pan coated with vegetable spray on medium high heat and add shallots. garlic and ginger. Saute a minute or so and add the green curry paste. Saute another minute to cook the paste, stirring so it does not burn. Add coconut milk, lime juice, half of the cilantro and chilies if desired and blend well with the curry paste. Add the mussels, cover and cook for about 5 minutes, until all of the mussels have opened, occasionally shaking pan back and forth. Make sure to discard any mussels that have not opened. Finish with balance of cilantro.

Nutrition Facts

4 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 256.1

Total Fat 17.4 g

Saturated Fat 15.2 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g

Cholesterol 28.0 mg

Sodium 516.9 mg

Potassium 32.0 mg

Total Carbohydrate 5.9 g

Dietary Fiber 0.6 g

Sugars 4.0 g

Protein 14.6 g

Thai Spicy Peanut Chicken

Today's lunch was just a simple sandwich of two ounces of turkey breast, lettuce and tomato on whole wheat bread smothered with Dijon mustard and five black olives on the side. For dessert, to balance out the meal, a half of a medium banana hit the spot. A lunch such as this tallies out at 2 protein exchanges, 1 vegetable exchange, and 3 carbohydrate exchanges.

Dinner this evening will be special. Influenced by the classic Asian dish this spicy peanut chicken lends an exotic twist to dinner. Its rich, creamy sauce is moderate in heat but you can turn up the flame as you like it. Quick to prepare, it's a winner for a weeknight supper. I hope you also give it a try and enjoy it as much as I do.

Thai Spicy Peanut Chicken

For the Marinade:

4 - 4 ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

2 garlic cloves, minced (reserve one minced clove)

1 Tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce

white pepper to taste

For the dish:

2 Tbsp. canola oil

1 cup low sodium chicken stock

2 Tbsp. smooth peanut butter (preferably all natural or no salt or sugar added)

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)

1/2 cup fat free evaporated milk

2 green onions, sliced thin for garnish

1/4 cup crushed dry-roasted peanuts for garnish (optional)

4 cups cooked angel hair pasta

Combine the chicken with the cornstarch, soy sauce, 1 clove of the garlic and white pepper in a small bowl, cover and refrigerate for about 10 to 15 minutes to marinate.

Preheat a large saute pan on medium high and add the canola oil. Saute the chicken cubes until they become lightly browned. Add the rest of the garlic and the red pepper flakes. Continue to brown the chicken until golden. Add the chicken stock and peanut butter, stirring gently to combine. The heat will soften the peanut butter and it will blend in well. Bring the mixture to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and slowly add the evaporated milk, stirring it in a little at a time. Place back on low heat and continue to simmer for about 5 more minutes. The sauce will be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon when done. If the mixture is too thick, add more chicken stock or water a tablespoon at a time.

Top angel hair pasta with chicken and garnish with green onions and crushed peanuts.

Yields four servings. Each serving = 360 calories, 3 carbohydrate exchanges, 3 protein exchanges and 1 fat exchange.

Tip...use a separate cutting board that can fit into the dishwasher for preparing the raw chicken or any raw meats, for that matter. If you don't have a dishwasher, wash the cutting board in the hottest water you can tolerate with soap. I like to keep a spray bottle filled with water and a few drops of chlorine bleach near the sink, too. Spray the board down and rinse once again to sanitize. This chlorine bleach spray is handy for cleaning and sanitizing your sink, drain, counter tops, microwave oven and cutting boards.