Chicken Dinner With A Different, Delightful, And Delicious Twist.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts were on sale at Food Lion for $1.77/pound. So I stocked up. Pretty good deal on the chicken - $2.81 for four breasts. Tonight, I wanted chicken, but I wanted different. Not the same ol' same ol'. And I think I got it.

I went out to the garden and picked mint, cilantro, and parsley. My cilantro is going to seed now, so I've got the added bonus of the citrusy pop of fresh coriander seeds.

Mince the herbs.

For my marinade, I'm using the minced mint, cilantro, and parsley, salt and pepper, cumin and turmeric, and ELBOO. That's Extra Light Bertolli Olive Oil!

I used about a teaspoon each of the salt, pepper, cumin, and turmeric.

Maybe two-three tablespoons of each fresh herb. And enough olive oil (3-4 TB) to make a nice paste.

I cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces ...

... and massaged the marinade in.

Let it marinate at least an hour.

For a side dish, I decided on Jasmine rice "with the volume kicked up." (Obviously, I've been watching too much Ina.)

When the rice was almost done, I added in a nice plop of buttah ...

... and frozen green peas. Cover, remove from heat, and let the peas heat through.

Now, here's where the volume gets "turned up." I have cucumber, carrot, red pepper, tomato, and red onion.

Shred the carrot and chop the cuke, red onion, pepper, and 'mater.

Mix together.

Add a handful of peanuts.

About a tablespoon or two of sugar ...

... and an equal amount of rice vinegar.

Salt and pepper.

Chill.

Next, I skewered my chicken pieces and poured the rest of the marinade over top.

This is smelling really good.

I decided a little Tamari couldn't hurt.

Medium high heat. LOLUB and ELBOO. That's Land o' Lakes Unsalted Butter and Extra Light Bertolli Olive Oil!

Marinade in.

4-5 minutes each side.

Drain on paper towels.

To serve, I placed the chicken skewers on a bed of Jasmine rice with green peas. My cool vegetable condiment went on top.

I loved this. The chicken was tender and juicy. Perfectly cooked. The basic warm tones of the cumin and turmeric were accented by the bright notes of the fresh herbs. The nutty, fragrant rice with the pleasant sprinkling of sweet peas offered a nice balance to the warmth of the chicken. The cool, fresh flavors of the tomato, cucumber, pepper, onion relish was icing on the cake - the perfect counterbalance to the chicken and rice. The peanut was a nice touch to the relish.

Plus, it's real pretty too.

I relished the relish.

The Hawthornelets loved it. Mr. Hawthorne didn't. He doesn't like strange flavors. Poor Mr. Hawthorne. Bon appetit!