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LIGHT & LOCAL |
| • | Vodka unveiled |
One of the things I like most about working out at the Honolulu Club is meeting people who are interested in exercise and health.
Susan Ericson is one of those outgoing people and doesn't mind sharing ideas with others. When she is not working out, she is busy teaching golf and volunteering at Queen's as a healing-touch practitioner. One day when we were discussing my column, she shared her recipe for grilled chicken. She said that one of the chefs in town uses this recipe in his restaurant. It sounded so good, I decided to test it, but to tweak it a little to make it healthier still.
Actually, the recipe is just a matter of prepping the chicken and marinating it. At Kale's health-food store in Hawai'i Kai, I bought free-range chicken because of the deeper chicken flavor and the lack of antibiotics. Even so, I was careful to disinfect my cutting board and hands before moving on to other tasks to avoid cross-contamination.
The rest was simple, because my boyfriend was in charge of the gas grill. He left the lid off the grill. (Leaving the lid on raises the temperature and causes the chicken to cook too quickly and burn.) He put the timer on to remind him to turn the chicken every 10 minutes. You can easily forget if you are busy cooking other dishes and entertaining. Nothing is worse than blackened chicken!
I served the chicken with brown rice, stir-fried Chinese pea pods and steamed kabocha squash. It was an 'ono backyard King Kamehameha Day barbecue.
SUSAN'S GRILLED CHICKEN
Wash the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Score the breasts and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle the breasts with the wine and sugar, and mix well. In a small mixing bowl, mix the soy sauce with the green onion, garlic, sesame seeds, sesame oil, sea salt and pine nuts, and add to the chicken breasts. Marinate for 1 hour or overnight. In a charcoal grill, prepare a bed of medium-hot coals. If using a gas grill, heat the unit to medium-hot. Spray the grill rack with nonstick spray. Place the marinated chicken on the grill and cook for about 30 to 45 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. Baste with leftover sauce in the last 10 minutes. Cut into the chicken to check for doneness. The juices from the thickest part of the chicken should run clear. Serve on lettuce leaves.
Makes 8 servings.
Want a local recipe lightened up? Write Light & Local, Taste Section, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; or taste@honoluluadvertiser.com. Carol Devenot is a Kaimuki-raised kama'aina, teacher and recipe consultant, and author of "Island Light Cuisine" (Blue Sea Publishing, paper, 2003). Learn more at www.islandlightcuisine.com.
