Tonight, we’re thrilled to share a dish created with Samin Nosrat, the woman declared “America’s next great cooking teacher” by Alice Waters. Her bestselling cookbook Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat is a visionary new master class in cooking that distills decades of professional experience into just four simple elements. This dish balances the lively flavors of summer vegetables, jalapeño-spiced rice, and chicken marinated and glazed with soy sauce and Chinese five-spice. (Note that you may receive yellow squash, green zucchini, or grey zucchini.) Many thanks to Chef Nosrat for sharing this recipe!
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 1/2 c Jasmine Rice
- 2 Scallions
- 1 Cucumber
- 1 Garlic
- 1 Jalapeño Pepper
- 1 Summer Squash
- 1 Cilantro & Mint
- 2 tbsp Mirin
- 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Chinese Five-Spice Powder
Instructions
Instructions
Marinate the chicken:
In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, five-spice powder, and half the mirin. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Add to the bowl and turn to thoroughly coat. Set aside to marinate, turning occasionally, for at least 20 minutes.
Cook the rice:
While the chicken marinates, in a small pot, combine the rice, a big pinch of salt, and 1 cup of water. Heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook 12 to 14 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Turn off the heat and fluff the cooked rice with a fork.
Prepare the ingredients:
While the rice cooks, wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel the cucumber, leaving alternating strips of skin intact; halve lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out and discard the seeds. Cut into ½-inch-thick pieces on an angle. Thinly slice the squash on an angle. Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions; thinly slice, separating the white bottoms and green tops. Pick the cilantro leaves off the stems; discard the stems. Peel and finely chop the garlic; using the flat side of your knife, smash until it resembles a paste (or use a zester). Pick the mint leaves off the stems; discard the stems. Cut off and discard the stem end of the pepper. Quarter lengthwise; remove and discard the ribs and seeds, then thinly slice crosswise. Thoroughly wash your hands immediately after handling the pepper.
Marinate the vegetables:
In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, squash, white bottoms of the scallions, cilantro, half the vinegar, half the sesame oil, the remaining mirin, and as much of the garlic paste as you’d like. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate, stirring occasionally, for at least 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cook & glaze the chicken:
While the vegetables marinate, in a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the marinated chicken (reserving the marinade) and cook 2 to 3 minutes on the first side, or until browned. Flip and add the reserved marinade, remaining vinegar, and ½ cup of water. Cook, frequently spooning the sauce over the chicken, 7 to 8 minutes, or until coated and cooked through. Turn off the heat.
Finish the rice & plate your dish:
To the pot of cooked rice, add the remaining sesame oil and as much of the pepper as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Stir to combine; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the finished rice, marinated vegetables, and glazed chicken (including any sauce from the pan) between 2 dishes. Garnish with the mint (tearing the leaves just before adding) and green tops of scallions. Enjoy!