Spicy Balinese chicken with cucumber-cabbage salad
Paleo, Gluten-Free, Lean & Clean, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free
2 Servings, 590 Calories/Serving
25 – 35 Minutes
Spicy sambal oelek and Indonesian spices bring balanced heat and flavor to these chicken thighs, with a crunchy cashew salad for a crowd-pleasing paleo meal.
Ingredients
- 3 or 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 10 ounces total)
- Balinese spice blend (ground ginger - granulated garlic - turmeric)
- 2 tablespoons sambal oelek
- 1 cucumber
- 1 red bell pepper
- 3 scallions
- Cashew dressing base (cashew butter - fresh garlic - fresh ginger - sesame oil - coconut aminos - lime juice - sambal oelek)
- ¼ pound shredded green cabbage
- ¼ pound shredded carrots
- 3 or 4 sprigs fresh mint
- 3 tablespoons roasted cashews
- 1 lime
Chef's Tip
Sprinkling the chicken with a few drops of water before pounding protects the integrity of the meat as it flattens. Without it, the plastic wrap can stick to the chicken, interfering with your ability to stretch and flatten the meat. Waxed paper or parchment paper also work well in place of plastic wrap.
Make It Leaner
A little dressing can go a long way. By using only half of the cashew dressing you will save 90 calories and 7 grams of fat per serving. Rather than adding oil, thin the dressing with a little warm water and save up to 120 additional calories and 14 grams of fat.
Instructions
1
Prep the chicken
- Place 1 or 2 chicken thighs at a time on a large piece of plastic wrap and sprinkle the meat with a few drops of water. Cover with another piece of plastic wrap and pound with a rolling pin or a heavy frying pan to flatten to an even thickness of about ½ inch. Remove the plastic wrap, transfer the chicken to a plate, pat dry with a paper towel, and season generously with salt and pepper.
2
Make the cucumber-cabbage salad
- Peel the cucumber, if desired, and trim off the ends; cut the cucumber lengthwise into quarters, then crosswise into ½-inch pieces.
- Remove the stem, ribs, and seeds from the bell pepper; cut the pepper into ½-inch-wide strips, then crosswise into ½-inch pieces.
- Trim the root ends from the scallions; thinly slice the scallions on the diagonal.
In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, bell pepper, scallions, cabbage, carrots, and as much cashew dressing as you like (set aside any remaining dressing for serving). Toss to coat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3
Cook the chicken
While the chicken cooks, prepare the remaining ingredients.
4
Finish the cucumber-cabbage salad; prep the garnish
- Strip the mint leaves from the stems; coarsely chop the leaves.
- Coarsely chop the cashews.
- Cut the lime into wedges for garnish.
5
Serve
Nutrition per serving: Protein: 39g (78% DV), Fiber: 9g (36% DV), Total Fat: 34g (52% DV), Monounsaturated Fat: 17g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 5g (25% DV), Cholesterol: 115mg (38% DV), Sodium: 690mg (29% DV) (does not include pantry salt; for reference, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt added to the recipe averages 240mg per serving, or 10% DV), Carbohydrates: 37g (12% DV), Total Sugars: 13g, Added Sugars: 0g (0% DV). Not a significant source of trans fat.
Contains: Tree nuts.
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