Date night doesn’t have to mean shelling out a ton of cash and sitting in an uncomfortably quiet restaurant that serves tiny, child-size portions. When you have someone to impress, opt for an exciting, comfortable and reasonably priced homemade meal. This coconut chicken and orca bean salad offers an exotic dining experience without any preparation headaches that you might expect from a gourmet dish. Show off your culinary prowess–or conceal your lack thereof–with this made-for-two recipe.
Zesty Coconut Chicken with Orca Bean, Avocado and Cilantro Salad
Recipe created by Gregory Gourdet
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients
Bean & Avocado Salad
3 cups Bob’s Red Mill Orca Beans, soaked and refrigerated overnight
1-½ Tbsp. garlic, sautéed
1 Tbsp. pickled hot chilies
3 scallions, sliced
1 avocado, diced
½ jalapeño pepper, sliced
Juice of 2 limes
4 cups water
½ cup olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
Coconut Chicken
8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat, sliced into ½-inch pieces
1 Tbsp. ginger
1 cup sliced red onion
2 Tbsp. garlic
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup coconut milk
Ground hot chili, to taste
Salt, to taste
Directions
- Rinse and drain beans. In a large bowl, add beans and water, covering beans by 3 inches. Place bowl in refrigerated and set overnight. After, drain and rinse and add to a pressure cooker. Add sautéed garlic, jalapeño and 4 cups water and cook on high for 8 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk olive oil and freshly squeezed lime juice. Add scallions, avocado, pickled hot chilies and cooked orca beans. Stir until combined. Season with salt and garnish with cilantro. Set aside.
- Season raw chicken with salt and chili to taste.
- In a frying pan over medium heat, add olive oil. Once heated, sauté chicken until slightly golden. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
- Add onions to pan and cook until softened. Add garlic and ginger and cook another few minutes, until fragrant.
- Add chicken back to pan along with coconut milk. Simmer until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
- Top chicken with salad and serve over rice or other grain.