Chicken Skewers, San Francisco-Style with Asian Slaw

Recipe submitted by Kally Mavromatis.

This recipe illustrates the influence of the Pacific Rim on San Franciscan cuisine. Here, we've marinated cubes of boneless chicken breasts in an Asian-style marinade, then thread them onto skewers with snow peas and cherry tomatoes. After grilling, serve over our slaw, a crunchy mix of cabbage, bean sprouts and daikon (Japanese radish).

Ingredients

Marinade

• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoons sesame sauce
• 3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 36 fresh snow peas (about 6 ounces)
• 20 cherry tomatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds)

Asian Slaw

• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1 cup shredded green cabbage
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 2 cups mung bean sprouts
• 1/2 cup shredded daikon radish

Dressing

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted

Preparation

Chicken and Marinade

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients. Set aside.
2. Remove and discard any visible fat from the chicken. Rinse and pat dry.
3. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Place in the marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. If using wooden rather than metal skewers, soak them in warm water for 30 minutes to prevent burning.
4. Light a grill, or preheat the broiler.
5. Blanch the snow peas in boiling water and cover for 1 minute. Drain. Thread the chicken cubes, snow peas and cherry tomatoes onto the 4 skewers.
6. Grill over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve hot over a bed of crunchy Asian slaw.

Asian Slaw and Dressing

1. In a large bowl, combine the red and green cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts and radish.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
3. Drizzle over the slaw and lightly toss.
4. Serve at once as a bed for the grilled chicken skewers.

Each chicken skewer and Asian slaw recipe produces 4 servings.

Baker's Tip: Hoisin sauce is a sweet, spicy sauce sold in the Asian food section of most large supermarkets and Asian markets. You can substitute tomato-based chili sauce with good results.

Nutritional Analysis (per serving)

Chicken Skewers

• 240 calories (41% calories from fat)
• 11 g total fat (1 g saturated fat)
• 23 g protein
• 1,114 g carbohydrate
• 3 g dietary fiber
• 220 mg sodium
• 665 mg potassium

Asian Slaw

• 80 calories (50% from fat)
• 4.5 g total fat (0 g saturated fat)
• 3 g protein
• 10 g carbohydrate
• 3 g dietary fiber
• 10 mg cholesterol
• 39 mg sodium
• 265 mg potassium