October 9: Ginger-Lime Chicken with String Beans and Wasabi Smashed Potatoes

   2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
   Zest and juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons tamari
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
   Coarse black pepper
4 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 to 2 1/4 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup milk
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons prepared wasabi paste, depending on how spicy you like it
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
   Coarse salt
1 medium red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/4 pounds string beans, trimmed of stem ends
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth

In a shallow dish, combine the ginger, lime juice, tamari, 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, and pepper. Add the chicken breasts and toss to coat in the mixture; let marinate for about 5 minutes.

Fill a large sauce pot with water, add the potatoes, place over high heat, and bring up to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Drain and return the potatoes to the hot pot. Smash the potatoes with a masher and combine with the milk, wasabi paste, and 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add salt and pepper to taste.

While the potatoes are cooking, preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add the marinated chicken, and cook on both sides for 5 to 6 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Return the skillet to the heat with the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil, add the onions and garlic, and cook for 3 minutes.

Add the string beans, toss to distribute, add the chicken stock and bring up to a simmer. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Turn the heat off and add the lime zest and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, stirring until the butter has melted completely.

Divide the string beans and the sauce among 4 serving plates. Slice the chicken on an angle and place atop the beans, then spoon a big helping of wasabi smashed potatoes alongside.

4 SERVINGS

This is definitely NOT a 30 minute meal! It took me at least an hour, and that's not a good thing on a Sunday night after church. I should have made the meal this afternoon, but we decided to go out to eat instead. I think it was worth it. :) The meal was good. The chicken just had a hint of ginger lime flavor when it was all cooked. The beans and potatoes were really good. I probably should have cut the chicken thinner, because a) it's too thick to cook in just 10 minutes, and b) I can't eat a whole chicken breast at one time anyway. I cooked the chicken for about 18-20 minutes total and it got done. Anyway, I didn't change anything about this recipe. I did use EVOO instead of vegetable oil, because I ran out of it cooking Everything Crusted Chicken Rolls. RR says: "My favorite ginger-lime chicken was had at a bistro in Montreal, Canada, of all places. This is the at-home version."