Garlic Soy Chicken with Kiwi Ginger Salsa

When we were in Miami last week we ate a restaurant in South Beach called "Meat Market". The name alone is funny to me, and what is even more funny is that I picked a restaurant with that name in the first place. After paying $14 for a drink and $20 for an appetizer I thought my wallet was going to bust into flames. But I had a great Chilean Sea Bass there with a delicious mango fruit salsa. And while it is pretty hard to get my hands on Chilean Sea Bass in Fort McMurray, Canada, I did manage to find some chicken and make a little fruit salsa of my own!

A reason to be vegetarian? This chicken resembles a fetus.... gross

Garlic Soy Chicken with Kiwi Ginger Salsa

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar or honey

2 cloves garlic

1/2 lime, juiced

Start by making your marinade. In a small bowl add soy sauce, brown sugar, and lime juice. Roughly chop garlic and add to bowl. 

Whisk together until brown sugar or honey is all the way dissolved and pour over chicken in a bowl or zip lock bag. 

Place chicken in refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight....or as long as you can wait before you get hungry.

Salsa

1 kiwi

1/4 yellow bell pepper

1/2 cup pineapple, canned or fresh

2 green onions

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar

2 tablespoons pineapple juice

Peel and dice your kiwi, bell pepper, and pineapple. Be sure to make uniform pieces. Thinly slice green onion adding to a bowl, along with diced fruit and vegetables. 

Add ginger, rice vinegar, and pineapple juice and stir to combine. Refrigerate until chicken is ready to serve.

After chicken has marinated, cook however you like! I prefer grilling, because everything taste better grilled. To grill, heat to medium heat and spray with non-stick spray. Once grill is hot, place chicken breast on grill for 6-7 minutes per side, or until cooked through. 

To plate just top your chicken with a few spoonfuls of fruit salsa and enjoy! Serve with brown rice or over lettuce for a tasty chicken salad!

Garden Chicken Burgers with Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms, and Leeks

Sometimes even vegetarians have to cook meat. For me that is everyday. I can only get away with saying "meatless monday!" to my husband on mondays.  That being said, I would rather my meat-eating friends eat chicken if they are going to eat meat, and these burgers are just the ticket. They have veggies hidden throughout and even flax seed for what might be the healthiest burger around! When topped with caramelized onions, mushroom, and leeks they are sure to be a hit. My husband approved.  I will be honest, I had to take a bite to make sure I wasn't poisoning you :)

Yes, all of that is going in the burgers!

Garden Chicken Burgers

1 pound ground chicken breast

1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

1/2 cup oats

1 egg - beaten

1/2 cup chopped onion 

2 cloves garlic - minced 

1 medium carrot - grated

 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 green onion - thinly sliced

2 tablespoons flax seed

1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek ground chili paste or hot sauce

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon

This recipe makes about 6 burgers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a large bowl combine chicken, egg, onion, garlic, carrot, bell pepper, green onion, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, chili paste, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Mix well until all ingredients are evenly distributed. In a food processor or blender pulse oats and bread crumbs until combined and oats are finely chopped. Add oat mixture to bowl with chicken mixture and combine until evenly distributed.  Using around 1/2 cup of the mixture at a time, form into patties of desired thickness and place on a greased cookie sheet.  Place in oven 30-40 minutes or until internal temperature is 165 degrees. Top with caramelized onion mixture and your other favorite burger toppings.

Caramelized Onion, Mushroom, and Leeks

1 large sweet onion (Yellow, Vidalia, Maui)

2 leeks

1 cup mushroom

Olive Oil

Heat olive oil in large pan on medium heat. Slice onions to and even desired thickness and add to pan. Stir until softened and reduce to low heat. This may take a while, but sauté until onions begin to slowly brown. Slice mushrooms and leeks to similar thickness of onion. Add mushrooms and white/light green part of leeks to pan and sauté with onions, until fully caramelized. This may take up to an hour, but slow and steady wins the race!