Chicken with Lemongrass

This dish, from "Cook Smart for a Healthy Heart," is so interesting and tasty. It's in between a soup and a stew and has a nice blend of spicy and sour flavours. Lemongrass adds the citrus while light coconut milk adds richness without compromising the healthiness of the recipe. We doubled this to have leftovers and it doubles quite nicely. Another highly recommended dish!



1 small chili pepper, split open lengthwise but left whole
1 garlic clove, cut in half
1 cm piece of ginger cut into 4 slices (very inexpensive-we paid $0.07 for a larger chunk than we needed)
2 stalks of lemongrass, bruised and cut in half (also cheap-$1.49 for a palk of 6 or 8 stalks)
650 g bone-in chicken pieces, such as breasts or thighs, skinned
1 shallot (basically an onion), finely chopped (p.s. I, Elana, hate onions but because it's so finely chopped and mixed in so well, it is actually great and wouldn't be the same without it!)
250 thin, green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise with a vegetable peeler into thin strips
1.3 cup reduced-fat coconut milk
finely grated rind and juice of 1 lime
pepper to taste
2 tbsp fresh coriander to garnish

1. Place 4 cups of water in a saucepan over high heat. Spear the chili, garlic and giner on a wooded cocktail stick or skewer (it makes them easier to remove later) and add to the pan together with the lemongrass. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside to infuse for about 30 minutes.

2. Return the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Add the chicken pieces, shallot, and green beans, and poach for 12-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked (test with the tip of a knife-the juices should run clear). Add the zucchini slices for the last 2 minutes of cooking.

3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken, beans, and zucchini to a warmed bowl. Add a little of the poaching liquid to keep them moist, then cover tightly and keep warm.

4. Return the liquid to a boil and add the coconut milk, stirring until it dissolves. Continue boiling for about 5-6 minutes or until the liquid had reduced by about one-third.

5. Remove the chicken meat from the bones and shred it roughly. Return the chicken meat, beans, and zucchini to the soup and stir, then reheat briefly. Stir in the grated lime rind and juice. Season with pepper.

6. Divide the chicken and vegetables among four soup bowls. Spoon the liquid over, discarding the lemongrass and stick of chili, garlic, and ginger. Sprinkle with coriander and serve.

Note: You can also add Chinese noodles to the dish if you like. Boil them for 3 minutes, drain, and then add to the reduced liquid when you add everything else in step 5.

Nutrition Info:

365 calories
40 g protein
13 g total fat
4 g saturated fat

Enjoy!
127 mg cholesterol
20 g total carbohydrate
13 g sugars
1 g fibre
247 mg sodium