Korean Chicken with Sugar Snap Pea Salad
Korean grilled meats are a great way to get your protein without much added fat or calories. It’s all in the marinating. Here’s a traditionally flavored Korean chicken paired with tangy and savory Balsamic dressed Sugar Snap Peas. Sugar Snap Peas are believed to support a healthy immune system due to their high content of Calcium and Vitamin A, in addition to being a great source of fiber. Don’t be intimidated by the seemingly long list of ingredients and method. Most of these are things you’d already have in your kitchen and the method is simple.

Serves 4

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into thin chunks 
6 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
5 cups Sugar snap peas ends and veins pulled off
1 large cucumber peeled and sliced into thin rounds
1/2 large red onion thinly sliced
Large bowl of ice water
Dressing
1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons course grainy mustard
3 tablespoons honey
8 cloves garlic finely minced
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup olive oil + 2 tablespoons
 
Method
 
In a large bowl, place the chopped chicken along with the soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil, mixing together until thoroughly combined. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 1/2 an hour up to overnight, covered with plastic wrap.

In another mixing bowl, combine balsamic vinegar, mustard, honey, garlic, salt and pepper; whisk until smooth. Drizzle in the olive oil slowly, continuing to whisk until all ingredients are smooth and mixed. Set aside.

Bring small pot of water (just enough to cover the sugar snap peas) to boil. Turn off the heat once the water has boiled for a couple of minutes. Let the water stop boiling, then plunge the snap peas into the water for 10-15 seconds. Drain immediately and shock the peas into the bowl of ice water. Set aside.
On medium high heat in a non-stick skillet pan-fry the chicken (make sure not to overcrowd; you can cook the chicken in batches) about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Place cooked chicken on a plate.

In a large mixing bowl, place the drained sugar snap peas, julienned onions, cucumbers and balsamic dressing together. Toss gently but thoroughly until everything has been coated well. Divide onto four serving plates. Arrange chicken pieces on each plate on top of the salad. Serve immediately. 
 
TIPS: Some batches of sugar snap peas come already smooth. Some have edges that need to be peeled. If one or both ends of the peas have sharp tips, take one end and pull gently downward along the edge. A very thin strip should come off, going from one tip to the other. This is the fibrous string which is difficult to chew. When pan-frying chicken in batches, the skillet may collect black, burnt bits at the bottom. If you have this problem after the first batch, simply place the skillet under running hot water for a few seconds until the bits have drained. Return to medium high heat and let it come to temperature with the specks of water dissipated before continuing with the next batch of chicken.

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