Five Spice Roasted Chicken and Orchid Lime Salad

Hi, this is a posting from Kim today!  Kelsey has asked me to take a larger part in the contribution to the blog as she is only cooking for one again.  So, I decided that I needed a new cookbook to inspire me with this challenge.  A friend suggested I try the Whitewater Cooks cookbook series by Shelley Adams as Shelley is out of Nelson, BC and is fairly local to me.  She has three cookbooks and I got the most recent one, Whitewater Cooks with Friends, as it had a lot of recipes that I could see myself making in the future.  I chose two recipes to make for dinner that Shelley suggested as pairing well.  I made the Chinese Five Spice and Garlic Chicken and the Orchid Lime Salad (not sure why it is called that) and both dishes were delicious.  The chicken was extra moist and tender with a spicy kick to it and I really enjoyed the dressing on the rice noodle salad.  If these dishes are any indication of how good the cookbook is, I say I chose a great one to add to my cookbook collection.

Roasted Chinese Five Spice and Garlic Chicken

From  Whitewater Cooks with Friends

Ingredients:

1 whole organic chicken, about 3 lbs.

8 garlic cloves, crushed (I only used 4)

2 tbsp salt (I used only 1 tbsp)

4 tbsp sesame oil

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 tsp Chinese five spice powder

4 tbsp rice vinegar

1 cup cilantro, chopped

1 tsp red chili flakes

2 limes, quartered for garnish

Directions:

Place the chicken, breast side down, on a cutting board so the back is facing you.  Using a sharp knife or kitchen scissors, cut through the ribs on one side or the backbone.  Lay chicken open and cut ribs on the other side of the backbone and remove and discard backbone.  (I had the butcher butterfly the chicken for me.)

Flip chicken over crack breastbone by pressing down on the flat side of a knife laid across breast, until chicken lays flat.

Combine garlic, salt, sesame oil, vegetable oil, Chinese five spice, rice vinegar, cilantro and red chili flakes in a large bowl.  Place the chicken in the marinade and flip several times to coat.  Cover with plastic film and marinate in fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350.  Remove chicken from marinade and place in a roasting pan and roast in oven for about 1 to 1 ½ hours or until juices run clear when a skewer is poked in the thigh joint.  (I actually poured the remaining marinade over the chicken after I put it in the roasting pan.)

Cut chicken into pieces, place on serving platter and garnish with lime wedges. 

Orchid Lime Salad

From Whitewater Cooks with Friends

Ingredients:

Dressing

½ cup peanut butter, smooth

1 lime, juice and zest of

2 tsp sesame oil

4 tbsp sweet chili sauce

4 tbsp rice vinegar

4 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

1 tbsp maple syrup

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated

½ bunch cilantro, chopped  (I used only ½ cup)

¼ cup vegetable oil

Salad

One 16 oz package pad thai rice noodles

1 kettle full of boiling water

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 carrots, julienned

½ long English cucumber, seeded and julienned

1 red pepper, julienned

2 cups bean sprouts

3 green onions, sliced diagonally

2 tbsp butter

1 cup slivered almond

3 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted  (I would use half the amount next time)

¼ tsp Chinese five spice

1 tsp salt (I used half the amount)

1 tsp sugar

Directions:

Blend all the dressing ingredients except cilantro and oil with a hand mixing wand or a food processor until just mixed.

Add oil in a steady stream while mixing until incorporated.  Stir in ½ the cilantro.

Place rice noodles in a large bowl, cover with boiling water and soak ten minutes until just tender.  

Drain into colander, rinse with cold water, place in bowl and toss with the sesame oil.

Add julienned carrots, cucumbers, red pepper, bean sprouts and green onions to noodles and set aside.

Heat butter in heavy bottomed pan, add almonds, sesame seeds, Chinese five spice and salt and toss until golden brown about 3 or 4 minutes.

Add sugar and toss for another 30 seconds.  Remove from heat and allow to cool thoroughly.

Add dressing to noodles and mix gently together with two wooden spoons.  Garnish with remaining cilantro and the toasted almonds and sesame seeds.

**Tip from cookbook – if you are not going to eat all the salad at one time , you can only put dressing on the portion that you need and save the rest for when you will be eating the rest.