Chicken can be quite boring if you prepare it in similar ways night after night. I originally set out to prepare this dish with spinach and goat cheese, but I found some cilantro in the fridge and then decided to omit the cheese for a healthier meal. I felt like I was breaking some culinary rules because Mexico and Asia joined forces on this one.. but it turned out to be very good :) The soy sauce and cooking wine helped the chicken stay nice and tender. This is a great and easy main dish for a weeknight.
Asian Garlic Chicken:
Chicken breast cutlets (1-2 per person)
Chopped/minced fresh garlic
One thinly-sliced yellow onion
Chopped cilantro (a few tbsp. per chicken cutlet)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup Asian cooking wine (or a dry white cooking wine)
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350. Arrange chicken in a baking dish. Place garlic on top each cutlet, then stack with sliced onions and leave the rest in the bottom of the dish. Top with cilantro, salt, and pepper. Pour soy sauce and cooking wine over top the chicken and into bottom of dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Suggested Wine Pairing:
Aveleda Fonte Vinho Verde '08
I'm a fan of any good, dry wine. I ended up drinking a glass of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with this meal (it goes great with it too!), but if you're looking for a lighter wine to go with the chicken, I love suggesting this Aveleda. I'm not a fan of anything sweet when it comes to wine, and this is a very crisp and light drink for this meal. It's also great to drink in the warmer months!
