Poached Chicken with Melon Pico de Gallo

This is a winner winner chicken dinner that's healthy, fun and not nearly as fancy as it sounds.

Monday, August 30th 2010, 5:29 pm

By: News 9


By Leslie Berndt

Serves 4, Prep/Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup cubed honeydew melon
1 cup cubed cantaloupe
1 cup cubed watermelon
½ cup blueberries
1 minced jalapeno pepper
1 T. fresh chopped mint leaves
Fresh ginger, grated to taste
1 lime, zest and juiced
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp Champagne or Melon vinegar

Directions:

To make the poaching liquid: You may use anything that provides aromatics and flavor. Here are some of the ingredients I put in my poaching liquid;

Approximately 4 cups water, bay leaf, raw vegetables (carrots, celery, onions, and garlic), fresh herbs, zest and juice from any citrus fruit, ginger, salt and peppercorns.

Bring liquid to boil until you can smell the aromas in the poaching liquid. Turn heat to a simmer prior to adding chicken. Place the chicken in the flavored water and bring up to a boil, then turn to a low simmer for approximately 10-12 minutes.

Using a spatula, carefully combine all of the fruits in a large bowl and toss in the mint, ginger and jalapeno. Add lime juice, zest and vinegar, carefully stir to incorporate. Salt and pepper to taste.

Place pico on center of serving plate and place chicken on top of pico. Serve with brown rice or whole wheat pasta. Garnish with either fresh cilantro, basil or mint leaves.

Time saver hint: use a good chicken base with about 4 quarts of water instead of the homemade poaching liquid. For an added twist, drizzle basil puree over chicken. See recipe below.

Nutrition (per serving):250 calories, 4g of total fat, 30g protein

Basil Puree

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
The juice of one lemon
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Blanch basil leaves in boiling water for 15 seconds. Transfer to blender, and combine other ingredients.

Great drizzled over poultry, fish, pasta and any vegetables. Store in refrigerator, but serve at room temperature.

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