Marinade/Vinaigrette

We eat lots of chicken in the Watson Sive household, so I am always looking for new ways to prepare/serve it. This day late Wine & Dine Wednesday post slipped my mind yesterday, but thought you might enjoy it today. It is a big batch of marinade/vinaigrette that you split in half, using part to marinate and then bake the chicken in. While the other half becomes the vinaigrette for the cabbage salad. Note, you never use a marinade that has touched raw meat for a vinaigrette, so make a double batch and split in half, setting the vinaigrette aside for dressing the greens later.

Here we go! In a big bowl add 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil, 4 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar, 4 teaspoons of sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger, 1 tablespoon of freshly ground pepper. Whisk all together. Pour half this mixture into another bowl and set that aside as your vinaigrette. As a dressing, this can sit in the fridge for many days.

With the remaining amount in the big bowl that will be the marinade, add 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds. As well as 2 garlic cloves you have peeled and smashed. Whisk. Add 4 to 6 skinless chicken thighs to this bowl moving them around so they are coated with all that goodness. Let sit in the fridge for at least an hour.

When ready to put dinner together, take out of fridge and let sit on the counter for half an hour to take the chill off. Oven to 400. Pour marinade and chicken into a baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, checking at the 45 minute mark with a meat thermometer, as you are looking for the chicken to read 165. When done, take out of oven and cover the dish with aluminum foil to rest for 10 minutes.

While the chicken is resting, cut up half a head of a cabbage for your salad. Dress with the vinaigrette you had made earlier that has been sitting in the fridge. For a super simple meal, add a piece of chicken to the top of the cabbage salad.

OK, here is where you can get creative with leftovers in the fridge or pantry. To our cabbage salad I added some brown rice, lentils, roasted cauliflower and a big handful of sunflower seeds. Truly, add whatever looks interesting to you. We love hearty one bowl meals, so adding other things really beefs up the dish. But you also don’t have to add anything, it will be lovely just as it is without any additions. Enjoy!