Paleo Chicken Breast with Zucchini and Tomato Salsa
I ate this dish in Budapest, in a Hungarian restaurant some years ago, where I was invited to a lunch on a nice sunny day. They served the dishes in a beautiful garden. I was very happy when I realized that the restaurant has paleo offers on their menu. I’ve had zucchini (courgette) before cooked in different ways, but was pleasantly surprised with these ribbons they were full of flavor and delicious. I asked the waiter to tell me, if it is not secret, how did they make it. He was very kind and said a very simple marinade is the key to the flavor. The chicken breast was also marinated with thyme, lemon grass and garlic. The raw tomato salsa on the top was not entirely unfamiliar, I’ve had it several times before like a side dish or salad with meat and it’s good on bruschetta too. These three basic elements of this dish harmonize together very well. A very simple dish with easy and quick marinades, it’s so fast to cook the meat and the veggie, anybody can make it without any difficulty.
You can grill the marinated breasts on a charcoal grill also, say you invite quests for a garden party this could be one of the dishes on the menu. But pay attention, never dry the meat out! There is nothing worse than a chicken breast which tastes like sawdust.
I marinate the zucchini for 4 hours not more, because I do not like if it’s too soft and I cook it just for 2-3 minutes because of the same reason. The ribbons should remain flexible and slightly crisp but should not break. The same is true for tomatoes. I make the tomato salsa shortly, 1 – 1 ½ hour before serving, because the texture of the tomatoes will be different if they are staying in vinegar for long time, it will be not crunchy enough for me. But you can change the recipes at any time depending on your taste.
This grilled chicken breast with zucchini and tomato salsa is a very refreshing, easy to digest dish and especially delicious in summer. Don’t miss it!
Paleo Chicken Breast with Zucchini and Tomato Salsa
Ingredients
Grilled Chicken
- 1 whole bio chicken breast about 400-450 gram, boneless and skinless
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme finely cut
- 1 stalk lemon grass grated
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper freshly ground
Zucchini Ribbons
- 2 zucchini
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper freshly ground
Tomato salsa
- 3 tomatoes
- 1 spring onion finely sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp parsley finely cut
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cut two identical slices from both parts of the chicken breast to get 4 equal slices.
- Make the marinade by putting the minced garlic cloves, finely cut fresh thyme, grated lemon grass, olive oil, salt and pepper into small bowl and mix it.
- Put the 4 slices of chicken breast into ziplock bag and pour marinade mixture over the them, close the bag and massage the breasts a bit, until they are covered with the marinade. Put it into the fridge for 4 hours to marinate.
- Slice zucchinis lengthwise to ribbons with a mandoline slicer.
- Mix 1 minced garlic cloves with olive oil, salt and pepper for the marinade, pour the mixture over the zucchini ribbons. Cover the bowl and put it into the fridge for 4 hours. I like if zucchini stays a bit crunchy, not too soft.
- I suggest you prepare the tomato salsa 1 hour before serving or make it fresh just before serving. I do not like if tomato loses its crunchy texture and starts to be mushy. First step to remove the seeds from the tomatoes and cut small dices.
- Mix finely sliced spring onion with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey and finely cut parsley. Taste the mixture and season with salt and pepper.
- Add diced tomatoes to the mixture and gently mix them. Cover until serving.
- Take the marinated chicken and zucchinis out from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
- Heat a grill pan to very hot and cook the chicken breasts for 2-3 minutes on both sides. Do not dry them out!
- Put the marinated zucchini ribbons into frying pan and cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes, until they are cooked through. Do not overcook! It’s much better if they are a bit crunchy, not too soft.
- Place the cooked marinated zucchini ribbons on serving plates, then put the grilled marinated chicken breasts on them and spoon the tomato salsa to the top of the meat finally. Decorate with a bit of parsley.