| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 45 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 35 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted and flesh chopped
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 gallon water
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup peeled and chopped carrots
- 4 lemons, halved
- 1/2 cup minced ginger
- 4 lemongrass stalks, top and bottom scored
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 6 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 2 cups canned black beans, rinsed
- 1 large vine-ripened tomato, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped green onion
- 1 teaspoon minced parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse the avocado and yogurt until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, fold in the lime juice and refrigerate.
- In a large stockpot over high heat, combine the water, celery, onion, carrots, lemons, ginger, lemongrass stalks, wine, sea salt and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and add chicken breasts. Cover and cook for 15 to 17 minutes. Remove the chicken from the liquid and let rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes. While the chicken is resting, heat the grapeseed oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the red onion and cook until soft. Reduce the heat and add the black beans, tomatoes, green onion, parsley, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir occasionally, allowing the flavors to blend and the beans to warm, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and spoon the mixture onto a platter. Slice the chicken and serve on top of the beans with a drizzle of avocado yogurt.
Reviews
We did not make the beans because we could not get the grapeseed oil or white balsamic at our local stores and did not want to try any substitutes. This review is just for the chicken and the sauce.
This recipe uses a large number of ingredients for the poaching liquid. I did not think the chicken had much flavor considering the large number of ingredients. The avocado sauce was delicious with the chicken. My picky child did not care much for the sauce but loved the poached chicken. I might try this recipe again with just the water, seasonings, wine, lemon, and ginger to see how much difference the flavor is with just the primary ingredients. I just do not think the chicken cooks in the liquid long enough to benefit from the vegetables. I would prefer to make a chicken stock that includes all those vegetables then replace some of the water with that stock.
Excellent!!! Another great Robert Irvine recipe. The yogurt/avocado/lime sauce seemed a bit tart when I made it but it was perfect when served with the chicken. I’m new to poaching but it seems like the poached item should be more flavorful considering the large number of fragrant ingredients in the poaching liquid. However, the combination of the chicken, sauce and beans was so delicious and light my wife and I could hardly stop eating it. Even then, we left the table feeling satisfied but not stuffed. Very refreshing and healthy meal. Was also the first time I had used grape seed oil and white balsamic vinegar. They really brought the beans and tomatoes to life – best part of the meal and I normally don’t care that much for black beans. That combo would be a great side dish or even a salad.