Broiling lean, tender cuts of meat or poultry is an easy way to create a delicious warm-weather salad. Marinating the meat for a few hours prior to cooking will add great flavor. By following a few simple steps for successful oven broiling, you can achieve great results while keeping the kitchen free of smoke and odors.

In this recipe, the chicken is marinated with coconut milk, ginger, garlic, and Thai curry spice for 30 minutes or an hour prior to grilling. If you have a vacuum sealer, you can achieve great results in just 15 minutes. For the salad, I used Vietnamese rice vermicelli noodles, shredded carrots, julienned cucumber, scallions, and lots of fresh Thai basil, mint, and cilantro; however, it is easy to vary the ingredients to your preference.

Here are a couple of tips for safe oven broiling:

• Turn on your overhead or downdraft ventilation prior to heating the oven. This will help establish the airflow and quickly vent out any smoke and vapors when the oven door is opened.

• Before heating the oven, arrange the oven racks so that the food is close but not touching the broil element.

• If available, use the Convection Broil mode. The circulating heated air helps cook the food evenly and preserves moisture.

• In this mode, ovens come to temperature very quickly, so a 5 - 8 minute preheat is all that is necessary.

• Most important, always broil with the oven door closed.

INGREDIENTS

4 large boneless chicken thighs

Marinade Ingredients

2 tsp Thai yellow curry powder

1 tsp ground turmeric

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated

1 tbsp brown sugar

¼ cup coconut milk*

2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

Place the chicken in a shallow glass baking dish, combine the marinade ingredients, and pour over the chicken.  Marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour before cooking.

For the Salad

2 large carrots, peeled and shredded

1 English cucumber, cut into 4” sections, each section cut into thin strips

6 scallions, tops trimmed, finely chopped

1 bunch Thai basil, leaves coarsely chopped

¼ cup mint leaves, coarsely chopped

¼ cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

½ lb rice vermicelli noodles, prepared as per package directions

Peanut Dressing

3 tbsp creamy peanut butter

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

1 lime, juice only

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp chili oil

METHOD

Marinate the chicken and set aside for 30 minutes to an hour.

Combine the salad ingredients, prepare the peanut dressing, and combine them with the salad.

Heat the oven in the Convection Broil mode to 475 F/245 C.

Line a shallow-rimmed baking pan with foil, shiny side down, and spritz it lightly with spray oil.

Arrange the chicken on the pan, slide it into the oven, and cook for 6 - 7 minutes on each side.

Remove the chicken and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing and adding to the prepared salad.

Serves 4 - 6

Note: Small cans of coconut milk can be purchased at Asian markets or from Amazon.