Miso marinated Chicken w/ Bulgur Salad & Garlic Chips

Gdday fellow chaps!

First off all, happy imaginary holiday! I decided to spend this night with a fork in my hand, not a rose. But hey, whatever makes YOU happy,right?

I created this recipe in hopes to give my spin on the classic chicken&rice combo.

Using chicken thighs is always a better option if you ask me, since the meat is much juicier then the breast. You know, the whole dark vs white meat thing? I used miso to amp up the umami taste, and marinated to ensure that it penetrates into the chicken, allowing it to retain more flavour whilst also tenderising the meat.

As to the salad, I used bulgur which is essentially a form of dried cracked durum wheat. Bulgur originated in the Mediterranean and is a very much used grain in Middle Eastern cuisine. The flavour is best described as middle eastern pasta if you ask me, with the difference being the shape&size of course, and also a kind of nuttiness that the grain itself holds. I paired it up with lentils, zucchini, some spring onions and parsley, and added a bit of leftover roasted pickled red pepper, to give it some acidity and brightness.

I also wanted to disclose that I am a very much measure by feeling type of person.

When I first started cooking, I used measurements to understand and learn the ratio rules in various dishes (as I still am) but I always wanted to put my own imprint on whatever it was that I was cooking. You know, making it my own by tinkering the recipe in any possible way. Whether it be adding more seasoning in the begging, or even entirely changing some aspect of the dish. YOU are the one who has to decide. Using you intuition with cooking is the best way to learn, just trust yourself. And hey, if you mess up, guess what? You can try again as many times as you like. That's the whole beauty of it.

NOW!

I think I've said enough, and its time for the recipe. No more inspirational qutoes for this post, we've reached the limit my friends :)

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

CHICKEN MARINADE:

4 chicken thighs, approx. 400g
2 tablespoons miso paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
small pinch of sat, and I mean REALLY small cause the miso is already salty
white pepper to taste

SALAD:

200g bulgur wheat
1 zucchini, chopped into small cubes
160g lentils (I used canned, which is essentially one small can)
3 spring onions, chopped diagonally
handful of chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves (one finely minced, the other sliced thinly for the chips)
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 roasted and pickled pepper, minced into cubes
salt & pepper to taste

The first thing you will want to do, is to prepare the marinade for the chicken. Ideally, you can do this the night before you cook the chicken to infuse as much flavour as you can, but I know that ain't no body got time for that! I still recommend to give it at least half an hour in the fridge, which you can manage since you need to make the salad before cooking the chicken anyway. Just chunk all the ingredients in a bowl with the chicken, and mix to coat evenly.

Start off by cooking the bulgur according to package instructions. Mine took around 7 minutes, and I checked it frequently to make sure that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Once your bulgur is done, transfer to a separate bowl to cool it down.

During the thought process which I had for this salad, I envisioned that it shouldn't be eaten warm, nor cold. I wanted to keep the freshness of the herbs, which can't be achieved if the bulgur and zucchini is tossed up whilst still warm, but at the same time, I didn't want them to be dead cold either. Thus, I decided to cook these two elements ahead, then bring it them to at least room temperature so that they are still enjoyable, but do not ruin the overall texture and freshness of the salad itself.

While the bulgur is cooking, you can use up the 7 minutes to chop as much as you can!

Start off with the zucchini, then the garlic, spring onion, parsley, and roasted pepper.

Once you chopped and prepared all your ingredients, grab a pan and heat it up with some olive oil in it. You will want to use a bit more oil, so that your garlic can "dance" on it. Place the thinly sliced garlic in the pan for a very short amount of time, flipping it to ensure that both sides are crispy. Once they start to develop colour, remove them immediately and drain on a kitchen towel. They burn in a matter of seconds, so be careful!

Now that you got your chips, you can continue by searing off the zucchini.

Make sure your pan is really warm, since we just want to give them some colour.

Chuck them in the same pan with some olive oil, salt&pepper, and add the minced garlic after approx. 1-2 minutes. Once done, (and it should take around 2 minutes) transfer on a plate to cool down.

The next move would be to cook the chicken, while your waiting for the zucchini.

Brown the chicken on both sides, and cook for at least 10 minutes. Since the thigh meat takes longer to cook, place it on a medium heat to ensure that your miso does not burn.

Lastly, combine all of your herbs & spices, lentils, zucchini, the olive oil and lemon juice into the bulgur and toss to incorporate. Taste to check if you're happy with the flavour, so that you can add more of what you are missing. Serve and top up with the roasted and pickled pepper cubes, garlic chips, and some more herbs if your heart so desires!