Serves 4
4-6 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast
½ cup Chef Rick's House Garlic-Rosemary Marinade, recipe follows
Approximately 1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed or tough ends
1 recipe Chef Rick's Salsa Vinaigrette, recipe follows
1 large avocado, peeled and sliced
1 bunch watercress or baby greens, for garnish
1. Make marinade. Place chicken in marinade. Let chicken marinate in refrigerator at least 1 hour or up to 48 hours.
2. Blanch asparagus, method follows. After they have cooled in the ice water, drained well and pat dry if necessary.
3. Make Chef Rick's Salsa Vinaigrette.
4. Light barbeque or grill. Take chicken out of marinade. Wipe off excess marinade to avoid "flare-ups". Cook 3-4 minutes on a side or until cooked through.
5. Divide chilled asparagus spears among 4 chilled plates. Slice cooked chicken into thin julienne slices and place a whole sliced breast atop each plate's asparagus. Top chicken with approximately ¾ cup Salsa Vinaigrette. Top Salsa Vinaigrette with ¼ of the avocado slices.
6. As a garnish, tuck some watercress or baby greens next to the asparagus salad. Drizzle additional dressing over greens. Serve and be very happy!
Chef Rick's House Garlic-Rosemary Marinade
Perfect for Barbequed or Grilled Chicken, Fish, or Shellfish
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
3 tablespoons fresh minced rosemary leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary leaves
1 1/3 cups good quality olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process for 30 seconds, or until smooth and creamy. Pour the marinade into a glass or stainless steel bowl. Place the chicken in the marinade, pushing down on them to make sure they are completely covered with the sauce. Marinate, refrigerated for at least 1 hour or for up to 48 hours. Left over marinade can be kept covered and refrigerated for 1 week.
Blanched Asparagus
Have a large bowl of ice water ready to go.
Boil a large pot of lightly salted water. Carefully place the asparagus into the boiling water. Cook until the asparagus turns a bright green. The time this will take will depend on how thick your asparagus stalks are. Count on between 2-3 minutes or so. I always throw in a couple of extra stalks so I can use them as "testers" , pulling them out periodically to bite into to test for doneness.
Remove asparagus from the pot with a slotted spoon or tongs and place into ice-water bath to stop the cooking process. This will set the beautiful bright green color and they'll remain deliciously crunchy.
Salsa Vinaigrette
3 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
¾ cup coarsely chopped green or red, or a combination, bell peppers
1/3 cup coarsely chopped red onion
1 fresh jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and minced
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ cup good quality olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3//4 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and jalapeno. Stir in the vinegar, mustard, oil, cilantro, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper.
