Put the rub on chicken; spa cooking inspires light, zesty weeknight fare - Food

Sunset, Dec, 2003 by Linda Lau Anusasananan

Weeknight dinners in December can be a dilemma. Winter's cold nights make you long for something warm and spicy, while the rich fare of the holiday season leaves you yearning for a simple, healthy meal. For an easy solution, we look to spa chefs, the masters of light, flavorful cooking. We've used a chilispiked spice rub, adapted from Canyon Ranch Cooks (Rodale, Emmaus, PA, 2003; $30; www.rodalestore.com), by Barry Correia and Scott Uehlein. The rub lends a rich warm color and lively flavor to lean chicken breasts, and Canyon Ranch's piquant apple-chipotle salsa makes a delicious topping. Start this quick meal with our refreshing orange and onion salad, and round out the main course with purchased black beans, simple sauteed greens, and warm flour tortillas. Mango sorbet, topped with crunchy crushed meringues, is a sweet ending.

Chicken with Green Apple-Chipotle Salsa

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 35 minutes

MAKES: 4 servings

  1  cup diced (1/4 in.) Granny Smith
     apple (unpeeled, rinsed)

1/2  cup diced (1/4 in.) red onion

1/2  cup diced (1/4 in.) red bell pepper

1/4  cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4  cup apple juice

1/4  cup red wine vinegar

1/4  teaspoon ground dried chipotle chili
     or cayenne

  4  boned, skinned chicken breast halves
     (5 to 6 oz. each)

     Chili spice mix (recipe follows)

  1  tablespoon olive oil

1. To make salsa, in a bowl, mix apple, onion, bell pepper, cilantro, apple juice, vinegar, and chili. Cover and chill.

2. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Rub chili spice mix all over chicken.

To grill, coat both sides of chicken breasts lightly with olive oil and lay on a grill over medium-high coals or medium-high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 3 to 4 seconds); close lid if using gas. Cook, turning once, until chicken is no longer pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), 6 to 8 minutes total.

To saute, set a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat. When pan is hot, add oil and tilt to coat bottom. Lay chicken breasts, slightly apart, in pan (if using a 10-inch pan, cook chicken in two batches, using half the oil at a time; keep cooked breasts warm, lightly covered, in 200[degrees] oven). Cook, turning once, until chicken is no longer pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), 10 to 12 minutes total; reduce heat slightly if chicken begins to brown excessively.

3. Transfer chicken to plates. Serve with green apple-chipotle salsa.

Per serving: 233 cal., 21% (50 cal.) from fat; 34 g protein; 5.6 g fat (1 g sat.); 11 g carbo (1.4 g fiber); 682 mg sodium; 82 mg chol.

Chili spice mix. In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon firmly packed brown sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Orange and onion salad. With a small, sharp knife, cut top and bottom off 3 oranges (10 oz. each), cutting deeply enough to reveal flesh. Set orange, with one cut end down, on board. Slice down sides of oranges to remove white pith and to reveal flesh; discard peels. Thinly slice orange flesh crosswise into rounds. Arrange orange slices on a platter. Peel 1 white onion (5 oz.); cut half into thin rounds. Separate rounds into rings and rinse and drain; distribute evenly over oranges. (Reserve remaining onion half for another use.) Mix 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar and 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Drizzle evenly over onions; sprinkle with salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste. Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 115 cal., 30% (35 cal.) from fat; 1.6 g protein; 3.9 g fat (0.5 g sat.); 21 g carbo (4.3 g fiber); 3.2 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.