Bridget Batson’s Weekly Running Recipe- Week 1

Spice Rubbed Grilled Chicken Breast with Blood Oranges, Tangerines, Escarole & Almonds

It’s citrus season! There are so many options for citrus right now. Meyer lemons, kumquats, bergamot……….  so feel free to experiment.

You will need:

A hot grill !

For the rub:

2 T of your favorite extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp ginger, ground
2 tsp turmeric
¼ tsp nutmeg, ground
1 tsp cinnamon, ground
1 tsp black pepper2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ¼ pounds)

For the dressing:

2 tsp anchovy paste (or 2 small anchovy fillets minced)
3 T nonfat yogurt
1 T red wine vinegar
2 T preserved lemon, minced *
zest from ½ blood orange
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the salad:

6 cups escarole, washed, tough parts discarded
1 blood orange, peeled, segmented
2 tangerines, peeled and cut across the equator
¼ cup black oil cured olives, pitted, torn in half
¼ cup skin on almonds, toasted, roughly chopped

Combine all of the ingredients for the rub and marinade the chicken. This can be done as early as the day before.

Place the anchovy paste into a small bowl. Whisk in the yogurt, red wine vinegar and preserved lemon, once combined slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking. Finish with the blood orange zest, salt and pepper to taste.  This can be made a few days in advance.

Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade leaving any excess behind and season with salt.

Place the chicken breasts on the grill. They will need about 5 minutes on each side.

While the chicken is cooking toss the escarole with dressing, salt and pepper to taste. Divide the escarole and arrange on two plates.  Place the blood orange segments, black olives and tangerine halves randomly over the escarole. Slice the chicken breasts and place over the salad. Finish with a sprinkle of the almonds.

* The preserved lemons can be found in most specialty stores. They can also be omitted if desired.

For more information about Bridget Batson or Gitane Restaurant, please visit www.gitanerestaurant.com