Hi everyone, happy Monday! How was your weekend? We had a fun little Saturday attending the wedding of Lincoln’s first nanny/true love besides Mom, Miss Courtney and her new husband Logan! Fun (sad?) fact: I dress up so infrequently that Lincoln looked at me as I came down the stairs in my dress and said, “what IS that, Mommy?” Guess it’s time to step up my sweatpants and hoodie game. ?
After an incredibly windy morning and afternoon, the gusts settled down and the sun popped out just in time for a beautiful outdoor ceremony at a local park followed by a reception at the Art Center, which was open for all the wedding guests to wander through. Super cool vibe and totally fit the couple, who love art, traveling, and photography. Lincoln made sure to document the entire thing with the disposable cameras they had peppered throughout. Figured out how to wind it up, use the flash, aim it and everything (it was hysterical!)
We spent Sunday hanging out at my parent’s house before firing up the grill for steaks for dinner. I tell you what, between the Homemade Brat Burgers, Mother’s Day grill out, last night’s dinner, and the Asian Grilled Chicken with Snap Pea Slaw recipe that I’m sharing with you today – we have used our grill more in the past month than we did ALL last summer. I have found a totally new appreciation for quick cooking, smoky grilled dinners that come with big flavor and minimal clean up, including this bright and healthy chicken recipe.
First thing’s first, check out the colors in this dish! I’m so excited to start eating like it’s SUMMER, aka easily eating the rainbow.
Chicken marinated in my favorite Asian-inspired ingredients including gluten-free Tamari or soy sauce, sesame oil, chili sauce, a little brown sugar, lime juice, garlic, and ginger is grilled then topped with an ultra-crunchy slaw made from shredded red cabbage, crispy green onions, crunchy carrots, and sweet sugar snap peas that’s dressed in the same sauce as the chicken is marinated in (I mean, not like the same sauce, but a reserved portion of the marinade!) It’s fun to eat, pretty to look at, fresh, healthy, and easy.
Honestly this chicken is one of the most delicious to come off my grill. It’s got the perfect balance of tangy, heat, and a teeny tiny bit of sweet, and oh my gosh, is so tender. I love that the slaw has the unconventional addition of sugar snap peas which I have been so obsessed with this spring. Sweet and crunchy like no other vegetable. I know you’ll love this dish!
Start by mixing up the marinade and coleslaw dressing which I mentioned are one and the same.
In a bowl whisk together 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons gluten-free low-sodium Tamari or soy sauce (dish will not be GF if using soy sauce,) 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1-1/2 Tablespoons sesame oil, 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds, 2 teaspoons chili sauce, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 3 cloves minced garlic, the juice of 1/2 lime, salt, and pepper. It might seem strange to add salt and pepper in addition to the Tamari and chili sauce, but the chicken really needs it.
Reserve 1/3 cup of the marinade then add the rest to a big Ziplock bag with 3 roughly chopped green onions and 4 chicken breasts that have been pounded thin. Squish the bag to make sure everything’s coated then marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 or 5 hours.
When it’s time to heat, preheat the grill on high heat until it reaches at least 400 degrees then turn the heat down to medium. It’s important to keep the heat over medium as any higher will cause the sugar in the marinade to burn vs caramelize. Spray one side of the chicken breasts with nonstick spray then place sprayed side down on the grill and grill for 3-4 minutes per side, spraying the tops before flipping.
While the chicken’s grilling, toss together the crunchy Snap Pea Slaw. That’s just 3 cups thinly shredded red cabbage (about 1/2 small head,) 1 cup sugar snap peas that have been thinly sliced vertically, 2 thinly sliced or shredded carrots, and 3 green onions that have been sliced on the diagonal, tossed with the reserved marinade. You could definitely slice the vegetables up a day or two ahead to save time! Taste then add extra lime juice, salt, and pepper if needed.
Once the chicken is cooked through, plate it then top with the crunchy fresh slaw. Drizzle with extra lime juice, if you please, then dig in! I hope you love this crunchy, savory, fresh and healthy summer grilling dish!
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Asian Grilled Chicken with Snap Pea Slaw
Description
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
- 3 green onions, chopped into thirds
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons low-sodium gluten-free Tamari or soy sauce (dish will not be GF if using soy sauce)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoons chili sauce (like Siracha)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- juice of 1/2 lime
- salt and pepper
- For the Snap Pea Slaw:
- 3 cups thinly shredded red cabbage (about 1/2 small head)
- 1 cup sugar snap peas, thinly sliced vertically
- 2 carrots, peeled then thinly sliced or shredded
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
Directions
- Place chicken breasts in a large ziplock bag with the green onions then season with salt and pepper and set aside. Combine Tamari, brown sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, chili sauce, ground ginger, garlic, and lime juice in a bowl then whisk to combine. Reserve 1/3 cup marinade then pour the remaining marinade in the bag with the chicken and green onions. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 5 hours.
- Preheat grill over high heat for 10 minutes (I like to let my grill get to at least 400 degrees.) Turn heat down to medium then spray chicken very well with nonstick spray and place sprayed side down on the grill. Grill for 3-4 minutes a side with the lid closed, spraying the top sides before flipping.
- While the chicken is grilling, combine red cabbage, snap peas, carrots, and green onions in a large bowl then toss with reserved marinade. Taste then add extra lime juice, salt, and pepper if necessary. Top chicken with slaw then serve.
Notes
Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Any and all grilled chicken is just heaven!
My son is close to your son’s age and when I put on a skirt to wear to mother’s day brunch he said “Mommy, are you a GIRL??” Haha ;) Guess I could change out of my yoga pants/jeans more often… Adding this recipe to our summer grill list!!
Ok this made me laugh out loud. ? Kids say the darndest things!
Such a sweet photo of you and your little man! Last summer I came out in a dress and all night my daughter kept telling me to go put pants on. By the end of the night I was so self conscious that my dress was too short or my legs were too white (or both).
Gahhh, too funny!!
Would this marinade work on salmon? Usually we are happy with plain grilled salmon but we got a frozen package that really needs to be livened up.
Absolutely – it would be delicious with salmon!
Tried this with salmon tonight = awesomesauce!! Quick question, you mention using soy sauce will mean it is not gluten free but the label on my La Choy says “Gluten Free As Always”… What’s the deal? We’re trying to be gluten free with the hubs’ Crohn’s disease, but it can be tricky! Thoughts?
I just love grilling this time of year! Something about the grill just makes everything taste better!
I love all the Asian flavors in the marinade! And I’ve been loving snap peas lately, too. This looks SO fresh and delicious, Kristen!
I have chicken marinating in this right now for the grill tomorrow. And I’m currently eating a bowl of Turkey, quinoa, sweet potato chili. One of my favorite recipes of yours. Really everything from your blog has been great!
Thanks so much for the feedback, Kimberly, I hope you love the chicken!
Sounds like a fun weekend! I’m such a fan of Asian flavors. I’ve pinned this recipe for the weekend!
Wow, those colours are stunning, total summer rainbow on a plate! :-D
Aww, and Lincoln is such a little man :-))
Kristin: This looks gorgeous! And thanks to the person who asked about salmon. A question for you: I tend to stay away from sugar snap and snow peas because of that awful string. I’ve read and tried techniques to de-string the peas but with very little success. Any tips? Thank you!
I haven’t had any sugar snap peas with strings – just snow peas (which I agree, those strings are awful!) I just did a quick Google search and it appears that sugar snap peas are widely available in stringless, which must be the kind I’ve been getting. I might just try again and see if you get the stringless variety!
Off topic, but what brand of fleece jacket does your son have? I want to get something similar for my son for the fall and winter. I love coats like that since they are not too bulky for the car seat. I will have to try this recipe, too. Thanks for posting!
It’s Columbia and I LOVE it! I’ve gotten him three sizes now – I just buy the next size up every spring when they go on sale at Younkers. They are perfect for spring and fall and can be dressed up or down!
Looks delicious! About how many pounds of chicken breasts would you say you need for this recipe? Breasts vary so much in size!
I always use Just Bare Chicken so four chicken breasts is ~1-3/4lbs, but the marinade would work just fine for four larger chicken breasts – up to 2-1/4lbs, I’m sure!
Looks delicious! Is the 4-5 hour maximum of marinating time because the soy sauce/tamari would cause an issue?
Exactly – I find it can turn the chicken rubbery!
This is a great way to start off grilling season! Just love the colors of the snap pea slaw and the flavors of the Asian marinade!!
I made this last night it was really good and super quick! Will definitely make it again, YUM!
That is awesome, Denise!! Thanks so much for the feedback!
Suggestions on another side – potatoes or rice dish maybe?
I have served this a couple times with grilled zucchini and white rice, though my Cilantro-Lime Rice would be great too!
Tried this with salmon tonight…. Awesome!! Quick question… You refer to soy sauce not being gluten free, but the label on my La Choy says “Gluten Free As Always”… Any idea what the deal with that is? We’re trying to do gluten free with the hubs’ Crohn’s disease…
That is awesome to hear, Lyndsay!! Soy sauce is brewed with wheat while Tamari is brewed with little to no wheat (which is why it’s always important to check the bottle to make sure it says “gluten-free Tamari”.) I think La Choy is a special case in that they still label their gluten-free Tamari as “soy sauce” even though it’s brewed without wheat. My best guess is that they know people are more familiar with the term soy sauce so they stick with that but also include the gluten-free label. Long and rambling story short, if it says gluten-free, and he has no reaction, you should be good to go!
I found another blog post of yours that makes my mouth water! I can’t begin to explain how much I love the majority of them. Now I’m contemplating on whether to bring the salmon skewers or this chicken to a bbq!
[…] Recipe adapted from Iowa Girl Eats – Asian Grilled Chicken with Snap Pea Slaw […]
A lot of popular asian-american dishes, you can substitute the protein without too much change in flavor. Stir-fry, pad thai, peanut noodles. If you want real asian cooking that just use one part of the chicken, I got nothing for you.
[…] Asian Grilled Chicken with Snap Pea Slaw […]
OK…I have 3 boys…7, 11 & 47…LOL…I married the last one…now, where was I? Oh yes, because I’m tired of being a “short-order” cook, I have worn out Google looking for healthy, easy, quick and yummy meals that, fingers crossed, my 2 boys and 1 man-child will all eat. Thankfully I found your site. I made this for dinner tonight and I have never seen or heard the dinner table to quite!! You would have thought they hadn’t eaten in weeks!! They loved it!! All 3 of them!! They ate vegetables!!! All 3 of them!!! Between bites, my 11yr old asked me “Mom, where did we order dinner from?” Can’t get any better than that
Oh my gosh – SO glad to hear it!! Such a wonderful thing when everyone will eat what’s on their plates!
Do you put the onion in the same bag with the raw chicken or with the reserved marinade? Do you grill the onions?
This recipe was AMAZING! I don’t comment often, but saw this only had 1 review so far and had to comment. I made it with grilled chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, because that’s what I had, but I will try breasts too. My kids are pretty good about eating healthy, but I was super surprised that even my four-year-old LOVED this…and she always says she doesn’t like chicken. Making it again tonight since it was requested by all 6 members of my family. :)
Yes!! Any recipe that a 4 year old loves is a winner! So glad you ALL enjoyed!