Name: Grilled Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts with Red Pepper–Almond Sauce
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Ingredients: 4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed; 1/3 cup water; 3 tablespoons fish sauce; 2 tablespoons honey; 1 teaspoon table salt; 1/8 teaspoon pepper; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 5 teaspoons sherry vinegar; 1 garlic clove , minced; 3/4 teaspoon table salt; 2 red bell pepper , stemmed, seeded, and quartered; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1/4 cup whole almonds , toasted; 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil; 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika; Pinch cayenne pepper

Grilled Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts with Red Pepper–Almond Sauce

By Annie Petito

Published on March 11, 2020

Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

Chicken

4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed⅓ cup water 3 tablespoons fish sauce 2 tablespoons honey 1 teaspoon table salt ⅛ teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Red Pepper Sauce

5 teaspoons sherry vinegar 1 garlic clove, minced¾ teaspoon table salt 2 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and quartered1 tablespoon vegetable oil ¼ cup whole almonds, toasted2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil ½ teaspoon smoked paprika Pinch cayenne pepper

Before You Begin

We like the complexity that toasted sesame oil gives to the sauce, but extra-virgin olive oil can be substituted. The chicken and sauce can be served alongside a simply prepared vegetable or starch for dinner; the chicken can also be used in a sandwich or sliced and eaten in a salad. Red Boat makes our favorite fish sauce.

Instructions

for the chicken

Cover chicken breasts with plastic wrap and pound gently with meat pounder until ½ inch thick. Whisk water, fish sauce, honey, salt, and pepper together in bowl. Transfer mixture to 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Add chicken, press out air, seal bag, and turn bag so contents are evenly distributed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

for the red pepper sauce

Combine vinegar, garlic, and salt in small bowl and set aside.

FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.

Toss bell peppers with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in bowl until evenly coated. Remove chicken from brine, letting excess drip off (do not pat dry), then toss with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in second bowl until evenly coated.

Clean and oil cooking grate. Place bell peppers, skin side down, on grill and cook (covered if using gas) until most of surface is well charred, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and cook until lightly charred on second side, about 2 minutes. Transfer bell peppers to bowl and cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Place chicken, skinned side down, on grill and cook (covered if using gas) until chicken develops dark grill marks, 3 to 5 minutes. Gently release chicken from cooking grate, flip, and continue to cook until chicken registers 160 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.

While chicken rests, pulse almonds in food processor until finely chopped, 10 to 12 pulses. Add sesame oil, paprika, cayenne, vinegar mixture, and bell peppers (do not remove skins) and process until smooth, about 45 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Loosen with water as needed and season with salt to taste. Transfer to bowl and serve alongside chicken.