Lemon Chicken with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Last night, we had a truly lovely dinner. It was Jeannene's first night home after an intense couple of days overnighting for work. She worked 18 hours Tuesday, so I wanted something stellar for her. This did not disappoint. The peanut sauce is Thai-ish, but mostly not, so don't be disappointed when it doesn't taste authentic. This is a quick & easy dinner, but you have to remember to marinate it! Yesterday before heading to work, I popped mine in marinade I'd mixed up the night before. When the chicken was ready, I served with with the sauce, a Thai-inspired cucumber salad, basmati rice, honeydew melon, & kiwi slices. The recipe is adapted from a Ina Garten recipe.

Lemon Chicken with Peanut Dippibg Sauce

Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 c. key lime juice
1/2 c. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
A good grinding of black pepper
1/4 tsp. thyme
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Put chicken in gallon Ziploc with all the other ingredients. Smush around to coat chicken. Marinate in fridge at least 6 hours. Broil 7 min. Turn & broil 5 min.
Cool slightly, then cut into thinnish slices.

Peanut Dipping Sauce:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 small red onion, diced finely
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. ginger, minced (peel first)
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 c. smooth peanut butter
1/4 c. dry sherry (please use real sherry & not "cooking sherry")
1/4 c. ketchup
Juice of 1 lime

Cook olive oil, sesame oil, onion, garlic, ginger, & pepper flakes until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the rest & cook another minute. Cool slightly before serving with chicken.

For the salad, I peeled, seeded (a melon baller comes in handy for this) & chopped a cucumber. I chopped about a quarter cup of red onion & minced half a jalapeño. I tossed these with about a quarter cup of sugar, a couple tablespoons of rice vinegar, and a healthy pinch of salt. Scrumptious & refreshing!