Thai Chicken Marinade

To intensify the flavors of this dish, some of the fresh marinade is set aside and poured over the chicken right before serving. You can also try this marinade pork ribs or thin-cut beef short ribs.

CHICKEN

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

MARINADE

¼  Cup fish sauce*

3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

1 tablespoon limejuice

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce or I teaspoon hot pepper sauce**

2 teaspoons grated lime peel

¹/4 cup finely chopped lemon grass**

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 tablespoon sugar

GARNISH

^1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Place chicken in large re-sealable plastic bag. In small bow1, stir together all marinade ingredients. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the marinade. Pour remaining marinade over chicken; seal bag. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
2. Heat grill. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Place chicken on gas grill over medium-high heat or on charcoal grill 4 to b inches from medium-high coals. Grill 10 to 13 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear, turning once.
3. Place chicken on platter. Pour reserved 3 tablespoons marinade over chicken; garnish with cilantro.

TIPS * Look for fish sauce in the Asian section of supermarkets.

"Look for chili-garlic sauce (Sriracha brand is recommended) in the Asian section of supermarkets.

***Lemon grass is an herb with long, thin, grass-like leaves; it's used extensively in Thai cooking. It adds a fragrant lemon flavor to dishes. If lemon grass is not available, use 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel.

BEER/WINE There's a lot of spice in this recipe. Tame it with a Grolsch Lager from Holland ($7/6) or a dry Riesling from Australia, such as the 2001 Pikes ($18).

4 servings

PER SERVING: 185 calories, 7 g total fat 0.5 g saturat­ed fat), 27 g protein, 3 g carbohydrate, 65 mg choles­terol, 430 mg sodium, 0 g fiber 0