Hoisin Chicken with Spicy Cucumber Salad

It had been awhile since I did some Asian cooking, so yesterday I decided I was going to seize the day!

The chicken is simply marinated in a flavorful hoisin mix for a couple of hours and then tossed on the grill.

This spicy cucumber salad is one my of favorite side dishes but somehow I always seem to forget it's in my repertoire. This recipe was given to me almost 5 years ago, back when the hubby and I had just started dating and we were renting an apartment in Beaverton, OR. We used to have "Family Dinner Night" every Tuesday with a group of friends to watch "Nip/Tuck", back when that show was still on. Each week, it would be a different person's turn to cook dinner and the hubby's friends, Sean and Scott (brothers), brought this salad one week. I knew I had to have the recipe at first taste! Here's the recipe for both:

Chicken (serves 2):
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1 lime
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
8 garlic cloves minced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Cucumber Salad (serves 6- lots of yummy leftovers!):
7 ounces rice sticks
1 cucumber diced
4-5 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup salted peanuts, chopped
1 red pepper (I used a green pepper this time because red peppers were almost $2 each at the grocery store. I couldn't bring myself to pay that price!)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp chili oil
2 tbsp rice-wine vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Make the chicken marinade: Combine hoisin through garlic in a large Ziploc bag. Place chicken in marinade and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour.
2. Cook rice sticks according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl (I usually toss with a smidge of sesame oil at this point, just to make sure the rice sticks don't get too sticky).
3. Add cucumber through peanuts to mixing bowl.
4. Saute red pepper in a small pan coated with cooking spray. Cook until tender, 3-4 minutes. Add red peppers to mixing bowl.
5. Combine soy sauce through salt in a small bowl, stir vigorously with a whisk.
6. Add dressing to salad, toss well to coat, and set aside.
7. Remove chicken from marinade, discard marinade. Grill chicken until cooked through, 12-15 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes after removing from grill, slice, and serve with salad.
8. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.