Papaya Chipotle Pineapple Chicken with Almond Soy Soba Noodles

Wouldn't you know, I cooked chicken last night and didn't set off the fire alarm.  Now, for most people, this would be a no brainer.  You see, I am not like most people... I was a vegetarian (and a strict one at that) for the majority of my life and never learned how to cook meat.  It has to be cooked to a certain temp so you don't die or some brain disease? What?  Moral of the story, I am slightly challenged when it comes to meat.  Either I try to pan fry it and the fire alarm goes off.  Or I try to cook it solely in the oven and the fire alarm goes off.  Tough times.

But ah ha! I can pan sear it and then put it in the oven.  Result? Juicy, delicious and full of marinade. Saying I did a little dance to some Justin Timberlake in my kitchen would be an understatement.  If I had room in my studio apartment, I would have done cartwheels.

While the chicken would go great on a bed of anything (well, not everything), I decided to use my new julienne mandoline, a fresh pack of soba noodles and went wild.  As I don't like eating too many noodles, the julienned zucchini added to the dish without weighing it down.

Papaya Chipotle Pineapple Chicken with Almond Soy Soba Noodles

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• Marinade of choice (I used a Papaya Chipotle Pineapple, recipe to come later)
• Splash of olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 oz soba noodles
• 1/2 medium zucchini, julienned
• 1/2 Medium carrot, julienned
• 1/8 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1/8 cup almond butter
• Few splashes of soy sauce
• Sweet chili sauce (garnish, optional)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set side.
2. Heat a cast iron skillet (or another large skillet) over medium heat. Add oil. When oil easily moves around the pan, add the chicken skin-side down. Allow the chicken breasts to cook undisturbed for about two minutes. When the skin is golden brown, turn the breasts over and cook for another minute or two.  Carefully pour in the wine. Cook one minute.
3. Move the chicken to the baking sheet and pour the wine over the top. Place chicken in the oven and roast until 160 degrees is reached. Remove the chicken and allow to rest for a few minutes.
4. Cook soba noodles according to package directions.
5. While noodles are cooking, prepare your vegetables and set aside.  In a small bowl, mash the almond butter and soy sauce together with a fork.
6. Drain the noodles, return to the pot and thoroughly mix in vegetables and almond soy sauce.
7. Plate, serve and enjoy.  Can be served either hot or cold.