Allergic Girl Recipe: Grilled Chicken, Corn Salsa and Cabbage Slaw with Honey Lime Cumin Vinaigrette, Top 8 Allergen-Free

I was thrilled to present this new top 8 allergen free recipe at the Gluten-Free Food Allergy Fest at the Brooklyn Expo with Executive Chef Danny and Chef Miguel from Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse. 

Me and Chef Miguel at Gluten-Free Food Allergy Fest © Zach Nelson Photography, 2018

It was such fun meeting everyone and talking about food, dietary restrictions and making yummy food that is safe!  

Me and Chef Miguel at Gluten-Free Food Allergy Fest © Zach Nelson Photography, 2018

I hope to be doing many more of these food demos in the future. Meanwhile, here’s the recipe we developed and presented.


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This is a lovely, light, summer dish that is top 8 allergen-free i.e. it has no wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, fish, shellfish, peanuts or tree nuts. 

The components - vinaigrette, cabbage corn slaw, grilled chicken, baked corn tortilla strips - can all be made ahead of time and tossed together last minute.

The amount is great for a family or to serve at a party, especially if you have guests with special dietary needs.

You can serve the slaw with different proteins. I created this with chicken but you can toss in cooked steak or lamb or pork. 

If you’re keeping it vegetarian, this would be excellent with black beans instead of chicken.

Don't skimp on the vinaigrette. It is key here and SO SO DELICIOUS!


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© Zach Nelson Photography, 2018

Grilled Chicken With Corn Salsa And Cabbage Slaw With Honey Lime Cumin Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette:
In a medium bowl, mix the following:
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup of fresh lime juice (approximately 2-3 limes, juiced)
1 shallot, peeled and chopped fine
1 teaspoon ground cumin                                         
1 Tablespoon honey
A pinch of salt and ground pepper 
Mix and taste for seasonings. Adjust as necessary. Set aside.

Cabbage corn slaw:
In a large bowl combine, the following: 
1 head of Napa cabbage, cut into quarters, cored and sliced into thin ribbons
3 ears of corn boiled, cooled and kernels cut off
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced thinly
1 jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded and sliced thinly (optional)
1 bunch of fresh cilantro, washed and chopped finely (if you don’t like cilantro, substitute parsley)
  
Crunchy corn tortilla strips:
Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Using your favorite safe-for-you corn tortillas, slice tortilla into strips and spray them with extra virgin olive oil (or toss them with extra virgin olive oil in a big bowl )until covered. Lay them in a single layer on a baking tray and bake until brown and crispy. While they are still warm, toss them with salt. Taste and adjust for seasonings. Set aside.

Grilled chicken:
1 pound chicken breasts, butterflied into thinner filets and pounded to about 1/4 inch thick. Season each breast with salt and pepper.

(Method of butterflying breasts on YouTube. Method of pounding: cover breasts with saran wrap, using the flat end of a meat tenderizer or your fist to pound until desired thickness. Or buy thin boneless skinless chicken filets.) 

In a sauté pan on medium high heat, add 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, then add chicken filets. Cook on one side for one minute then flip and cook on the other side for another minute. Keep flipping the chicken every minute until both sides are cooked through, about 8 - 10 minutes. 

Take chicken off the heat onto a cutting board. Let rest for a few minutes until cool enough to slice to stripes then cubes. Set aside.

Dish Assembly:
Add the cooked chicken to the cabbage corn mixture and toss to mix. Add 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette, toss and taste. Adjust seasonings and/or add more vinaigrette to taste. 

Serve and enjoy!