Chicken in a packet has a dash of spice

Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, February 27, 2007

A delicious, low-fat dinner with no pots, no pans and minimal cleanup?

It’s not wishful thinking. It’s a matter of using the technique known by the French as “en papillote,” or cooked in a paper wrapper.

Here’s how it works. Fresh food is cooked in tightly sealed, single serving packets made from parchment paper (or foil, which is a bit easier to work with). The ingredients steam in their own juices, which intensifies natural flavors and ensures moist results.

Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough use this technique in their recent book, “The Ultimate Cookbook,” to create low-fat, low-mess stir-fry chicken packets (a meal that otherwise can leave you and your stove greasy).

For this dish, chicken and a variety of vegetables are combined with an Asian-inspired sauce of garlic, ginger, soy sauce and rice vinegar. A small amount of toasted sesame oil helps to coat all the ingredients with flavor and adds that distinctive stir-fry taste. Asian red chili sauce gives the dish a spicy kick.

The other advantage of packet cooking is that seasonings can be adjusted for each diner.

An easy vegetarian version of this dish can be made by substituting tofu or edamame (soy beans) for the chicken.

Most vegetables and fish, which generally are quick cooking, do well with this technique. Cut meats and poultry into small pieces so they’ll cook all the way through.

Make sure to leave some room in the packet for air to circulate, and when you unseal them use caution as the escaping steam will be extremely hot.

Serve over rice or sauteed greens.

Stir-fry chicken packets

1 1/2pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1/4-inch wide strips

4scallions, thinly sliced

2red bell peppers, cored, seeded and thinly sliced

3garlic cloves, minced

112-ounce can baby corn, the ears halved

8ounces fresh snow peas

2tablespoons minced fresh ginger

2tablespoons soy sauce

2tablespoons rice vinegar

2teaspoons Asian red chili sauce

2teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Position the rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together.

Place two 20-inch-long sheets of foil on your work surface, one over the other. Spoon a quarter of the chicken mixture with some of the sauce into the middle of the foil. Bring the long sides together to create a tent shape. Fold edges down and pinch to seal tightly. Seal each end, maintaining the tent shape.

Place the packet on a large baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients and additional sheets of foil.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and leave the packets on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before serving. Use caution when unsealing the packets as the escaping steam will be very hot.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 320 calories, 8 g total fat (2 g saturated), 60 mg cholesterol, 47 g protein, 13 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 685 mg sodium

Recipe adapted from Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough’s “The Ultimate Cookbook”