Five Spices, Four Servings, One Good Meal

In this light chicken dish, the bright flavor--and a certain sense of mystery--comes from Chinese five-spice powder. It’s a traditional blend of star anise, fennel, cinnamon, cloves and Sichuan peppercorns. Five-spice is also great sprinkled on beef and pork and in desserts.

Use the powder as a rub before grilling the chicken. To enhance the flavor, squeeze a little lemon over the chicken at the end of grilling.

Five-Spice Chicken

Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour plus 30 minutes standing

4 boneless chicken breasts

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder

Salt

2 cups water

1 cup rice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

Nonstick cooking spray

Juice of 1 lemon plus 2 tablespoons

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

2 tablespoons soy sauce

* Remove skin from chicken and rub with garlic and five-spice powder. Season with salt to taste. Cover and let stand 30 minutes.

* Bring water to boil in saucepan and add rice. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir 2 tablespoons cilantro and green onion into hot rice. Keep warm.

* Grill chicken on outdoor grill or indoor grill pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray until center of chicken is no longer pink, 15 to 20 minutes. Squeeze lemon over chicken. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro. When ready to serve, spoon rice onto platter and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Combine soy sauce and 2 tablespoons lemon juice and serve with chicken.

4 servings. Each serving: 361 calories; 689 mg sodium; 99 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 43 grams protein; 0.61 gram fiber.