Recipe - Lemon Chicken and Kidney Bean Salad

This is one of the husband's favorite meals. I am also quite partial to it. The flavors and textures are quite sophisticated for a meal that flys together in 20 minutes. If you have longer, the chicken does benefit from an hour's rest in the fridge to soak up some goodness from the marinade. Start the chicken in the broiler and finish the kidney bean salad while it cooks.

A few words about the kidney bean salad. Unfortunately, a lifetime of Aunt Edna's 3-Bean salad at every family gathering might have turned a few people off from the idea of a bean salad. This salad is something quite different. The beans are meaty and complimented by the vinegar and crunchiness of a handful of nuts or chopped celery. Whatever you do, don't use dried herbs in place of the parsley or cilantro. Omit them totally if you don't fresh ones at hand.

Lemon Chicken:

1 pound chicken tenders

Juice from 1 lemon

1 small onion thinly sliced (reserve a few slices for the salad)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Move oven rack to top position. Preheat broiler. Place all ingredients in a medium sized pan, coating the chicken well. Broil 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Kidney Bean Salad:

2, 15 ounce cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 Tablespoons onion, finely chopped from reserved onion slices

1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley or cilantro

1/4 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or celery

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.