The Calmer Sutra Peppermyntle Tea and Ginger Infused Honey from Australia, which were in the spring box of MARY’s secret ingredients are, of course, divine as a cup of tea with honey. Lovely before going to bed at night, the peppermint is a digestive aid as is the ginger in their ginger infused honey. Add the lemon kick from the myrtle and you’ve got a flavor explosion in your cup. I LOVE the ginger honey! The ginger adds a kick of heat perfectly combined with the sweet honey, the combo is quite nice! (Please remember to refrigerate your honey after you’ve opened it.) With the myrtle being indigenous to Australia, a little research came up with a lot of dessert recipes for this herb. So of course I could have followed in that direction which would also work well with the honey, but I chose to go the savory way instead with this Tea and Honey Marinated Chicken Breasts recipe.
This is my first time marinating with tea and this resulting dish was just delicious! Besides the chicken being juicy, tender and subtly flavored, the browning was beautiful and I do believe that was because of the tea and honey!
Here’s the recipe:
TEA AND HONEY MARINATED CHICKEN BREASTS – serves 4
3/4 cup of water
1 tbs. Calmer Sutra Peppermyntle Tea
4 scallions, white and pale green only, chopped
3 tbs. canola oil, divided
Zest of one lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbs. low salt soy sauce
1 tbs. Calmer Sutra Ginger Infused Honey
1 tbs. chopped fresh ginger root
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Heat the water over high heat to a simmer. Pour over the tea leaves and steep for 5 minutes. Strain the tea mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, and discard the tea leaves. Add the scallions, 2 tbs. canola oil, lemon zest and juice, soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic. Stir to combine and place over a bowl of ice water to cool. Make 4 to 5 diagonal cuts 1/4” deep across each chicken breast half. Pour marinade into a zip lock bag, add chicken and massage the chicken with the sauce, turning occasionally and refrigerate overnight.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Remove the breasts from the marinade and pat dry. Place the marinade in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer. Add the chicken to the skillet without crowding and cook until browned, 3 – 4 minutes.
Turn the breast and continue cooking until the juices run clear when pierced with a knife, an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside on a platter to rest for 5 minutes. Serve the chicken topped with the sauce.
I served this with fluffy Jasmine rice, topped with the sauce and a side of the Eggplant Tomato Yum.
apuginthekitchen says
Love the recipe, I must say I LOVE that honey, the ginger is strong and fresh and I drizzle on my yogurt in the morning, Delicious, I haven’t tried the tea yet, it’s been so warm maybe I’ll ice it.
apuginthekitchen recently posted…Happy Mothers Day Blueberry Waffles
Debra Means-West says
So happy to hear that you are enjoying the Ginger Honey!!! We LOVE hearing that!!! You should try our Hiranya Chai Spiced – it’s also delish over yogurt or oatmeal (for the colder mornings). Cheers – and happy sipping from Calmer Sutra Tea
Mary Frances says
I know – that honey is to die for!! DElish!! So glad you are enjoying it too!
Jovina Coughlin says
What a neat idea. I did not think about using the tea in the secret ingrdient box as a flavoring for meat.
Jovina Coughlin recently posted…Make Gelato Like A Pro With Safest Choice Eggs
Mary Frances says
It’s my first time too – and we really LOVED it!
Amanda says
Simple and delicious. What a great idea! I bet this tastes divine!
Mary Frances says
Yes totally!! Give it a go, Amanda!!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
That’s such a clever idea. I like cooking with tea and I love honey too. Perfection on the plate.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef recently posted…Mother’s Day the IGA Way
Mary Frances says
Thanks Maureen!! 🙂
ela@GrayApron says
It looks perfectly juicy and tasty! Nicely browned too!
🙂 ela
Mary Frances says
It was really beautifully browned – I was so delighted! Thanks Ela!
Angie (@angiesrecipess) says
The chicken breast halves look so succulent and tender. I love using tea to make the marinade. Excellent!
Angie (@angiesrecipess) recently posted…Beetroot Hummus with Asparagus
Mary Frances says
Thanks Angie!! Have you used tea to marinate other things?
Debra Means-West says
What a great recipe Mary! We’re excited to try this one out in the calmer kitchen!!!! Happy Sipping!
Mary Frances says
Thanks Debra!! Let me know what you think. (I think you’ll LOVE it!)
Corina says
I’m not normally a big fan of tea but this sounds really interesting with the soy, ginger, garlic and lemon – flavours I love to use anyway.
Corina recently posted…Peanut Butter Cookies
Mary Frances says
Then you will love it, Corina!
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
I have never thought to use tea as a marinade ingredient, thanks for a great recipe 🙂
Mary Frances says
It was my first time too Tandy and it was really delicious!!! Give it a go!
Mandy - The Complete Book says
Scrumptious! Fabulous tasty meal. I love the idea of using tea as a marinade.
Have a happy day.
🙂 Mandy xo
Mandy – The Complete Book recently posted…Chocolate Meringue Pie
Mary Frances says
Thanks Mandy! 🙂 You too!
Amira says
Tea and honey!! both are my fav. this is a lovely recipe. I’ve used the tea before as a marinade it tenderize the meat and gave it a nice flavor.
Mary Frances says
Thank you Amira!! Yes, tea is a wonderful marinade and coupled with the ginger honey made it super delicious!
Henderika Elsendoorn says
Made this for my family last night and it was a big hit. Feel like i’m in a dinner time rut at the moment so need some new ideas. Looking forward to trying some of your other recipes that have taken my fancy.