Aloha Friday: Recipe for We-Hope-It's-A-Winner Turmeric/Olena Chicken

I grow tons of turmeric (called olena in Hawaiian) that I don't know how to use so I was happy to have stumbled across a local recipe for turmeric chicken. It looks good and I will try it soon.

The recipe comes from our electric company.

https://www.hawaiianelectric.com/recipes/find-a-recipe/olena-chicken

Olena Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless, organic chicken breasts

Turmeric/Olena Paste:

1 cup olena (turmeric) rhizomes, cleaned well and unpeeled
1 cup coconut oil or olive oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions:

Turmeric/Olena paste:
In a blender, add turmeric/olena, oil, vinegar, cumin, salt, and red pepper. Blend until it becomes a very smooth paste. Reserve 1/4 cup and store remaining mixture in a sealed container in the refrigerator for later use.

Chicken:
In a zipper bag (or mixing bowl) add chicken breasts and 1/4 cup of turmeric/olena paste. Close bag and massage the contents so that the chicken is thoroughly coated with the paste. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes. Heat a large frying pan (one with a lid) over medium/medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Lightly oil pan, then add chicken. Cook on the first side for about 3 minutes or until golden. Flip chicken and cook for 3 minutes on the other side. Cover pan and reduce heat to low to slowly finish cooking chicken, about five minutes or until the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165°F. Serve with rice and vegetables. Makes 4 servings.
Note: Olena paste also goes well with fish, shrimp, or bone-in chicken on the grill, and in rice (add 1 tablespoon of paste per cup of rice at the beginning of the cooking process).
Approximate Nutrient Analysis per serving: (not including rice and vegetables):
300 calories, 17 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 100 mg cholesterol, 650 mg sodium, 2 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 0 g sugar, 34 g protein