Recipe Rewind: My Sister’s Green Chicken

Today—March 12—is my sister Fiona’s birthday! As longtime readers know, my big sis is my go-to source for hands-on cooking knowledge, and one of my biggest culinary heroes and influences. When we were little girls sharing the same tiny bedroom in Menlo Park, California, we never once thought we’d both grow up to have careers in food. I mean, I always figured I’d be a radio DJ or a writer for Rolling Stone magazine. And my sister? She was always a SUPER READER.

But all these years later, we somehow both gravitated back to the tastes and smells of our mom’s kitchen that entranced us when we were kids. Fiona’s cooked with some of the biggest names in the culinary world, kicked butt as a sous chef at hip restaurants in San Francisco and Los Angeles, served as a contributing editor at Vegetarian Times, worked as a private chef in L.A. and Miami, and now, she’s doing all sorts of awesome recipe testing and development for a spice company.

Along the way, she’s also influenced and inspired the recipes I’ve shared with you on Nom Nom Paleo. Seriously: Fiona’s the secret mastermind behind some of my all-time classic recipes, from Spicy Tuna Cakes to Magic Mushroom Powder. She was even responsible for introducing me to Red Boat Fish Sauce waaaaaaay back in early 2011, when Red Boat was just getting introduced in the U.S.

Of course, my sister’s best known around these parts for her namesake dish: Fiona’s Green Chicken. She gave me this recipe in 2011, just a few months after I started blogging as Nom Nom Paleo. I’d hit a wall when it came to developing an easy and delicious marinade for meat and poultry, yet my (small but growing) readership was clamoring for something new and different.

That’s when my big sister came to my rescue, sending me this umami-packed, Thai-inspired chicken recipe. It immediately became a family favorite—not just because it was a breeze to throw together, but because of its versatility: This vibrant green marinade pairs well with just about every protein imaginable, and it works great as a sauce for pouring over grilled meats or drizzling in soup. I’ve even slathered it on fish fillets in parchment packets, a.k.a. Fiona’s Phenomenal Fish Packets!

That said, it’s just phenomenal on chicken.

Whether cooked on the grill…

…or roasted in the oven…

…Fiona’s Green Chicken is a perfect example of my sister’s culinary approach, combining fresh and unexpected ingredients to create a palate-popping, craveworthy dish with deep, complex flavors. If you’ve never tasted her Green Chicken, what are you waiting for? The recipe’s right over here!

Also, you can make it ahead and freeze it, too!

We grew up in the same house, but I still don’t know how Fiona managed to cram all that culinary knowledge into her noggin. (I guess all that reading must have paid off.)

Happy birthday, Fiona! (Psst! Her green chicken is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, too! Because it’s green and her last name is Kennedy. Duh.)

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Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).

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