Hot Chicken and Fruit Salad Platter

Ingredients

• 1 small (about 1 1/2 lb.) cantaloupe
• 2 whole (about 1 lb. each) chicken breasts, boned and skinned
• 1 small (about 3 lb.) pineapple
• 8 to 10 large romaine lettuce leaves, washed and crisped
• 1 tablespoon salad oil
• Sweet lime sauce (recipe follows)
• 1/4 cup lightly packed chopped fresh mint leaves
• 4 cups hot cooked white rice
• Fresh mint sprigs, optional
• SWEET LIME SAUCE: Mix all
• 1 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoon grated lime peel
• 6 tablespoons lime juice
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Preparation

1. INSTRUCTIONS:


2. Seed and peel cantaloupe. Cut fruit into bite-size chunks; set aside.


3. Cut chicken breasts across grain into 1/4-inch-thick strips; set aside.


4. Peel pineapple. Cut fruit into 8 equal rounds; trim out core, if desired. On a large platter (at least 12 in. diameter), lay lettuce leaves with tips overlapping the rim. Arrange pineapple on leaves around edge of platter. If done ahead, cover and chill up to 4 hours.


5. Place a 10- to 12-inch frying pan or wok over high heat. When hot, add oil and chicken; stir-fry until meat turns white, about 3 minutes. Lift out chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside.


6. Add sweet lime sauce to hot pan; stir until sauce boils. Remove pan from heat. Add chicken, melon pieces, and chopped mint; gently turn pieces in sauce to coat. Mound hot rice on platter. Spoon chicken mixture over rice. Garnish with mint sprigs. Serve hot.