By Thayer Wine / Gannett News Service

One reason chicken is likely to find a frequent place on your supper menu is because there are so many ways to prepare it. Also, it’s lean and quick, especially if you use chicken breasts.

This version is called “firecracker” because of the addition of spicy hot pepper flakes. You can modify the heat impact of the pepper by adding more or less according to your taste.

Serving this chicken with rice or some sort of noodle will help counteract the impact of the hot peppers. Rice noodles, bean thread noodles, fresh angel hair noodles or fresh thin Chinese noodles would be good options, and they are usually easy to locate in the supermarket.

Bright green snow peas would complement this grilled chicken. Saute and serve them separately. For a sweet finale, offer a mix of cut-up oranges, bananas and pineapple, sprinkled with a little toasted coconut.

Firecracker Chicken

3/4 cup long grain white rice

1 1/2 cup water

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 3 large or 4 small chicken breasts

3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Bring water to a boil, stir in rice and return to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and cook 15 minutes. Turn off heat and fluff rice with a fork. Cover until chicken is ready.

Meanwhile, preheat broiler or gas grill for 10 minutes, or light charcoal grill and allow coals to burn down to a gray ash. Prepare or reheat rice.

Remove all fat from chicken and slice on the diagonal into pieces about one-fourth inch thick and two to three inches long; set aside.

Whisk together the lemon or lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, peanut oil and crushed red pepper flakes.

Add chicken pieces to the lime juice mixture and marinate for 15 minutes, turning after seven or eight minutes.

Thread chicken on skewers and broil or grill six to eight minutes, basting with any remaining marinade, until chicken is done and no longer pink. Serve immediately with rice. Serves four.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 350 calories, 36 grams protein, 30 grams carbohydrate, .5 grams fiber, 9 grams fat, 82 milligrams cholesterol, 244 milligrams sodium.