Category Archives: chicken

Easy Peasy Chicken on the Grill

Posted on August 7, 2011 | 4 comments

Easy Peasy Chicken on the Grill

chicken thighs

Here is a very simple marinade made with very few ingredients. Most of the ingredients you probably already have on hand. I had the chicken and I actually had the beer which is what prompted me to make this. I also have to say that the thighs tasted better than the plain, boneless chicken breasts. I cooked the chicken on the grill at a lower heat. It took a little longer (maybe 20 minutes) but the thighs were moist and delicious and I didn’t blacken the skin because the grill wasn’t so so hot.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 1/2 cups beer (I wouldn’t use light beer but any other will do)

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced (approximately 1 1/2 cloves)

2 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark, it doesn’t really matter)

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Salt and pepper to taste

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs with skin on and bone in. (I would have the butcher cut them in half.)

This marinade yields a lot so you could probably make up to 8 pieces (at least) of chicken.

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, mix the soy sauce, beer, water, garlic, brown sugar and ginger. Place the chicken in the bowl. Cover and marinate for 6 hours or overnight. Turn chicken a couple of times while marinating. Right before I put the chicken on the grill, I sometimes sprinkle a little kosher salt and pepper. The soy makes it somewhat salty but the beer dilutes the soy so I think it’s personal but I suggest adding a little salt and pepper. You can also cook up the chicken and taste it and sprinkle a little sale and pepper, if needed, before serving.

Place chicken on the grill and cook approximately ten minutes per side, depending on thickness of cutlets and your grill but until the chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Discard the remaining marinade. Be careful to watch the grill–you don’t want to overcook chicken (unless you specifically like it that way). I watched the thighs very carefully, turning often so that they didn’t blacken. They came out beautiful and were very moist for you dark meat lovers.

I served this with rice pilaf and my string beans (see recipe).

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Lemony Chicken

Posted on July 20, 2011 | 4 comments

Prep for Lemony Chicken

This is truly my go-to chicken meal, because there is no marinating, and I usually have everything on hand. Plus, you can always just pick up chicken breasts at the local market right before cooking. I serve it over a plain brown rice, because the sauce is so yummy. Add a plain roasted green veggie and you’re good to go. Great for guests!

INGREDIENTS:

4 chicken breasts with skin and bone in

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons garlic, minced (6-9 cloves, depending on size of cloves)

1/3 cup dry white wine (I use whatever is open, or whatever I have on hand) or a pinot grigio would be fine if you are going to buy .

Grated zest from 2 lemons

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from zested lemons). save the lemons , you will use them .

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt

 freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS: Preheat Oven to 400 degrees

Put olive oil in a small saucepan and warm it up. Not to boil, just warm. Turn off heat and add minced garlic. Remove from heat and add white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, and salt. Pour into a 9×12 baking dish.

Pat the chicken dry (use a paper towel) and place skin side up over the sauce. I use a silicon brush (or any pastry brush) and brush the chicken with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. I then cut up the lemons which I used for zest into about 6 or 8 wedges, and place them in the dish alongside the chicken. You should have 1 lemon left over. If not, use a new lemon and just cut it into 6 or 8 wedges.

Bake for 35 minutes and then put on broil for the last 5 minutes. Depending on your oven, you may want to bake for 30 minutes, and put under the broiler for 10 minutes, which is what I did. Just watch it–you want it golden brown, not blackened, and if you cook too long, the chicken will be dried out. When you remove it from the oven, cover tightly with aluminum foil and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Serve hot with the pan juices over rice, with a green vegetable on the side.

 

 

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Balsamic/Mustard Chicken

Posted on June 21, 2011 | 2 comments

Balsamic Mustard Chicken in Marinade

I have been so busy flying back and forth from New York to Colorado, that I haven’t had time to say hello and post some more yummy recipes! I also want to say that i am working on posting photos, which i think will be super helpful  not to mention make this blog prettier . I think mid-week  posts are the best because most of you probably are looking for weekend meals, and then you can add to your personal recipe file and cook anytime.

This recipe has been a great go to chicken dish but needs to marinate overnight for best results! I don’t usually grill it, but if you do, I suggest that you first cook it in the oven for about 30 minutes, and then throw on grill just to get grill marks and BBQ flavor. It’s wonderful in the oven as well. Gravy from this is yummy and rice works perfectly with this too.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons dijon mustard

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 average lemon) 

1 teaspoon lemon zest (first zest, then juice lemon)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (i like to salt and pepper right before I cook the chicken)

1 whole chicken cut up  (if you go to a butcher, ask him to cut the breasts in halves. if you are buying in a supermarket, the breasts will be rather large; you can cut it yourself if you have a good knife. if not, no biggie just cook it in eighths. But I prefer in ten pieces with breasts cut in half.)

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

Whisk the vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl to blend. Take a large baggie (I love Hefty ziplocks),  and put the chicken and vinaigrette in. Squish it all around and coat chicken and place in fridge. I prefer this marinate overnight , but you can do it in the morning for that night. Usually I do it the night before and it sits overnight and most of the next day.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Remove chicken from the bag and arrange it in a Pam-sprayed Pyrex type baking dish. Add your kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper now. Roast until the chicken is just cooked through (about 1 hour.) Look at chicken after about 45 minutes; if it is burning, cover with aluminum foil  for the remaining cooking time. Transfer chicken to your serving platter and cover with aluminum foil. Take Pyrex with gravy from pan drippings and put on burner of stove (or transfer to a smaller sauce pan). Whisk in the chicken broth (and this is when I add the lemon zest as well,)  scraping up all the brown bits as you go. (When you are de-glazing the pan, a wooden spoon works best.) When the gravy comes to a boil, you’re ready to spoon over your chicken.  If you plate it individually, put rice on the plate, then a piece(s) of chicken, and then spoon gravy on top. Or I just pour some gravy over the chicken on a platter and put it on the table. Then I put rice in a pretty bowl and put that on the table as well. That way, everyone can take their own.

If you want to BBQ the chicken , cook it first for about 30 minutes, then do gravy as above. Lemon slices look pretty on the platter with some chopped parsley but totally not necessary.

* roasted asparagus is perfect on side

*I love Near East brand of Rice Pilaf in a box (Original) when I don’t feel like fussing with rice. Almost always comes out perfectly if you follow instructions.

 

 

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Lemon Marinade (perfect for Chicken Breasts on Grill)

Posted on May 27, 2011 | 2 comments

Ingredients:

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 – 5 small lemons) (2-3 large)

3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tsp. Kosher salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/2 teaspoon dry thyme

I use a large measuring cup to put all the ingredients into and use a small whisk to combine.

2 lbs Chicken Breasts (I prefer not too thick. Thin ones are good and are usually available. If not, ask the butcher to pound them.)

Let chicken sit in marinade overnight . I use a large baggie and squish it around. The longer it sits, the better. Before I put it on the grill, I usually put it into a glass Pyrex (easier to put on grill from Pyrex than baggie) and when it’s in the Pyrex I lightly sprinkle it with a little kosher salt, you’ll need to do this for a bit more flavor.

Put chicken on the hot grill and cook. Don’t overcook. Turn them so you get nice grill marks. They cook rather quickly–a few minutes on each side–especially the thin ones. Cut into one of the pieces if you’re not sure. These have to be watched on the grill. The thin cutlets go quickly, but I really do prefer them .

When they’re finished, put them on a platter, add some lemon slices, and serve! You can garnish with a few sprigs of fresh thyme if you’d like.  These are awesome leftovers next day served on top of any salad.

*something I discovered not too long ago was a grill pan. If you don’t have access to a grill or it’s raining and you don’t want to be out there grilling. I bought a really nice one and you get beautiful grill marks and the food tastes really good. Something good and worthwhile to buy.

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