This weeks Dish Grilled Chicken in Root Beer Marinade is not really a dish but a recipe for a really interesting marinade. I found it on the Food Network's website when I was looking for a recipe for a homemade marinade for my chicken.
Ingredients:
6 (5-ounce) boneless chicken breast fillets
Marinade:
1 cup olive oil
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 tablespoon dry minced garlic
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 ounces root beer
Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients for the marinade and add the chicken breasts. Marinate for approximately 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat a grill. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on the grill. Grill until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
To serve, place on a bun or plain bread and serve with French fries and a mug of root beer.
The Verdict:
The chicken was VERY juicy. I was really happy with how the chicken came out on the grill. I can't say though I noticed the flavor of the root beer. It did have a nice flavor but not what I was expecting. Perhaps it's supposed to be a subtle taste? In any case, I would use this marinade again just because it did taste very good.
Next time if I serve this on a roll again I will add some cheddar cheese, BBQ sauce and bacon! Otherwise, it was on the boring side. I think this chicken would also work well served with rice and grilled veggies.
Showing posts with label grill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grill. Show all posts
June 5, 2009
Dish of the Week: Pesto Chicken Grill Packets
This weeks dish is Pesto Chicken Grill Packets. It's from the Summer issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. I am still having fun using my grill and this dish not only yummy but it's healthy too!
Ingredients:
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 2-1/4 pounds)
Salt and pepper
1 cup pesto (see recipe finder)
2 zucchini, thinly sliced
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
8 scallions, trimmed
Serve with rice (or whatever starch you feel like!)
Directions:
1. Preheat a grill to medium. Cut four 12-inch-long sheets of heavy-duty foil. Drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil into the center of each sheet.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Lay 1 piece of chicken in the center of each sheet and spread 1 tablespoon pesto on top.
3. Mound one-quarter of the zucchini, tomatoes and scallions over each chicken breast. Dollop 3 tablespoons pesto over each mound. Fold the foil over the chicken and vegetables; pinch the edges to seal.
4. Cover and grill the packets over indirect heat for 25 minutes. Remove from the grill and open carefully.
The Verdict: I was pleasantly surprised by this dish. I honestly didn't know what to expect, as I haven't used a lot of pesto in my cooking. It's a flavor I am starting to really like more and more. The Doc started a month long rotation in the CCU that has him home late so he didn't really have the chance to really enjoy this right off the grill as I did. I am also not sure he was a fan of the pesto. What impressed me the most, was how juicy the chicken was. For full disclosure, I used a store bought pesto, as I don't have a food processor to make my own. I also omitted the tomatoes and added some broccoli and cauliflower. Try this one out if your looking for something simple, tasty and healthy.
Ingredients:
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 2-1/4 pounds)
Salt and pepper
1 cup pesto (see recipe finder)
2 zucchini, thinly sliced
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
8 scallions, trimmed
Serve with rice (or whatever starch you feel like!)
Directions:
1. Preheat a grill to medium. Cut four 12-inch-long sheets of heavy-duty foil. Drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil into the center of each sheet.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Lay 1 piece of chicken in the center of each sheet and spread 1 tablespoon pesto on top.
3. Mound one-quarter of the zucchini, tomatoes and scallions over each chicken breast. Dollop 3 tablespoons pesto over each mound. Fold the foil over the chicken and vegetables; pinch the edges to seal.
4. Cover and grill the packets over indirect heat for 25 minutes. Remove from the grill and open carefully.
The Verdict: I was pleasantly surprised by this dish. I honestly didn't know what to expect, as I haven't used a lot of pesto in my cooking. It's a flavor I am starting to really like more and more. The Doc started a month long rotation in the CCU that has him home late so he didn't really have the chance to really enjoy this right off the grill as I did. I am also not sure he was a fan of the pesto. What impressed me the most, was how juicy the chicken was. For full disclosure, I used a store bought pesto, as I don't have a food processor to make my own. I also omitted the tomatoes and added some broccoli and cauliflower. Try this one out if your looking for something simple, tasty and healthy.
May 29, 2009
Dish of the Week: Skirt Steak Tacos
This weeks dish Skirt Steak Tacos is another one for the grill from the same magazine as the Shrimp Skewers. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE my grill?!
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp ground cumin
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ground chipotle chile pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 lbs skirt steak
16-20 6" or 8" flour tortillas, warmed
1 head napa cabbage, shredded
2 large tomatoes, seeded & chopped
1/2 large red onion, quartered and slivered
1 cup cilantro
Directions:
1. In a small food processor or blender combine the first six ingredients: onion, lime juice, cumin, garlic, chipotle pepper, and salt. Cover and process or blend to form a thick paste.
2. Spread paste over both sides of skirt steak. Using fingers, rub paste into meat fibers. Place skirt steak in resealable plastic bag set in shallow dish. Close bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours overnight.
3. For a charcoal grill, place steak on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium hot coals; grill for about 4 minutes or until steak is slightly charred, turning once halfway through grilling. (For gas grill, preheat. Reduce heat to medium-high. Place steak on grill rack over heat. Cover; grill as above). Cover steak with foil and let stand 5 minutes before coarsely chopping.
4. Serve immediately in warm tortillas topped with shredded cabbage, tomatoes, red onion, cilantro.
The recipe also recommends serving with a guacamole and a Lime Crema (3 tablespoons of lime juice combined in a small bowl with 8 oz container of sour cream).
The Verdict: The flavor of the beef was excellent and the smell was amazing! We love Mexican food so it was no surprise that this was a winner in this house! Next time I need to pay more attention to the cooking time for the steak. It was a little rare for our liking but, in our opinion, it's better to be undercooked slightly than over-cooked! For obvious reasons, I did not serve this with the Lime Crema so I cannot comment on that and I used a store bought guacamole out of sheer laziness.
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp ground cumin
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ground chipotle chile pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 lbs skirt steak
16-20 6" or 8" flour tortillas, warmed
1 head napa cabbage, shredded
2 large tomatoes, seeded & chopped
1/2 large red onion, quartered and slivered
1 cup cilantro
Directions:
1. In a small food processor or blender combine the first six ingredients: onion, lime juice, cumin, garlic, chipotle pepper, and salt. Cover and process or blend to form a thick paste.
2. Spread paste over both sides of skirt steak. Using fingers, rub paste into meat fibers. Place skirt steak in resealable plastic bag set in shallow dish. Close bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours overnight.
3. For a charcoal grill, place steak on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium hot coals; grill for about 4 minutes or until steak is slightly charred, turning once halfway through grilling. (For gas grill, preheat. Reduce heat to medium-high. Place steak on grill rack over heat. Cover; grill as above). Cover steak with foil and let stand 5 minutes before coarsely chopping.
4. Serve immediately in warm tortillas topped with shredded cabbage, tomatoes, red onion, cilantro.
The recipe also recommends serving with a guacamole and a Lime Crema (3 tablespoons of lime juice combined in a small bowl with 8 oz container of sour cream).
The Verdict: The flavor of the beef was excellent and the smell was amazing! We love Mexican food so it was no surprise that this was a winner in this house! Next time I need to pay more attention to the cooking time for the steak. It was a little rare for our liking but, in our opinion, it's better to be undercooked slightly than over-cooked! For obvious reasons, I did not serve this with the Lime Crema so I cannot comment on that and I used a store bought guacamole out of sheer laziness.
May 22, 2009
Dish of the Week: Garlic Shrimp & Pineapple Skewers
This weeks dish, Garlic Shrimp & Pineapple Skewers, is from the Better Homes and Gardens Grilling Magazine. I got this magazine at the supermarket one day, shortly after we purchased our grill.
Ingredients:
24 fresh or frozen large shrimp
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3oz guava paste, cut up
4 tsp water
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
2 tbsp chopped red onion
1 small fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut up into chunks (about 2 1/2 cups)
Directions:
1. Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Peel and devein (if necessary) shrimp. Rinse shrimp; pat dry with paper towels. Place shrimp in a large resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, cilantro, garlic and cayenne pepper. Pour over shrimp; seal bag and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour, turning bag occasionally.
2. In a food processor or blender, combine guava paste, water, chipotle, and red onion. Cover and process or blend until almost smooth. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to bowl containing guava mixture; discard marinade. Add pineapple to guava mixture. Toss gently to coat pineapple and shrimp with guava mixture. (Do not allow pineapple to stay in mixture for more than 5 minutes or shrimp will become mushy). Alternately thread shrimp and pineapple on skewers (if using wooden skewers; soak in water for at least 30 minutes before hand). Reserve remaining guava mixture.
4. For charcoal grill, place skewers on the greased rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium grill heat; grill for 6 to 10 minutes or until shrimp are opaque and pineapple begins to char, turning skewers and brushing them with reserved guava mixture once halfway through grilling. (For gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place skewers on a greased grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above. Serve immediately with coconut rice* (recipe below).
*Coconut rice: In a medium saucepan, cook and stir 1 cup basmati rice in 1 tablespoon hot butter over medium high heat until rice begins to brown. Add 1 cup chicken stock; 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in 1/2 cup frozen peas. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
The Verdict: I made four new dishes this week and this was the winner. I wasn't sure how the guava paste would go over but it was pretty mild and gave the shrimp really nice flavor. The Doc opted out of eating the pineapple but I was really impressed with how it came out on the grill. It was my first experience with grilling fruit. Shaun loved the pineapple too!
The coconut rice worked really well with the skewers. It was milder in flavor than I thought it would be. In fact, the Doc didn't even notice the coconut flavor. This dish was a lot more work than most of the dishes I make, so I am not sure if it will be something I make a lot, but I would definitely make this again. Perhaps making skewers is something that gets easier the more you make them!
Ingredients:
24 fresh or frozen large shrimp
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3oz guava paste, cut up
4 tsp water
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
2 tbsp chopped red onion
1 small fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut up into chunks (about 2 1/2 cups)
Directions:
1. Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Peel and devein (if necessary) shrimp. Rinse shrimp; pat dry with paper towels. Place shrimp in a large resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, cilantro, garlic and cayenne pepper. Pour over shrimp; seal bag and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour, turning bag occasionally.
2. In a food processor or blender, combine guava paste, water, chipotle, and red onion. Cover and process or blend until almost smooth. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to bowl containing guava mixture; discard marinade. Add pineapple to guava mixture. Toss gently to coat pineapple and shrimp with guava mixture. (Do not allow pineapple to stay in mixture for more than 5 minutes or shrimp will become mushy). Alternately thread shrimp and pineapple on skewers (if using wooden skewers; soak in water for at least 30 minutes before hand). Reserve remaining guava mixture.
4. For charcoal grill, place skewers on the greased rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium grill heat; grill for 6 to 10 minutes or until shrimp are opaque and pineapple begins to char, turning skewers and brushing them with reserved guava mixture once halfway through grilling. (For gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place skewers on a greased grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above. Serve immediately with coconut rice* (recipe below).
*Coconut rice: In a medium saucepan, cook and stir 1 cup basmati rice in 1 tablespoon hot butter over medium high heat until rice begins to brown. Add 1 cup chicken stock; 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in 1/2 cup frozen peas. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
The Verdict: I made four new dishes this week and this was the winner. I wasn't sure how the guava paste would go over but it was pretty mild and gave the shrimp really nice flavor. The Doc opted out of eating the pineapple but I was really impressed with how it came out on the grill. It was my first experience with grilling fruit. Shaun loved the pineapple too!
The coconut rice worked really well with the skewers. It was milder in flavor than I thought it would be. In fact, the Doc didn't even notice the coconut flavor. This dish was a lot more work than most of the dishes I make, so I am not sure if it will be something I make a lot, but I would definitely make this again. Perhaps making skewers is something that gets easier the more you make them!
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