Wednesday, June 11

Tequila-Lime Grilled Chicken and Corn on the Cob

I'm always a little nervous about cooking chicken on the grill. I'm worried it'll be dry, overcooked, or worst of all, under-cooked. So I approached the Tequila-Lime Grilled Chicken recipe with a bit of trepidation. But I'm happy to say that I followed the recipe closely and the results were very successful!  It's all about the marinade. Letting the tequila, lime and garlic really get in there. The chicken was very moist and the lime flavor was fresh and healthy tasting. The only thing I substituted was basil for the cilantro because that's one of the few things on the planet I just don't love. It's just too overpowering for me. But most people love it so if you do, stick with the cilantro.

The most important lesson I learned recently about grilling chicken is to put the breasts skin-side down on the grill and leave them there for at least a few minutes without touching them. Don't move them, don't flip them, Just let them grill. They will be so nice and crispy if you just let them alone for a few minutes. If you move them too quickly, your skin might stick to the grill and that would be a huge loss.

I thought the Grill-Roasted Corn on the Cob would go well with the chicken and I was right. It's also really easy and low maintenance to make. I put it on the grill 4 minutes after I started grilling the chicken and they were both done at the same time. I love when everything is ready at once, hot off the grill, and you don't have to keep tending to the grill. You can relax and enjoy with everyone else.

I hope you'll try this perfect summertime pairing and enjoy it as much as my captive audience did. 

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Thursday, June 12

Leftover Inspiration!
Pesto-Chicken Pasta with Corn

I had some leftover chicken and corn from the grilling expedition mentioned above. So last night, I looked at what I had in my kitchen and made a whole new delicious meal. The chicken is excellent cold. It has a nice smoky flavor that worked so well with the earthy basil pesto, the sweet corn and the salty parmesan cheese. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Below is the recipe if you'd like to give it a try.

Ingredients:
•  Leftover chicken (whatever you have on hand - i had one chicken breast left and i stretched it just fine)
•  1 or 2 ears of leftover corn cut from the cob (I boiled mine but you could use leftover grilled corn as well)
•  A large bunch of washed and dried basil leaves
•  2 - 3 garlic cloves, depending on how much you like garlic
•  3 tbsp toasted pine nuts (walnuts will work fine as well)
•  1/2 cup of olive oil (you can vary this depending on the consistency you like for your pesto)
•  1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
•  1/2 lb angel hair pasta, spaghetti, fettuccini (whatever pasta you have on hand)
•  salt & pepper to taste

How to:
•  Put your basil, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor
•  Drizzle in olive oil while you're processing until desired consistency
•  Season with salt and pepper to taste
•  Toss cooked, strained pasta with pesto and corn kernels
•  Sprinkle parmesan cheese generously over the top
•  Slice chicken breast at an angle and arrange over the top

Present family style or make individual plates. Serves 2-3 depending on appetite.
NOTE: If you have leftover pesto, it freezes really well.