Grilled Chicken So Easy, It Feels Like Cheating

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

I have a one-year-old, a four-year-old, a husband, a job, a garden, a yard, and a house that we're always semi-renovating, among other things. In short, I have no time. Yet we still need to eat, quite regularly, in fact. And I want what we eat to be both delicious and good for us. So I am a BIG fan of this simple chicken - it's so easy and so good. And the grilling makes for easier clean up, too.

Easiest Grilled Chicken by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

I like to use boneless, skinless thighs (please ignore the fact that the chicken pieces in the photos are not thighs!) Thighs are juicier than breasts, cook more quickly and are the perfect size, no cutting required. They're also a lot cheaper than breasts.

As always, try to find meat from a farmer near you that uses humane and organic practices. Just a note that many small farmers can't afford to get organic certification even though they do farm using organic methods. So not having certification is not necessarily a reason to rule a good local source out. The beauty of buying locally is that you can go and visit to see for yourself and/or ask around to get a better sense of what a farm is like. Or, if you live around here, you can also just go to Fleishers Meats in Kingston!

Garlic and press by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

It does not take much time to prepare this chicken but you do need to start in the morning by throwing together a quick marinade. I like to use olive oil, fresh rosemary, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper and a little bit of salad dressing which I think of as "flavor in a bottle" (I can practically hear the little gasps of shock and horror from the purists!)

Rosemary plant by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

Although I am now beyond redemption in the eyes of true foodies, I will note for the rest of you that I do use a good quality, organic dressing with only unobjectionable ingredients that comes in a glass bottle to limit our BPA exposure. And, while I'm confessing all my shameful secrets, I should add that I sometimes use bottled organic lemon juice if I don't have any fresh lemons in the house.

Marinade ingredients by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

It only takes a few minutes to throw all of this stuff together, promise. Then let the chicken soak up those good flavors all day in the fridge.

Making the marinade by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

When dinner time rolls around, throw the chicken onto a pre-heated grill and cook them over medium heat for about ten minutes, turning them once.

Easiest Grilled Chicken by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

I really hate to throw away a good marinade - seems like such a waste! So sometimes, I dump it into a frying pan and let it cook down for a few minutes (sometimes I add a little white wine) until I have a nice pan sauce to ladle over the grilled chicken and the quinoa. But that is totally optional, of course.

Easiest Grilled Chicken by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

I like to serve this with quinoa cooked in vegetable broth (so much tastier that way) and either baked sweet potatoes or a salad but it goes well with lots of things if those ideas don't appeal to you.

-- print recipe --Simple Grilled Chicken
Serves 4

Ingredients

* 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs from a farm near you (if you have a lot of big meat eaters to feed, you may want to increase to 1 1/2 lbs)

For the marinade:
* 3 Tbps olive oil
* Juice of two lemons (orange, grapefruit, or tangerine would work well, too)
* 1/4 cup Italian or Caesar salad dressing (use a good one!)
* 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary, rinsed, dried, stems removed and needles chopped
* 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
* 1/2 tsp sea salt
* 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Prepare the marinade by whisking all the ingredients together.

2. Place the chicken thighs in the marinade, turning to coat all sides. I usually stick the meat with a fork a bunch of times to let more flavor soak in. Cover and put in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to a day.

3. Light the grill and let it heat up to high then clean with a wire brush. Lower the heat to medium and place the chicken thighs on the grate. Cover and cook for 5 minutes then turn and cook for 5 more minutes or until tested done. Remove from the meat from the grill and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

You might also like:
Want even more recipes, photos, giveaways, and food-related inspiration? "Like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Grilled Chicken So Easy, It Feels Like Cheating

I have a one-year-old, a four-year-old, a husband, a job, a garden, a yard, and a house that we're always semi-renovating, among other things. In short, I have no time. Yet we still need to eat, quite regularly, in fact. And I want what we eat to be both delicious and good for us. So I am a BIG fan of this simple chicken - it's so easy and so good. And the grilling makes for easier clean up, too.

Easiest Grilled Chicken by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

I like to use boneless, skinless thighs (please ignore the fact that the chicken pieces in the photos are not thighs!) Thighs are juicier than breasts, cook more quickly and are the perfect size, no cutting required. They're also a lot cheaper than breasts.

As always, try to find meat from a farmer near you that uses humane and organic practices. Just a note that many small farmers can't afford to get organic certification even though they do farm using organic methods. So not having certification is not necessarily a reason to rule a good local source out. The beauty of buying locally is that you can go and visit to see for yourself and/or ask around to get a better sense of what a farm is like. Or, if you live around here, you can also just go to Fleishers Meats in Kingston!

Garlic and press by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

It does not take much time to prepare this chicken but you do need to start in the morning by throwing together a quick marinade. I like to use olive oil, fresh rosemary, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper and a little bit of salad dressing which I think of as "flavor in a bottle" (I can practically hear the little gasps of shock and horror from the purists!)

Rosemary plant by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

Although I am now beyond redemption in the eyes of true foodies, I will note for the rest of you that I do use a good quality, organic dressing with only unobjectionable ingredients that comes in a glass bottle to limit our BPA exposure. And, while I'm confessing all my shameful secrets, I should add that I sometimes use bottled organic lemon juice if I don't have any fresh lemons in the house.

Marinade ingredients by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

It only takes a few minutes to throw all of this stuff together, promise. Then let the chicken soak up those good flavors all day in the fridge.

Making the marinade by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

When dinner time rolls around, throw the chicken onto a pre-heated grill and cook them over medium heat for about ten minutes, turning them once.

Easiest Grilled Chicken by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

I really hate to throw away a good marinade - seems like such a waste! So sometimes, I dump it into a frying pan and let it cook down for a few minutes (sometimes I add a little white wine) until I have a nice pan sauce to ladle over the grilled chicken and the quinoa. But that is totally optional, of course.

Easiest Grilled Chicken by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2013

I like to serve this with quinoa cooked in vegetable broth (so much tastier that way) and either baked sweet potatoes or a salad but it goes well with lots of things if those ideas don't appeal to you.

-- print recipe --Simple Grilled Chicken
Serves 4

Ingredients

* 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs from a farm near you (if you have a lot of big meat eaters to feed, you may want to increase to 1 1/2 lbs)

For the marinade:
* 3 Tbps olive oil
* Juice of two lemons (orange, grapefruit, or tangerine would work well, too)
* 1/4 cup Italian or Caesar salad dressing (use a good one!)
* 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary, rinsed, dried, stems removed and needles chopped
* 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
* 1/2 tsp sea salt
* 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Prepare the marinade by whisking all the ingredients together.

2. Place the chicken thighs in the marinade, turning to coat all sides. I usually stick the meat with a fork a bunch of times to let more flavor soak in. Cover and put in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to a day.

3. Light the grill and let it heat up to high then clean with a wire brush. Lower the heat to medium and place the chicken thighs on the grate. Cover and cook for 5 minutes then turn and cook for 5 more minutes or until tested done. Remove from the meat from the grill and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

You might also like:
Want even more recipes, photos, giveaways, and food-related inspiration? "Like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest.