We have started a new tradition at our house. Dave told me when we had a charcoal grill, several years ago, that he thought he would start grilling if we had a gas grill. About 2 years ago we bought a gas grill. It was mainly used for housing spiders and collecting dust for the first year or so. When questioned as to why he was not using it, he replied that he thought he would grill if he had a grilling cookbook. Well, it was winter and grilling books were not in stock at Costco, and I really didn't want to spend full price on one, so I waited. Father's Day, the following year, he got a cookbook, which gathered dust for another year or so, and finally one day something changed. Dave had gone deep sea fishing with the boys in my family and caught a 50 pound Halibut. We had more fish than we knew what to do with. He finally broke open the book to get ideas on how to prepare all this fish. With the advice of the book, Dave started learning how to grill various things. He has since informed me that I have "converted him" to cooking. He said he sees the satisfaction in preparing a great meal and getting to enjoy it. His grilling skills can now out-cook many of the nicer restaurants I've been to. Our Black Angus anniversary dinner stunk compared to the steak he made a few weeks ago. He has even made homemade barbecue sauce. I'm quite impressed with his new skill.
I have been working almost every Saturday for the last couple months, with no end in sight, and as a result we are burned out by Sunday. We decided a while ago to grill on Sundays, so we have something to look forward to. It's a restaurant quality meal from home. I LOVE it! Did I mention that I LOVE grill Sunday?!?
As I read over the book, I found that there are a few things that people commonly do that can destroy a perfectly good piece of chicken. Here are some hints to getting your chicken to stay juicy:
1. Allow grill to preheat for about 10 minutes (most people already know this).
2. Turn, turn, turn =burn, burn, burn. Each time you turn the chicken, it sticks to the grill, pulling off the outside and leaving a spot for the juices to run out of =DRY CHICKEN! Turn as infrequently as possible. It tastes juicier if you can keep it to 2-3 turns.
3. Keep the lid closed as much as possible. This allows for a more even temperature throughout the grill.
4. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before you cut it. This allows time for the juices to soak into the meat.
5.Don't overcook it! This is easy to do, and my last attempt to grill chicken breast left me with this result. A thawed or fresh chicken breast only takes 8-12 minutes to cook all the way through over direct medium heat. Dave said he watches to see when it looks white inside and juices are clear, but the outside still looks moist.
You could also go and buy a meat thermometer so you will know exactly when your chicken reaches 165 Degrees internally (this is the temperature most chefs cook it to). It actually continues to rise 5-10 degrees during the resting period, so 165 should be sufficient.
This is the recipe he made yesterday and we were literally licking the plate!!! It was juicy, flavorful, and a tad bit spicy (not too hot to feed the kids). Mmmm, deliciouso!
Our recipe is slightly modified form the whole chicken version in the book, just because we didn't have everything on hand. We did a half recipe, which was just enough to feed our family, but I think we could have eaten more!
Barcelona Chicken
5 green onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves (we have a bunch in our garden, so that works out easy for us-you could probably substitute with 1 TBSP dried)
3 large garlic cloves
1/2-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like it)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 chicken breasts
To make marinade, use a food processor or blender to combine all ingredients except chicken. Blend to a smooth paste, 1 to 2 minutes. Place chicken in a large, plastic resealable bag and pour in marinade. Press air out of bag and seal it tightly; turn bag several times to distribute marinade. Place bag in a bowl and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, or as long as 12 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove chicken pieces from bag and discard marinade. Grill, over medium direct heat until fully cooked 10-12 minutes. At this point, check for doneness (try to be as minimally invasive as possible), and cook a little longer if needed. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes before cutting into it. Serve warm. Makes 4 servings.
Happy grilling! Sorry I don't have a picture, we devoured it all!
I have been working almost every Saturday for the last couple months, with no end in sight, and as a result we are burned out by Sunday. We decided a while ago to grill on Sundays, so we have something to look forward to. It's a restaurant quality meal from home. I LOVE it! Did I mention that I LOVE grill Sunday?!?
As I read over the book, I found that there are a few things that people commonly do that can destroy a perfectly good piece of chicken. Here are some hints to getting your chicken to stay juicy:
1. Allow grill to preheat for about 10 minutes (most people already know this).
2. Turn, turn, turn =burn, burn, burn. Each time you turn the chicken, it sticks to the grill, pulling off the outside and leaving a spot for the juices to run out of =DRY CHICKEN! Turn as infrequently as possible. It tastes juicier if you can keep it to 2-3 turns.
3. Keep the lid closed as much as possible. This allows for a more even temperature throughout the grill.
4. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before you cut it. This allows time for the juices to soak into the meat.
5.Don't overcook it! This is easy to do, and my last attempt to grill chicken breast left me with this result. A thawed or fresh chicken breast only takes 8-12 minutes to cook all the way through over direct medium heat. Dave said he watches to see when it looks white inside and juices are clear, but the outside still looks moist.
You could also go and buy a meat thermometer so you will know exactly when your chicken reaches 165 Degrees internally (this is the temperature most chefs cook it to). It actually continues to rise 5-10 degrees during the resting period, so 165 should be sufficient.
This is the recipe he made yesterday and we were literally licking the plate!!! It was juicy, flavorful, and a tad bit spicy (not too hot to feed the kids). Mmmm, deliciouso!
Our recipe is slightly modified form the whole chicken version in the book, just because we didn't have everything on hand. We did a half recipe, which was just enough to feed our family, but I think we could have eaten more!
Barcelona Chicken
5 green onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves (we have a bunch in our garden, so that works out easy for us-you could probably substitute with 1 TBSP dried)
3 large garlic cloves
1/2-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like it)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 chicken breasts
To make marinade, use a food processor or blender to combine all ingredients except chicken. Blend to a smooth paste, 1 to 2 minutes. Place chicken in a large, plastic resealable bag and pour in marinade. Press air out of bag and seal it tightly; turn bag several times to distribute marinade. Place bag in a bowl and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, or as long as 12 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove chicken pieces from bag and discard marinade. Grill, over medium direct heat until fully cooked 10-12 minutes. At this point, check for doneness (try to be as minimally invasive as possible), and cook a little longer if needed. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes before cutting into it. Serve warm. Makes 4 servings.
Happy grilling! Sorry I don't have a picture, we devoured it all!
