My Therapist Cooks

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grilled chicken

Grilled Pesto Chicken

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This is SO perfect for a Monday. It is simple, delicious, and goes with anything. 

My sister and her husband actually made us some chicken like this ages ago, and we couldn't get over how wonderful it was, why we hadn't done it before, and how stupid-easy it can be if you keep pesto around, which we usually do. The method is so simple: grill some chicken on one side. Flip it, then spread pesto on the grilled side. The chicken finishes cooking through on the second side while the pesto warms just a little bit, and the end result is charred grilled flavor mixed with bright fresh herbs from the pesto. 

I actually pulled up my entire basil plant last week and made TONS of pesto. I have a bunch in the freezer now, I gave some to friends, and I made THIS for a friend who just had a baby. I let the chicken cool then sliced it so it could be eaten one-handed, and packaged it with some salad, quinoa, and garlic bread. It was perfect because the chicken is great cold over salad or warmed as a hot meal. Leftovers that feel not like leftovers, that kind of thing. ...

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Cantaloupe Rice Salad Variations

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Ok so yesterday when I was telling you about that cantaloupe salad I left a few things out that you could do with it because it was a lot to explain and the post was getting long so....

We're making this one into two posts.  Two plates with bowl

In other news, adding capers to the cantaloupe salad makes it REALLY good.  If you like capers.  We fried them!  That wasn't a bad choice, and then running all through the rice you get these crispy salty tangy bites and...YES.  My sister is basically the biggest lover of all the capers so I'm super excited to make her eat this ASAP. 

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Secret Family Recipe

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Does your family have anything weird like our spaghetti with cottage cheese that is just SO delicious?
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We have that, and chicken.
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Marinated grilled chicken, to be precise.
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It's incredibly complex.
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Basically, my dad gets out lots of salty/sugary/vinegary spices, condiments, and sauces, mixes them together, marinates chicken, grills it, and eats it.
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Seriously.  I served this at Robert's Baby Shower last weekend and when people said "ohhhhhhh how did you make this?"  I had nothing to say other than "um, the 4-year old ketchup really makes the dish."
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Cool.  Very cool.
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Anyway, I've been making this for years, per my father's (lack of) instructions, and this time I measured everything so I could share the 4-year old ketchup masterpiece with you, dear friends!
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First, you will need some chicken and a lot of crap.  Chicken tenders, bone-in, skin on parts, boneless, WHATEVER!
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup vinegar - apple cider, champagne, white, red wine.....seriously.  Go nuts.
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 6 garlic cloves

Sometimes I add some mustard too, which adds a nice thickness to the marinade, but you can do whatever you want.

I vary this lots, but the above portions will give you lots of marinade and a great flavor.

Fresh herbs are a nice addition, too!

So, you dump the liquids all into a bowl, and whisk them together.  Duh.

Then taste it!  It should be tangy, but if the vinegar is overwhelming add some more honey, sugar, and salt.

For the garlic, whack the cloves with the back of your knife, remove the skins, and dump them into the marinade too!

Nice.  Now, for this, I was making 4 bags of frozen chicken tenders.  I marinated them for about 7 hours, and that was perfect.  Overnight or for 2 days is best for larger pieces of chicken - flavor is good!

I ladled the marinade into several large bags, then put the chicken inside and let the chicken marinate in the sealed bags in the fridge.

Ewwwww raw chicken!  Not really.

When I was ready to cook the chicken I skewered each piece on a bamboo skewer since I was serving these at a party - like you should be doing this Sunday for the Super Bowl!

You can skip the skewers, though.  The point of this post is the marinade.

The point is SO MUCH about the marinade that I have no pictures after this step in the process.

So, please envision chicken being grilled and eaten.  These tenders are perfect because they grill quickly - larger pieces clearly take more time, but it's well worth it!

Enjoy this, and send me some pictures of COOKED chicken!

More Tailgating Food!

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Blackened Chicken

You might remember from last week's post that, until last Saturday, I'd never been tailgating.  I had, however, heard of the culinary lengths that people go to each week in preparation for a home game.  The stories were all true!

I actually made this chicken last week when my friends Adam and Cara came over for dinner, but it would be PERFECT at a tailgate or cookout - two things that are happening a lot this weekend with the fabulous weather we've been having!

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Tzatziki Sauce

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Tzatziki Sauce is delicious and amazing and versatile.  A traditional Greek/Turkish condiment, this version uses Greek Yogurt as the base.  I've had variations with sour cream and even feta cheese, but this is my favorite way to eat it.  I'd suggest pairing it with Greek chicken and veggies, but it can be used in gyros, thinned out on salads, or as a dip for your favorite pita.  It is tangy and healthy and flavorful - everything you want in a dip!  It's also SO easy to make - let's go for it!

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