Grilled Chicken with Roasted Garlic-Basil Vinaigrette and Grilled Potatoes

Pin It Now! I've been so lazy and unmotivated the last few weeks.  I haven't cooked much of anything.  Mr. Wright has been grilling and we've been living off oatmeal, yogurt and other quickie foods.  It's gotta be because I'm 20lbs heavier than normal, sluggish and totally exhausted all the time.  Only 7 more weeks and then I really won't have time to do anything!

At least the weather has been amazing in Germany.  I love that the seasons are so distinct and normal.  I come from Colorado where spring is just a tease as mother nature shows her ugly face with frequent snow storms and you can't expect regular warm weather until end of May. Just yesterday in Denver they had snow, but it is supposed to be 60 by tomorrow.  Pshhh.  Crazy weather.  But here in Germany its a gradual warm up and each week gets a little nicer.  The trees are blossoming with buds and flowers and there are various shades of green everywhere you look.  The temperature is inching to the upper 60's and its just beautiful and perfect here. 

The nice weather has contributed to my extra boost of happiness and motivation.  I decided we should start eating good meals again and spring is such a fun time to cook!  I love the fresh and colorful ingredients that are in season right now.  I found this recipe from Bobby Flay on foodnetwork.com.

  I changed a few things though.  First instead of using fresh oregano, I used fresh basil because its what I had on hand.  I love  basil and wouldn't make it with oregano anyway.  Second I didn't have fingerling potatoes like Flay's recipe calls for.  Regular old baking potatoes worked just fine. Third the recipe calls for white wine vinegar.  I have white wine and I have white vinegar but didn't have white wine vinegar, so instead used red wine vinegar.  And lastly Flay says to use bone in, skin on chicken breasts.  I did have these on hand, but there was a slight problem.  I purchased organic chicken, but I didn't want it so natural that the hairs were still on the dang thing!  Black, wirey hairs.  I'll spare anymore details and will not post a picture because it is just gross.  So I used some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and it was still delicious. 

The combination of roasted garlic, honey, basil and vinegar is divine.  The flavors blend so well together.  This can easily be made into a quick weeknight meal because the viniagrette can be made ahead of time.  I actually suggest making it at least a few hours before grilling so the ingredients can sit and meld together.   Grill a few extra breats and you have a gourmet lunch for the next day. This is a definite favorite and I want to make it once a week.  I highly recommend this!

Ingredients

For the roasted garlic-basil vinaigrette:

• 8 cloves roasted garlic


• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar


• 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves


• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves


• 1 tablespoon honey


• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


• 3/4 cup olive oil


• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

For the grilled chicken and potatoes:

• 12 fingerling potatoes or 2-4 baking potatoes, scrubbed


• Kosher salt


• Olive oil


• 4 (8-ounce) bone-in chicken breasts (skinless, boneless breasts work fine too)


• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the roasted garlic-basil vinaigrette:

Combine garlic, vinegar, oregano, parsley, honey and salt in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and process until emulsified. Stir in the red chile flakes.  For better flavor let sit covered in fridge for a few hours or overnight.

For the grilled chicken and potatoes:

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until a paring knife inserted comes out with some resistance. Do not cook the potatoes all the way through because they will continue cooking on the grill. Drain well and when cool enough to handle, slice in half lengthwise.

Heat the grill to medium.

Brush the chicken and potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on the grill, skin-side down and grill until golden brown and slightly charred, 6 to 7 minutes. Turn the chicken over and continue grilling until just cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. A few minutes before the chicken has finished cooking, place the potatoes on the grill, cut-side down and cook until lightly golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn over and continue grilling about a minute longer. Remove the chicken and potatoes to a platter and immediately drizzle with the roasted garlic-basil vinaigrette. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with basil and parsley sprigs.

Honey Chicken Skewers with Corn Salad

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Found this recipe over at Realsimple.com.  Gotta say that the chicken didn't taste how I thought it would.  When I think of honey chicken I think of a slightly sweet, savory taste.  Given the ingredients I should have known it would hav had more of a bbq flavor.  Either way it was still good.  Definitely LOVE the grilled corn salad.  I devoured this on my own.

Ingredients
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt and pepper
canola oil, for the grill
6 ears corn, shucked
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 scallions, sliced
Directions
1) Place twenty 8-inch wooden skewers in water to soak. Heat grill to medium-high. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, honey, and Worcestershire sauce; set aside.
2) Slice the chicken lengthwise into twenty 1/2-inch-thick strips. Thread each strip onto a wooden skewer. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
3) Lightly oil the grill. Cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes, basting with the ketchup mixture during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
4) Meanwhile, grill the corn, turning occasionally, until slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Cut the kernels off the cobs, place in a medium bowl, and toss with the butter, scallions, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Serve with the chicken.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Pin It Now! My favorite chicken tortilla soup ever is at a restaurant at the Beaver Creek Lodge in Beaver Creek Colorado.  It is definitly a fancy schmancy super swanky lodge, but oh so worth it!  Mr. Wright took me there for Mother's day a few years back.  I had ordered their tortilla soup and it was creamy, tasty and pure heavenly bliss.  This tortilla soup recipe isn't creamy, but it is SO good! Garnish with some cheese and sour cream and you've got yourself one yummy dinner.  It tastes great leftover and the leftover chicken can be used to make chicken quesdadilla's for dinner the next night.  Enjoy!

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 jalapeno, deseeded and diced

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup chunky salsa

8 ounces corn tortilla chips

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)

Directions

1. In a large stock pot get some water boiling (enough to cover chicken breasts).  Throw in 1-2 cloves of garlic and boil until chicken is cooked through, about 10 min. Remove the pot from burner and place  chicken on a plate and shred with two forks.  


2. Pour the water out of the pot. Return stock pot back to burner over medium heat.  Add olive oil and sautee onion until tender.  Add the garlic and sautee for 15 seconds then add the cumin, chili powder and shredded chicken and mix well. Then add the broth, corn, lemon juice, diced jalapeno and salsa. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes.


3. Break up some tortilla chips into individual bowls and pour soup over chips. Top with the Monterey Jack cheese and a little sour cream.

Recipe adapted from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Tortilla-Soup-V/Detail.aspx

Chicken Cacciatore

Pin It Now! The first time I ever had this was our first night back in Colorado after living in Hawaii for a year.  Baby Wright was a month old and we had been on a flight for 6 hours and with the time change were simply exhausted.  Our amazing friends, best friends actually, took care of us.  Louis made this for dinner and it was the first home cooked meal we had had in who knows how long.  (when we lived in Hawaii cooking was not something I excelled in.  I couldn't even make eggs.  Clearly I've learned a lot since then).  This meal tastes like home.  It's fresh.  It's wholesome.  It's delicious.  It's just damn good.  And this was my first time eating Louis' cooking.  Louis probably doesn't know it, but he really inspired me to become more interested in cooking and I learned some of the most basic things from him.  I couldn't find the recipe he made that night, but this version from Giada de Laurentis is pretty damn close and tasted just as good.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs


• 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste


• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste


• 1/2 cup all purpose flour, for dredging


• 3 tablespoons olive oil


• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped


• 1 large green bell pepper chopped


• 1 onion, chopped


• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped


• 3/4 cup dry white wine


• 1 ( 28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice


• 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth


• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves


• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly.

In a large heavy saute pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute just until brown, about 5 minutes per side.  Don't cook all the way through.  They will finish cooking in the sauce.  If all the chicken does not fit in the pan, saute it in 2 batches. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the bell peppers, onion and garlic to the same pan and saute over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, broth, capers and oregano. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter. If necessary, boil the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Spoon off any excess fat from atop the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with the basil and serve with rice or pasta.

*Note Giada's recipe uses chicken breasts with the bone and chicken thighs.  Her recipe also doesn't include green bell peppers.