Grilled Chicken Gyros

GREEK CHICKEN  

• 3 medium lemons cut in wedges
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 8 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

TZATZIKI SAUCE 

• 1 1/2 cups of greek yogurt - for best results do *not* use fat free
• 1/4 cup cucumber finely grated (squeeze off juice)
• 2 tsp. garlic
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. white balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. GREEK GYRO CHICKEN: Gently squeeze lemons into a large resealable plastic bag, leaving lemon wedges in the bag. Add ingredients & shake. Add chicken & turn to coat. Seal bag & fridge for 2- 4 hrs. turning occasionally. Remove chicken and grill.
2. TZATZIKI SAUCE: Mix together and serve over Gyros.

Corn Feta Bean Dip

Don't judge by the ingredients alone...I know, I know...it sounds STRANGE. I promise you this dip is delicious.  Sometimes I just eat it for lunch!

1 can white shoepeg corn, drained
1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed well
6 oz pkg. crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped chives
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
Tostitos Scoops (or any tortilla chips - the scoops just hold the dip better)

Mix ingredients and serve.  After being refrigerated, bring to room temp to ensure the olive oil liquifies.

Chicken Caesar Bowtie Pasta Salad

Active Time:  30 Minutes Total Time:  50 Minutes Yield:  Makes 8 servings (as a side) Using yogurt instead of an egg/oil Caesar dressing makes this salad picnic friendly.  Quickly grilled chicken transforms it into a main dish. Make the chicken ahead, as described below, tossing it with the rest of the salad; or make the salad without that addition, grilling the chicken in your backyard or at the picnic site, slicing it, and draping the slices over each serving.     RECIPE INGREDIENTS For the Chicken: 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or lean, well-trimmed steak For the Pasta: 1/2 pound dried bowtie pasta (farfalle) For the Dressing: 3 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt 6 ounces small cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes 1 scallion, thinly sliced crosswise 1/4 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley 6 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese DIRECTIONS FOR THE CHICKEN: Combine lemon juice and 1 tablespoon oil in large bowl. Add chicken, turn to coat. Let stand 20 minutes. FOR THE PASTA: Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot lightly salted boiling water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain and immediately rinse with cold water until cool; drain well. Toss pasta with 1 tablespoon oil to coat. Set aside. FOR THE DRESSING: Mash garlic & kosher salt until smooth paste forms (easiest in a mortar & pestle).  Transfer to a large mixing bowl.  Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard. Whisk in yogurt. Slowly whisk in remaining 1/2 cup oil.  Drizzle the oil, do not pour it in (to ensure ease of blending) Season dressing to taste with pepper and additional salt to taste. TO COOK CHICKEN: Preheat broiler (or grill) . Sprinkle chicken breasts generously with salt and black pepper. Place chicken on broiler pan and broil until cooked through, turning chicken once, about 12 minutes. If grilling, grill until center is no longer pink. Tent with foil for 10 min to allow juices to distribute.  When cool, cut chicken crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.  You can also cube for better distribution within the salad. TO ASSEMBLE: Combine chicken, pasta, tomatoes, scallions, and parsley in large bowl. Add dressing and Parmesan cheese. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate. Adapted from cooking.com

Grilled Pesto Chicken Sandwiches

Any pesto will do but picking up a pre-made one makes dinner so much quicker and easier. I like the one from Classico because it has Romano cheese which adds a lot of flavor. It comes in a small jar which is near the spaghetti sauces in your grocery.  A small jar is enough for about 6 individual chicken breasts.

Meat

Chicken breasts - pounded to an even thickness

Ingredients for Marinade

Pesto - homemade or premade - I use Classico Basil Pesto

Additional Items/Garnishes

Bulkie Rolls (aka Kaiser Rolls - more about that distinction later...)

Romaine or Boston Bibb Lettuce leaves - washed & dried

Sliced Tomato

Sliced Onion (I prefer red)

Mayonnaise or Dijon (if you prefer - I prefer Mayo - and always Hellman's)

Cheese could be added although I would use a mild one like Provolone - I don't add cheese

Directions

Place chicken pounded chicken breasts together with the Pesto for at least an hour. 

Prepare rolls by spreading the cut side of each with a thin coat of butter. Place them butter side (cut side) down on a flat top grill or in a skillet & leave until toasty brown and a little crisp. This helps to hold the ingredients without the bread getting soggy or weak & adds a lot of flavor.

Grill chicken breasts.

Assemble sandwiches with toppings of your choice & enjoy! 


Oh and about those Bulkie Rolls. It was quite a transition moving from the Midwest to New England. I had to learn new names for certain items and this is one of them.  

According to online sources, a Bulkie Roll or Bulkie is a New England regional variety of sandwich roll. Sandwiches made with bulkie Rolls are very common in area delicatessens, restaurants, and institutional food services. Bulkie Rolls are larger and firmer than hamburger buns. The crust is usually slightly crisp or crunchy, but Bulkies are not hard rolls. The bread within the roll is similar to ordinary white bread; with a texture that is neither very chewy nor very fluffy; without any yellow color or egg taste; and not noticeably sweet. 

As I mentioned in the recipe, most other parts of the country refer to these as Kaiser Rolls although I think Bulkies are a little softer than Kaiser Rolls...

Dorito Chicken

Easy. Yummy. Nobody will guess what the crust really is! You can make into chicken tenders or bake as entire breasts. Pound the breasts to a consistent thickness to ensure uniform cooking.  If baking entire breasts, you may need to add a few more minutes to the cooking, depending on their size.

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons skim milk
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
• favorite flavor of Doritos tortilla chips(I love nacho cheese for this!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Spray a baking sheet with no stick cooking spray. 

Cut chicken into 1/2 inch strips. 

Combine mayo, milk in a large bowl. 

Place tortilla chips and taco seasoning in zip lock baggie, crush chips into medium size crumbs. 

Pour chip mix into a medium size bowl. 

Coat chicken strips in mayo mixture, then in the crushed tortilla chips. 

Place on baking sheet, be sure to not overlap.

Bake until just browned and chicken is cooked through about 10-12 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Grilled Steak (or Chicken) Tacos

Best Marinade for Grilled Chicken or Steak Tacos. 

Meat

Flank, Skirt, or rib steak, New york 1 - 1 1/4 inches thick
or
Chicken Breast - pounded to ensure even cooking

Marinade

• 6 garlic cloves , mashed with
• 1 t kosher salt , in a mortar and pestle 
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 c lime juice
• 2 T tequila 
• 2 T ground Ancho chili pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (more to taste, I'm not a huge fan)
• 1 T chopped fresh oregano or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 t kosher salt (additional to the 1 t you already use to mash with the garlic)
• 1 T fresh coarse ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil or 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Additional ingredients

• 24 corn tortillas 
• 1 lb (mild white cheese) shredded (quesadilla or monterey jack)

Garnishes

• guacamole
• salsa , of your choice (I love tomatillo)
• sour cream 

Lime Pickled Red Onions

• 1 large red onion , thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 t  salt
• 2 T chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 t chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 t  dried oregano

Directions for Marinade:

Mix all marinade ingredients. If using steak, pierce the steaks all over, on both sides. Pour over marinade, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. If using chicken, pound to consistent thickness to ensure even cooking.

Directions for Lime Pickled Red Onions:

Mix all the ingredients and let marinate for at least 3 hours at room temperature. Will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge.

Directions for Grilling Meat:  

About an hour before grilling the meat remove the steaks (or chicken) from the refrigerator. Remove meat from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Cook over hot grill until done to your liking. Set the meat aside and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. 

To Serve:

Cut the meat against the grain into strips 3 to 4 inches long and about 1/4" thick. Briefly heat each tortilla, either over the direct heat of the grill or in a heavy skillet (only enough to make them pliable). 

Set out the pickled onions, tortilla/cheese setups, guacamole, sour cream and salsa. 

Fill the tortillas and enjoy.

Warm Crab Parmesan Dip

None of the crab dip recipes I found had the flavors I was looking for so I came up with this one which tastes fabulous!

Ingredients

• Appx. 8 oz. fresh crabmeat, drained and flaked (this is available in the fish section of your grocery – Philips is one brand I’ve used. I used backfin)
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• ¼ cup onion, minced
• ½ t. Old Bay Seasoning

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a small baking dish, cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, sour cream and garlic, onion and Old Bay.
3. Remove crabmeat from container (if pre-packaged) and gently press out as much moisture as you can.  Fold crabmeat into the mixture until well distributed.
4. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven until bubbly and lightly  browned (approximately 30-40 minutes depending on your oven).

Note: Do not overcook or the mixture will separate and can become oily with a chunky texture. Remember, there is nothing in here that you need to necessarily cook – you are mainly warming the mixture & softening the onions & garlic to allow their flavor to be released.

Serve with small chunks of crusty bread, pita chips or your favorite crackers.

If using a round crusty loaf, you could alternatively hollow out the center, use the bread you cut out for dipping - then transfer the dip into the 'bread bowl'.