Sunday, December 6, 2009

So California Grilled Chicken

Makes 6 servings.

This is a Southern California version of sweet & sour chicken, marinated and grilled with a little extra spice. For maximum team karma you should use locally-grown, organic ingredients, utilize recyclable products, and leave no footprints in the parking lot.

The Marinade:
2 oranges
2 lemons
2 limes
1 teaspoon Coriander
½ teaspoon Dried Red Pepper Flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons wildflower honey
The Rest:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Salt & Pepper

To make the marinade, finely shred the zest from the citrus ingredients, then squeeze the juice from each fruit. In a shallow dish just large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer, stir together the citrus and remaining marinade ingredients. You should set aside about 4 tablespoons of the marinade to glaze the chicken while grilling.

Flatten each chicken breast to an even thickness of about ¾ inch (a good way is to gently pound chicken in plastic wrap). Season the chicken on both sides with salt & pepper. Add the chicken to the marinade and turn to coat both sides. Cover and refrigerate, turning occasionally, for 1-4 hours, or as long as it takes to get to the tailgate and get set up.

Grill the chicken over the hottest part of the grill, turning once or twice and brushing with the reserved marinade, at least 5 minutes per side. Turn the chicken to obtain a criss-cross effect on each side.

Serving Option: I usually serve cut into lengths, with fresh cilantro, homemade salsa and/or guacamole, black beans and flour tortillas, warmed on the grill.

A little good Southern California Karma never hurts anyone. This recipe is healthy enough to offset the first 2 margaritas...

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