Grilling is still entirely possible and enjoyable on a mild, golden Autumn day--days which we have not been blessed with lately. I've been making and gobbling up comfort food these past few dreary, rain filled days, however today I decided to revert to Summer/early Autumn cooking in hopes that the weather will follow suit.
This Summer, I discovered one of my favorite types of meat to grill...chicken thighs. They have a rich and hearty flavor, are generally super cheap at the store, and cook so quickly. During my chicken thigh bonanza this summer, I discovered an easy recipe by Guy Fieri that contains ingredients that I usually have on hand. I have made this recipe a few times now and every time it gets rave reviews.
In effort to get rid of my over-abundance of CSA potatoes, I threw them all in a pan and roasted the petooties out of them. I also decided tonight was a good time to get a Pinterest recipe craving out of my craw. I have seen many pins for grilled romaine hearts/grilled salad and decided to give that a whirl tonight.
You can find the recipe to my favorite grilled chicken thighs here:
Garlic-Ginger Chicken Thighs
The only tweaks I make to the recipe is to use skinless chicken thighs (boneless). Chicken thighs are already so moist, fatty, and delicious they don't really need the skin. I also use a fridge squeezy bottle of ginger puree. I don't cook with ginger very often and have no idea what to do with a real piece of ginger. The recipe gives the option of tangerine or orange juice and I always opt for orange juice (I've used bottled and fresh, both work well).
So this morning I threw all the marinade ingredients and the chicken in a big ole' bag of wonderful and let it all hang out in the fridge while I was at work. When I got home I started working on the roast potatoes because they take a while.
The way I made potatoes tonight is actually my mom/grandmother's way of roasting potatoes. I've tried other ways and always revert to their recipe because it's so darn good and makes me think of Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's super simple....
Wash and dry potatoes (I like to leave the skin on). Cut them into similar size chunks/wedges. Mix up a bottle of Good Seasons Italian dressing and dump the whole thing over the potatoes, stir. Cover in tin foil and roast at 425 for one hour, remove tin foil and let it continue to roast until browned and slightly crispy, about 15-20 minutes. I threw some Parmesan cheese on at the end for fun. It all came out looking and smelling amazing.
The chicken thighs are so easy to cook, even I can grill them (I am so inept with a grill, usually hubby is the grill master). Set the grill to medium high heat, wipe the grill with vegetable oil, and throw the thighs on (I usually add the onions from the marinade to the grill too, on top of the chicken). Let them do their thing for about 5-6 minutes a side, then eat them ALL.
This garlic-ginger marinade is so wonderful. The flavors work well together, without being overwhelming. You know you want to try this.
I was quite pleased with my grilled lettuce experiment. I was so skeptical of grilled lettuce but kept seeing different versions all over Pinterest and decided to try it out. I sliced one Romaine heart in half, lengthwise then brushed it with a mix of lemon flavored olive oil, rice wine vinegar, Italian seasonings, and garlic powder. Here are the before and after pics.
Before grilling.
After grilling. I couldn't resist shredding some Parmesan cheese on there!
I chopped the salad up and boy oh boy it was delicious! It tastes nice warm and would make a great main dish, maybe with some grilled chicken. Who would'a thunk??
So the moral of tonight's story? Grill in the rain, chicken thighs are the way to go, and get out of your salad slump by grilling that lettuce!!
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