Salt and Vinegar Wings

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds/1.4 kg chicken wings
2 cups/475 mL distilled vinegar
1/4 cup/60 mL olive oil
3 tablespoon/45 mL sea salt
1 tablespoon/15 mL chili powder
2 teaspoons/10 mL black pepper
2 teaspoons/10 mL garlic powder

PREPARATION:

1. Combine marinade ingredients.  Place wings into resealable plastic bag(s) and pour marinade over top.  Make sure all wings are immersed.  Seal bag and allow to marinate in refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

2. Prepare charcoal grill.  Place wings onto grill and cook for two hours at 250 degrees F. (120 degrees C.)  Turn occasionally during cooking process.  Once wings are golden brown and have a nice crispness to them, remove from heat and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

How to Grill Juicy Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

INGREDIENTS:

Brine:
4 cups water
1/4 cup kosher salt (or 3 Tbsp table salt)

Chicken:
1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp olive oil (plus more olive oil for the grill)
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

Method:

1. Brine the chicken breast: Use a whisk to dissolve the salt in the water in a large bowl. Add the chicken breasts to the brine. Put in refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Prepare your grill: Arrange your grill so that one side is for high direct heat, and the other side is cooler.
Alternatively, you can use a grill pan, heat on medium high heat.

3. Coat chicken with oil and paprika: Remove chicken breasts from brine and pat dry. Coat with olive oil, and sprinkle evenly with paprika.

4. Grill the chicken breasts: Brush some olive oil on the grill grates. Place chicken breasts on the hot side of the grill (or on the grill pan). Let grill without moving, until the chicken pieces start getting some grill marks (you can lift up one to check).
When the chicken pieces have browned on one side, turn them over, and move them to the cooler side of the grill. Cover, and let finish cooking.
Remove chicken from grill when the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 150°F.

5. Let the chicken breasts rest: Cover the breasts with foil to rest. The chicken will continue to cook in its residual heat while it rests. Let it rest 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into it.

Grilled Steak with Sriracha Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon avocado oil
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
1 tablespoon sriracha
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 pound flat iron steak
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat avocado oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onions over medium heat. 

2. While onions are cooking. Heat a grill to medium high heat.

3. Season both sides of the steak with salt, garlic and cracked pepper.

4. Place steak on preheated grill and cook 4 - 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. 

5. When the onions soften, turn golden and start to caramelize, about 15 minutes, stir in sriracha. Stir well to coat the onions in the sriracha. Continue cooking for 5 more minutes.

6. After steak has rested, slice against the grain and spoon onions over the top.

Paprika Chicken with Chickpeas

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground oregano
2 lbs chicken thighs (we used bone-in, skin-on), trimmed of excess fat
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 14-ounce can chickpeas, drained
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

METHOD:

1 Coat chicken with spices: Stir together the smoked paprika, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and ground oregano in a large bowl. Place the chicken thighs in the bowl and toss to coat completely with the spices.
You can do this several hours ahead, or right before cooking. Your choice. The longer the chicken sits in the rub, the more the flavors will permeate.

2 Preheat oven to 350°F.

3 Layer a casserole dish with sliced onions: Place the thinly sliced onions in the bottom of a casserole dish large enough to hold the chicken pieces with room in between.
Toss with about 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and spread out in an even layer at the bottom of the dish.

4 Add chickpeas, lemon, oil to chicken: Add drained chickpeas, lemon zest, lemon juice, and remaining olive oil (2 Tbsp minus 1 teaspoon) to the bowl with the chicken and spices.
Toss to coat the chicken evenly with the lemon and oil, and make sure that the chickpeas are coated with the spice mixture as well.

5 Arrange chicken and chickpeas over onion slices: Arrange chicken pieces, skin-side up, on top of the sliced onions in the casserole dish. Arrange the chickpeas between the chicken pieces.

6 Bake: Bake uncovered at 350°F for 40-45 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken thighs is at least 165°F and the top is lightly browned.

Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro or parsley. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with a side salad.

Chicken Salad With Pickles and Lima Beans

INGREDIENTS:

2cups panko bread crumbs
2tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2pounds chicken tenders (about 16)
1cup frozen lima beans
1/2cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
3tablespoons mayonnaise
1teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 head romaine lettuce, leaves torn into bite-size pieces (6 cups)
1/2cup sliced dill pickles
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 450° F. Toss the bread ,oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast, tossing once, until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a shallow bowl.

2. Wipe out the baking sheet and place an oven-safe wire rack inside.

3. Season the chicken with ¹/₄ teaspoon each salt and pepper and dip in the bread crumbs, pressing gently to help them adhere. Place on the prepared pan and bake until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cook the lima beans according to the package directions; drain and let cool.\

5. Whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, 3 tablespoons water, and ¹/₄ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the lettuce, pickles, onion, and lima beans and toss to combine. Serve topped with the chicken.

Skillet Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
Zest of one lemon (1 to 2 teaspoons)
3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 to 2 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 6 pieces)
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 or more shallots, peeled, halved (optional, can use 1/2-inch thick wedges of red onion, or skip)

Method:

1. Make rub with the rosemary, zest, garlic, salt, and pepper: Place the rosemary, lemon zest, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper in a mini-chopper and pulse until well ground. (If you don't have a mini-chopper, just mince the rosemary and garlic very fine, and mix with the rest). Then add the tablespoon of olive oil and pulse again.

2. Marinate chicken thighs with rosemary lemon rub: Place the chicken thighs in a (non-reactive) bowl and rub all over with the rosemary lemon herb rub. Arrange the thighs skin-side down and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Let marinate for an hour at room temperature, or chill several hours or overnight, and let sit at room temp for an hour before cooking.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F.

4. Sear the chicken thighs: Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a cast iron (10 to 12-inch) or other large relatively stick-free oven-proof skillet (hard anodized aluminum will work well) on medium high to high heat.
As soon as the oil is shimmery hot, pat dry the chicken thighs with paper towels and lay them skin-side down in the pan.
Sear the thighs without moving them for 3-5 minutes or until nicely browned.
Turn the thighs over in the pan so they are skin-side up. Remove the pan from heat.

5. Arrange garlic and shallots between chicken thighs and roast in oven: Place garlic cloves and either shallots or onion wedges in between the chicken thigh pieces in the pan. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken thighs reach 170°F.

Remove from oven.

As a safety note (having burned my hand in the past), I recommend rubbing an ice cube on the handle of the hot pan as a way to cook it down quickly. Then be sure you keep the handle covered with a pot holder so that someone (including yourself) doesn't inadvertently pick up the pan with the hot handle on their bare hands.

Serve with a side of rice, pasta, bread, or potatoes, or over a bed of baby arugula or spinach leaves for a low carb option.

One Pot Chicken and Orzo

Ingredients:

2 1/2 to 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
12 ounces (2 cups) orzo pasta
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/4 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Method:
1. Prep and salt the chicken: Trim the chicken thighs of excess skin and fat. Sprinkle both sides with a little salt.

2. Brown the chicken thighs: Heat olive oil and melt butter on medium high heat in a large skillet (large enough to fit all of the chicken pieces) to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, pat the chicken pieces dry on both sides with paper towels and place skin-side down in the pan. Let cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken has browned on one side.
Then turn the chicken pieces over and cook for another 4 minutes until lightly browned. Remove the chicken from the pan, set aside.

3. Brown the orzo pasta, add onions, garlic: Add the orzo pasta to the pan. Stir to coat and let the pasta brown. Once the orzo starts to brown, stir in the chopped onions.
Reduce the heat to medium and let cook, stirring often for 2 to 3 minutes until the onions begin to soften. Add the minced garlic and cook a half minute more.

4. Add back chicken, add stock and tomatoes: In a large measuring cup, stir together the chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Place the chicken pieces skin-side up, on top of the orzo.
Pour the stock tomato mixture over the orzo. Increase heat to medium high and let the stock in the pan come to a full boil.

5. Cover and cook: Lower the heat to the lowest heat you need to maintain a bare simmer. Cover and let cook until the orzo has completely absorbed the liquid and the chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Taste for salt and pepper and add more if needed. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley to serve.