Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Easy Spicy Grilled Dinner

I'm baaaaaack. At least for now. ;) Here's a quick, easy, flavorful dinner idea for you.
13 Simple Ingredients:
Olive Oil (as needed)
Lime Juice
Garlic Salt
Cayenne Pepper (optional - not recommended for kiddos)
Chili Pepper
Paprika
4 tbsp Butter
Chicken breasts (or other parts) - 1 portion per diner
2 Ears of Corn on the Cob (halved & cooked in boiling water for about 8 min)
2 Squash (cut in equally thick pieces, long ways)
1 Zucchini (cut in equally thick pieces, long ways)
1/4 Large Red Onion (cut in equally thick pieces)
Flat Bread (1/2 piece per person)
Prepping the Goodies:
Marinate the chicken over night in a mix of chicken broth & lime juice. If you're like me & decide to make this at the last minute, splash 2 tbsp of lime juice on the chicken & defrost it in the microwave. :)
Then beat the crap out of it. Okay, let's just say - flatten it out pretty well, being careful not to tear it into a million pieces.
Now, sprinkle both sides of the chicken with garlic salt (LOTS of it!), cayenne (Go easy on it, I've seen bad things happen with ppl & too much cayenne - think hospital trip. Seriously.), chili powder, and paprika.
Brush the veggies all with enough olive oil to keep 'em from sticking.

For the butter:
(You will need to make more if you're serving more than 4 people.)
Soften (NOT melt), 4 tbsp of butter.
Add 1/2 tsp lemon juice,
1/2 tsp garlic salt,
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 paprika
(Throw in a pinch of cayenne for heat if you want to.)
Mix all of that up really well.

Now, on to the Cooking!
Now, put it ALL on the grill. It will all stay there on medium heat for about 20 min. Be sure to turn it after about 10 min.
(Once everything is cooked, throw the flat bread on the grill for a few minutes to warm it up.)

How to eat:
Cut the squash, zucchini, & onion into bite sized chunks.
Throw them in a serving bowl.
Add 1/2 of the butter mixture.
Stir.

Take remaining butter & spread on corn & 1 side of each piece of flatbread.
I added a dollop of sour cream for the chicken 'cause... well, why not?

Luke's response: it's pretty good. When asked if I could make it again ('cause it's SO easy) he said yes. That's a good sign from a man that wants BBQ sauce on all chicken. haha!
My thoughts? The veggies are wonderful! I didn't add cayenne to the butter 'cause I really hoped the kiddo would eat some. He didn't & I would've liked more spicy flavor on the corn personally. (The veggie mix was fine 'cause the onions added a kick.)

Meat-lover Variation:
You have got to be kidding me. That's more than enough meat for anyone! ;) But, some crumbled bacon would add a good dimension to the veggie mix.

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