A Tasty Take on Grilled Chicken

Russ and I went to the beach this past weekend for a long weekend to celebrate our first anniversary. We had a wonderful, relaxing time and the only thing we cooked were eggs two mornings and Russ cooked them. I can’t believe how little I have cooked this month. I have actually really missed it and am anxious to get back in the kitchen. I did take my two latest issues of Fine Cooking with me to the beach. I have cooked some out of each, but wanted to spend some more time checking out the other recipes. Tonight I picked one recipe out of each for dinner, Grilled Thai Chicken Breasts with Herb-Lemongrass Crust and Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Olive Oil.

The Grilled Thai Chicken marinates in a fragrant coconut milk, spice blend for at least two hours. To make the marinade you combine the coconut milk, lemongrass, cilantro, basil, garlic, jalapeno, salt, pepper, ground coriander, and brown sugar. This is all supposed to pureed in a blender or food processor, however, I forgot this step and did not puree the mixture. I halved the marinade since we only used three chicken breasts instead of twelve. Also, I marinated my chicken in a ziploc bag instead of a shallow pan. I tend to always marinate in a ziploc bag, so that I can just toss it when I am done and have one less dish to clean. It needs to marinate at least two hours, so I did the marinade at lunch and let it marinate for about five hours until we were ready to grill it for dinner. Russ did an excellent job grilling it on the Egg.

The chicken had a wonderful flavor to it. We didn't think it screamed Thai, but maybe more Caribbean in flavor. No matter the nationality it was nice sweet, fresh, and a little bit spicy. Next time I think I'll try to start it marinating in the morning to capture a little more of all the flavors. We also thought it could have used a little more kick from the jalapeno. My jalapeno was a little small, so I probably should have used two. I also think that had I pureed the marinade that it would have given more of a crust (hence the name) to the chicken. As a bonus it smelled very fragrant from the coconut juice and all the fresh spices. All in all we thought is was an excellent dish that gets a 10 from Russ!

For the sides I decided to keep them simple, so as not to compete with the chicken. The asparagus is a quick and easy recipe that roasts the asparagus in a little olive oil and salt. Once they are roasted you season them with fresh lemon juice and salt. I also served fresh tomato slices with it. The asparagus was also a winner tonight. It was a very simple dish that produced asparagus with a great, fresh taste to them. The lemon juice was a nice complement to the roasted flavor of the asparagus. This is a great, easy way to prepare asparagus when you want a solid side that won't take center stage. Russ also rated the asparagus a 10!

Both recipes were hits tonight receiving 10s from Russ! I have only been receiving Fine Cooking since the beginning of the year, but it is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. We have had great success with all the recipes we have tried from it. Both the chicken and the asparagus will be repeaters for us.

On somewhat of a side note, I was excited to use basil and a jalapeno out of my garden in the marinade for the chicken. I have a small herb and vegetable garden in pots this summer. Russ and I will be redoing some of our backyard later on this summer, so I decided to do a smaller garden and keep it all in pots for now. I have already picked out a spot for my future garden once the backyard is complete. I hope to make it a year round garden with lots of herbs and vegetables. I’ll try and remember to take a picture of my current potted garden soon to post.

(Cash also went to the beach and had a blast! I have included a few pictures of him from this past weekend.)

Grilled Thai Chicken Breasts with Herb-Lemongrass Crust
Serves twelve.

1 ½ cups chopped fresh cilantro
¾ cup coconut milk
¼ finely chopped lemongrass (from about 2 stalks)
12 fresh basil leaves
3 Thai bird chiles, 2 jalapenos, or 2 medium serranos, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ Tbs. Kosher salt
2 tsp. packed light brown sugar
1 ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¾ tsp. ground coriander
12 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves (5 to 5 ½ lb.), trimmed
2 limes, cut into wedges for serving

Combine 1 ¼ cups of the cilantro with the coconut milk, lemongrass, basil, chiles, garlic, salt, brown sugar, pepper, and coriander in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Arrange the chicken breasts in a nonreactive baking dish or other vessel large enough to accommodate them in a snug single layer. Pour the marinade over the breasts and turn to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Heat a gas grill to medium / high or prepare a medium charcoal fire. Grill the chicken (covered on a gas grill) until it has good grill marks on the first side, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the chicken (cover a gas grill) and continue to cook until firm to the touch and completely cooked through (check by making a cut into one of the thicker breasts) about 5 to 6 more minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter and let rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup cilantro and serve with the lime wedges.

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Olive Oil
Serves six.

2 lb. Asparagus, preferably think spears (about two bunches)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
2 to 3 tsp. fresh lemon juice; more as needed

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 450 F. Snap off the ends of the asparagus spears. Put the asparagus on a large, rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Gently toss the asparagus with the oil until it’s evenly coated. Distribute the asparagus so that it’s in an even layer. Sprinkle generously with salt and roast until tender (bite into a spear to check), 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to a platter, toss with lemon juice, and salt to taste, and serve.