I decided not to do an exhaustive meal plan this week just to break up the routine. I ended up getting some basic – salmon steaks, boneless skinless chicken breasts, and steaks for the week and just “wing it” with whatever I happened to have.
Tonight nobody was really interested in eating when I got home. My wife wasn’t feeling great and my daughter was getting her hair done. So left to my own devices I opted to hit the grill again using a variation on some Thai Grilled Chicken. The recipe called for split breasts but all I had was the boneless, skinless stuff. Ever onward.
So I brined 3 breasts in 2 quarts of water mixed with 1/2 cup table salt and 1/2 cup sugar for 30 minutes. Meanwhile I mixed up a dipping sauce of vinegar, sugar, lime juice, garlic and red pepper flakes followed by a rub of garlic (lots of garlic), ginger, black pepper, salt, ground coriander, cilantro, and lime juice.
I used my gas grill tonight getting 3 burners on high during the preheat phase. I dialed back one of the elements to low after about 15 minutes of preheating. After draining the chicken and patting it dry I dunked each breast in the rub and slathered it on. It stuck reasonably well.
All 3 pieces went onto the hot side of the grill uncovered for 4-5 minutes per side. They then went to cooler side cover down for 5-6 minutes per side until the internal temperature was about 160 degrees. Off the grill, covered in foil for 10 minutes.
While I was grilling I whipped up some pan roasted carrots – just carrots in oil on medium high heat for about 10-15 minutes until they begin to brown. Dump in some chicken broth, brown sugar, salt, pepper and a bit of rosemary. Cover over medium low heat for another 10 minutes or so, stirring every once and a while.
The spice on the chicken was great – nice heat. Hit the back of my throat and made me perspire. The dipping sauce was sweet and spicy all at the same time. The chicken really held its moisture from the brining. I don’t recall the last piece of grilled chicken that I’ve had that was so juicy. And the carrots were terrific. I’m guessing I can use the same technique with the carrots but adjust the spices to have a more Thai flavor – red pepper, ginger and vinegar – humm…
