Grilled Tandoori Chicken and Roasted Potatoes

Chicken Recipe Link

Potatoes Recipe Link

Delicious, delicious! These are winners!

I began by putting the chicken thighs in the yogurt marinade this morning.

Roasted the spices. They smelled sooo good!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Then chopped the onion, garlic, ginger, and serrano peppers in the food processor. (sorry for the awful pic)

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Then mixed the yogurt, onion mixture, lemon juice, and salt and marinated the chicken in a ziploc bag. This was a really chunky marinade.


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

I almost didn't make the potatoes because I was so tired today (Leo got out at noon and Henry didn't nap this afternoon - busy afternoon!). But I'm glad I took the time - they were delicious! Started by sauteeing dried peppers and brown mustard seeds in oil. Had to go to WF for the mustard seeds.


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Added garlic, jalapeno, ginger, turmeric, salt, and Garam Masala.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

And mixed with the potatoes.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

The recipe called for cooking these in a pyrex-type dish, but I decided to cook them on a preheated tinfoil-covered cookie sheet. I think this works great for roasting. So we cooked these potatoes while the grill prepped and then cooked the chicken.

After the potatoes were cooked, they were tossed with cilantro, mint, and lime juice.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books\

And the final product! The chicken recipe also includes a yogurt sauce, and it is easy and essential! It is the perfect complement to the chicken. Although this dinner took some time, it was worth it. I would really like to learn more about Indian cooking - we love the flavors.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

What's On The Menu 8/25-8/28

Leo is starting K tomorrow! Hard to believe! I'm doing mostly familiar comfort foods this week. Trying a new broccoli salad to avoid the oven for that one, and trying new chicken and potatoes on Thursday. I'll probably use the leftover chicken for Friday night pizza.

Mon: spaghetti alla norma (I can't find this on my blog, but this is an old favorite! I blogged about it somewhere on here.)
Green salad

Tues: lentil taco salad
(I use French Green lentils now)
Wed: salmon with mustard cream, wild rice, Broccoli Salad

Thur: Grilled Tandoori Chicken; Roasted Potatoes with North Indian Spices

Grilled Buttermilk Chicken

Recipe Link


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Grilled Buttermilk Chicken

Ingredients

1 quart buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped shallots
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon pepper
6 chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 lb. total)
6 chicken drumsticks (about 1 3/4 lb. total)
Preparation
1. In a large bowl, mix buttermilk, shallots, garlic, salt, sugar, cumin, and pepper.

2. Rinse chicken thighs and drumsticks and pat dry. Trim off excess fat. Submerge chicken pieces in buttermilk brine. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, or up to 1 day (see notes).

3. Lift chicken from brine; discard brine. Wipe excess from chicken with paper towels.

4. Lay chicken pieces on a barbecue grill over medium coals or medium heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 4 to 5 seconds); close lid on gas grill. Cook, turning frequently, until browned on both sides and no longer pink at the bone (cut to test), 20 to 30 minutes. Serve hot or cold.
Yield

6 servings
Nutritional Information

CALORIES 402(51% from fat); FAT 23g (sat 6.4g); CHOLESTEROL 149mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4g; SODIUM 670mg; PROTEIN 43g; FIBER 0.1g

Sunset, AUGUST 2004

This was very yummy and oh-so-easy! I just threw the chicken in the easy brine the night before. I used red onions because the grocery didn't have shallots. They brined for 24 hours, and then Todd grilled them. WONDERFUL flavor! I highly recommend this one!

We grilled corn-on-the-cob, too. It was a hit! I soaked it in water for an hour before we grilled it, and it was so juicy!

Greek Pizza with Chicken and Artichokes

Last Friday, we made Greek Chicken Pizza. It was a nice change!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 recipe Brick Oven Pizza Dough
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 (4-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into strips
10 kalamata olives, drained, pitted, and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
Preparation
Sprinkle 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese onto prepared pizza dough. Top evenly with chicken.

Combine artichoke hearts and next 5 ingredients in a bowl; toss gently. Spoon mixture evenly over chicken. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese; top with feta cheese.

Bake at 500° for 5 to 7 minutes or until browned and bubbly.
Yield

Makes 1 (14-inch) pizza or 4 servings
Southern Living, APRIL 2004


I marinated the chicken breasts on Thursday, and Todd grilled them that night. It was basically just assembly on Friday night. I combined the artichoke hearts, red peppers, olives, oil, and basil (didn't have oregano.


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Then I did mozzarella, chicken, artichoke mixture, and then feta.


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

The boys had chicken, pepperoni, and black olive.


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

What's on the Menu 8/10 - 8/13

Taking it easy this week! Enjoying the Olympics at night.

Mon - oven-fried catfish
broccoli
new potatoes

Tue - grilled buttermilk chicken
black eyed peas
corn on the cob
green salad

Wed - salmon with mustard cream
rice
green beans

Thur - tuna sandwiches and chips

Copycat Chipotle Chicken

Recipe Link

I hate to sound like a broken record, but after noticing this recipe and then throwing my Food section of the Dallas Morning News away...Carla mentioned it...so we gave it a try.

And then another asterisk...we are big, big, big time Taco Salad lovers. Lentil Taco Salad is pretty much served every other week at Casa Stout.

Alright...with all that fanfare... THIS RECIPE IS A NEW FAVORITE! We love it. As faithful readers already know, I LOVE the flavor of chicken thighs, and these spices are perfect. And the prep is so easy...it's a winner! In short, it's a copycat recipe of Chipotle's chicken meat - and we ate it as a taco salad topping.

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 11/4 to 11/2 pounds), defrosted if frozen (see notes)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 Knorr chipotle cubes

or 2 teaspoons chile powder (see notes)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon black pepper

Put chicken in a 1-gallon zipper-top plastic bag. Add oil to bag, seal it, and toss and turn chicken pieces inside bag until well coated.

Mix spices in a small bowl, crushing chipotle cubes with the back of a spoon. Add spice mixture to bag, seal it, and toss and rub chicken through bag to coat well with spices. Refrigerate chicken in bag for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

Heat a grill to about 400 F. Grill 5 to 6 minutes per side, until chicken is cooked through but still tender. Remove from grill and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Notes: Chipotle uses thigh meat, which is higher in fat but more flavorful than a chicken breast.

If you can't find skinless thighs without bones, substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins, and test for doneness when cooking.

Knorr's chipotle cubes look like bouillon cubes and are sold in a small box.

PER SERVING: Calories 248 (54% fat) Fat 14.5 g (3.5 g sat) Cholesterol 93 g Sodium 117 mg Fiber 1 g Carbohydrates 2 g Protein 26 g
--------------------------------

Holly's notes...

I couldn't find Knorr Chipotle cubes at Wal Mart, SuperTarget, or Tom Thumb. But...when I got home...I had McCormick Chipotle Chili Powder. Who knew? It was a perfect substitute.


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Mixed up the spices...

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

It was one of those afternoons around here today, so I didn't realize until 5:30 that this was supposed to marinate for at least 4 hours. Oh well. I cleaned the chicken, put some oil in a bag, dropped the spices in, and shook it all around. It did take a bit of shaking to get the spices evenly distributed.


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

I preheated a cast-iron skillet on the stove top and browned the chicken on both sides. Then I popped it in a 375* oven for 20 minutes.


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Then we had all our toppings. We did lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar, Trappey's jalapenos, red onions, avocados, limes, and Baked Scoops. (No, we did not top with the baby ibuprofen in the picture. Someone is teething!) You could really cut some corners on this - preshredded cheese, lettuce, pico-de-gallo, guacamole, onions, etc.


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

I forgot to take a pic of the salad I built - I was ravenous and ate it while reading Good Night Moon to the H. This chicken will be a staple around here!

Vegetarian Chili Mac

Recipe Link

Thanks to Carla, who found this great recipe!


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Chili Mac from FatFree Vegan Kitchen (Mine isn't vegan)
(printer-friendly version)

2 cups elbow macaroni
1 onion, chopped
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
4 teaspoons mild chili powder
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
10 ounces frozen corn kernels
1 16-ounce can pinto or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 to 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
5 cups thinly-sliced kale (thick stems removed before slicing) or other greens*
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling water until tender. Drain. Sauté onion in a large non-stick pot until translucent. Add remaining ingredients, as well as cooked pasta. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot.

*If you use a faster-cooking green such as spinach, add it during the last 3 minutes of cooking.

Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 259 Calories (kcal); 2g Total Fat; (6% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 52g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 854mg Sodium; 9g Fiber. 139mg Calcium; 2mcg B-12. Weight Watchers 5 Flex Points.

This was a comfort meal that preps very easily. I substituted shredded cheese for the nutritional yeast and chopped spinach for the kale b/c I couldn't get those at the grocery this week. I scooped the boys' portions out before adding any chili powder or the spinach, b/c I knew Leo wouldn't eat it with anything green in it. He did try it, but he's still not very big on casseroles.

I thought it was good but a touch bland - I think I would use a can of undrained Ranch Style Beans next time. I didn't put all the chili powder in that it called for b/c I didn't want anyone to catch on fire. Todd added some tobasco.

I served with Spicy Asian Slaw, one of our favorites.

What's on the Menu 8/5-8/9

Special thanks to Carla and her master blog searching skills for making some great finds recently!

Tue - chili mac, spinach salad

Wed - taco salad w/copycat chipotle chicken


Thur - veggie wraps with spicy eggplant/chickpea spread; fruit; whatever leftovers we have

Fri - Greek Pizza with Chicken and Artichokes

Sat - Friends over for dinner.
Appetizers (TBD)

Green Salad
Green Bean and New Potato Salad

Baked Beans
Turkey Burgers and Chicken Sausage

Dessert (TBD)

Pasta Salad with Shrimp, Pepper, and Olives

Recipe Link

This was a great summer meal. I used twisty pasta instead of spaghetti...and they were out of parsley at the store. It came together very quickly, and the flavors were fresh and bright. I rinsed the pasta and served room temp.


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books