Happy (late) New Year everybody! As you might have guessed by my month-long hiatus from the blog, this year’s holiday season has even more hectic than usual. There are always last-minute gifts to buy, relatives to visit, trees to decorate, and work projects to finish before vacation. And to top it off, this year we were also busy welcoming a new little roommate into our lives. Our daughter, Juanita Scoti, was born on December 13th, and is currently filling up our hearts, our house, and every moment of free time we never knew we had. We’re also getting ready to pack her up for her first visit to the USA, so look forward for some recipes and photos from Texas in the following weeks. In preparation for our trip we have spent the last couple weeks visiting countless offices and procuring more official documents for this baby than I imagined possible. She is now armed with: an Italian birth certificate, an American Consular Report of a Birth Abroad, an Italian social security number and healthcare card, an Italian ID card, an American passport and an Italian passport. She’s not even a month old and has a paper trail longer than she is!
So, as you can imagine, I’m in the market for quick and easy meal solutions: dishes that are versatile, healthy and delicious, and can be prepared in the blink of an eye. For all these reasons, I have been repeatedly relying on this grilled chicken recipe lately. It’s delicious on it’s own with a side of rice and spinach, or you can serve it on lettuce and call it a Caesar salad, roll it up in a tortilla and enjoy a taco, or transform it into a sandwich with mayonnaise and crisp lettuce. All you need is a grill pan (or a bbq pit) and you’re ready to go. Enjoy!
Favorite Grilled Chicken:
- 1 chicken breast (2 halves)
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp chili powder (optional)
- juice from 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
De-bone the chicken breast, cut in half and pound out to an even 1/2-inch thickness. Season evenly with the spices then drizzle with lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce and worcestershire sauce. If you have the time, cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in refrigerator for 1-3 hours. Let come to room temperature before proceeding.
Heat the grill pan over a high flame until extremely hot. Drain any excess liquid from the chicken pieces then arrange on the grill pan so that they’re not touching each other. Cook, without moving, for 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side until the chicken is done, about another 2-5 minutes (depending on the heat of your grill). The meat should be an opaque white in the center, not pink. Remove from the grill and enjoy!
