My meat of choice is usually chicken. (Unless salmon is an option!) As a kid, my family always said I preferred chicken because I was too lazy to chew beef. Granted, steak does require more chewing, but I don’t think laziness was why I preferred chicken back then. I think it had more to do with the fact that there were so many more great tasting chicken dishes that my mom made and about 3 beef dishes: steak, meatloaf & meatballs. Nothing to really excite the palette in the beef category! I will admit that I have always preferred boneless chicken. I don’t like to get my fingers dirty when I’m eating & I hate messing with bones in my food. My family called that compulsion correctly and everyone hassled me about it! I wasn’t persuaded to change my ways.
” Boneless Chicken Ranch”, The Far Side Collection by Gary Larson.
But cooking flavorful boneless chicken isn’t always easy. It dries out & gets rubbery, which is not at all appetizing. Knowing that doesn’t stop me from gravitating to boneless chicken recipes, though. If a recipe intrigues me, I’ll try it with boneless chicken even if it calls for bone-in chicken. And often, I’m disappointed with the results. So when I come across a recipe that actually calls for boneless chicken, I can’t pass it up, I have to give it a try. And sometimes my persistence pays off in spades!
Lime & Basil Chicken (adapted from goodenessgracious.com) Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
4 limes
3 tablespoons + 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
6 green onions, chopped, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
1/4 cup basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
3 pounds boneless chicken breasts
1 jalapeno, minced
Instructions:
Combine the zest and juice of 2 of the limes, the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, Dijon, Worcestershire, soy, 3 of the minced green onions, 2 garlic cloves and the salt & pepper. Mix well.
The chicken can sit in the marinade for anywhere from 2 hours to overnight.
Pound the chicken to 3/8th inch thickness place it in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken and marinate it for at least 2 hours.
We put the marinade on the chicken after lunch to have it ready for dinnertime.
Preheat the grill or grill pan. Grill the chicken for about 4 minutes a side. Remove the chicken from the grill and allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes.
When the chicken is pounded to the same thickness, it grills quickly & evenly.
Meanwhile, combine the juice and zest of the remaining 2 limes with the 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 chopped onions, 2 minced garlic cloves, the jalapeno and basil.
The sauce for the chicken gets a zing from the jalapeno.
Slice chicken into bite-sized pieces if desired and pour the sauce over the top to serve.
Flavorful & moist!
Grilled chicken the way it should be! ~Linda
Lime & Basil Chicken (adapted from goodenessgracious.com) Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
4 limes
3 tablespoons + 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
6 green onions, chopped, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
1/4 cup basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
3 pounds boneless chicken breasts
1 jalapeno, minced
Instructions:
Combine the zest and juice of 2 of the limes, the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, Dijon, Worcestershire, soy, 3 of the minced green onions, 2 garlic cloves and the salt & pepper. Mix well.
Pound the chicken to 3/8th inch thickness place it in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken and marinate it for at least 2 hours. Preheat the grill or grill pan. Grill the chicken for about 4 minutes a side. Remove the chicken from the grill and allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the juice and zest of the remaining 2 limes with the 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 chopped onions, 2 minced garlic cloves, the jalapeno and basil. Slice chicken into bite-sized pieces if desired and pour the sauce over the top to serve.