I made some pretty amazing chicken last night for dinner and thought I'd share
how it came together. I had planned to make my Southwest-style grilled chicken
salad on this current menu, but it was far too hot outside to stand over a pile
of 600-degree coals and grill anything. So, I defrosted a couple of very large
boneless and skinless chicken breasts, seasoned them rather heavily with
coarse salt and black pepper, then seared them in a hot steel skillet for three
minutes on each side. I then placed the skillet into a 400-degree oven for 20
minutes longer, turning the chicken after 10 minutes. I then set the chicken
on a large cutting board, let it rest for 5 minutes, then sliced the chicken
into thin, wide strips. I then heated the same skillet over high heat, and
when it was hot, tossed the chicken strips back into the hot pan. I then
poured in the juice from three large, juicy limes and a heavy pinch or two of
coarse salt, and turned the chicken to coat with the lime juice. When the
chicken was heated through, I used it to top a salad of romaine, black beans,
corn, cherry tomatoes, fresh cilantro, cucumber, and sliced radishes, then
drizzled it all with a simple chipotle honey dressing and served with toasted
sourdough bread. It was a great, light dinner for a hot summer day, and the
chicken was good enough to eat all on its own. It would be great for roll-ups
or some other dish where cooked chicken might be called for.
With the way things have been going the last few weeks, I haven't been
feeling all that creative or ambitious lately. The last several weekends have
had us very busy, and it seems there is always more than enough things to keep
us busy. Heather now walks as her normal means of getting around, and she is
learning new words every day. We were even left by ourselves for four days
while Emily went on a short trip to visit her family.. Perhaps, if I can catch
up on my sleep after last night, I'll plan a bolder menu for the next two
weeks. A friend of ours recently got a short video of Heather playing, but I
don't think I could send that as an attachment on this list and I'm not sure
how else to share it to any who may be interested except maybe in a message on
list.
Jon
