Grilled Butterflied Whole Chicken

Ingredients:
One Whole Chicken
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
BBQ Sauce (optional)

Directions:
Heat grill to medium.

Remove and discard the liver, gizzard, neck, etc from the inside cavity of the chicken. Rinse inside and outside of chicken with cold water.

If you did not have your butcher butterfly the whole chicken, following is how you do it yourself – very easy.
Place chicken on a cutting board, breast side down. Using kitchen shears, cut along each side of the backbone of the chicken. Discard backbone. Open and press chicken flat. If necessary, cut with a sharp knife a bit at the very top of the middle of the breastbone to help the chicken lay more flat.

Rinse chicken again. Rub inside with some olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Turn the chicken over, and also rub the top of the skin with some olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Place chicken, skin side down, on the grill. Grill until the skin has grill marks, is a golden brown and nicely charred. When it’s reached this, turn the chicken over carefully (I use a large BBQ spatula with the help of BBQ tongs). Continue to cook until internal temperature is 155 degrees F.

Brush with barbecue sauce. If you wish, you can also flip the chicken again and apply the barbecue sauce to the underside, and flip back again. Remove from grill to a plate. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and then cut into serving pieces.

   

Crispy Baked Bone-In Chicken Thighs

3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Paprika
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup.
Remove the chicken thighs from their packaging and pat them dry with paper towels. Arrange the chicken thighs on prepared baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil rubbing the oil into the chicken to coat.
In a small bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients and sprinkle over the chicken evenly. Bake chicken for 35-45 minutes – chicken should reach an internal temp of 165 degrees before consuming.
Serves 8
From Prep to Table 40 minutes

Cheesy Monterey Chicken Breast

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup shredded Colby jack cheese
4 slices cooked & crumbled bacon
½ cup diced tomatoes
¼ cup green onions

Directions:
Heat olive oil in oven-safe pan. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Salt & pepper chicken on both sides. Cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear. Cook time may vary depending on the thickness of your chicken – if desired, fillet the chicken breasts into two thinner pieces before seasoning.
Pour the BBQ sauce over the chicken, sprinkle cheese over each piece. Place the pan in the oven for 3-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle bacon, tomatoes & green onions over chicken and serve warm.
Serves 4
From prep to table 30 minutes

Lemon Butter chicken

Ingredients:
Two large boneless skinless chicken breast halves filleted and pounded down to 1/3” thickness
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, sliced into 1 tablespoon pieces, divided
1 ½ teaspoon minced garlic
½ cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 ½ tablespoon minced parsley (optional)
Cooked noodles or rice for serving

Directions:
Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.

Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge both sides of chicken breasts in flour, one at a time.

Heat 12” skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter, let the butter melt, then add in chicken breasts in a single layer. Sear until golden brown on the bottom, about 4-5 minutes then flip and continue to cook until chicken registers 165 degrees in center, about 4-5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to a plate while leaving any little bit of excess oil in the pan.

Reduce to medium heat, add garlic & sauté 20 seconds, or until just lightly golden brown, then pour in chicken broth while scraping browned bits up. Pour in lemon juice, then bring mixture to a simmer, reduce heat slightly and let simmer until liquid has reduced by about half, about 2 minutes. Add in remaining 3 tablespoons butter and lemon zest, stir to melt butter.

Return chicken to skillet, spoon sauce over chicken, garnish with parsley (optional). Serve warm over cooked noodles or rice.

Serves 4
From prep to table 30 minutes

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 lemon juiced
1/2 cup white wine or chicken stock
3 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons fresh parsley

Directions:
1. Trim chicken breast, removing excess fat, tendons and silver skin
2. Combine the flour, lemon zest (1/2 a lemon zested), salt & pepper.  Dredge the chicken in flour mixture.
3. Heat olive oil over medium high heat & cook chicken about 4-5 minutes per side or until just until cooked through.  Cook in batches if you cannot fit into pan.  Remove from pan & place in a dish to keep warm.
4. In the same pan, melt 1/4 cup butter & add flour to create a roux.  Whisk until smooth.  Cook 1-2 minutes.
5. Gradually stir in chicken broth whisking after each addition until smooth.
6. Add lemon juice, white wine & capers.  Simmer 3 minutes, whisking occasionally.
7. Add chicken back to pan & simmer 2-3 minutes. Stir in parsley & serve over cooked pasta.