Saturday, July 2, 2011

Skinny Chicken

Years ago, my husband would order Skinny Chicken at Macaroni Grill every time we ate there.  I don't know if it's still on the menu.  I tasted it once and recorded in my kitchen cook book (the book where I write all kinds of stuff down) what I think was in the glaze/dressing.  The other day he mentioned feeling fat so I decided to review my notes and make this for dinner.  He was so appreciative that I listened and delivered on something low fat.  Last night as I was prepping the plates with the greens for my photographs and my mother-in-law walked over (we live next door) with a huge bag of garden Roma tomatoes, the perfect compliment.

First, rinse and pound, 1 Chicken Breast per Person in order to tenderize.  Whip up the glaze/dressing.  This is enough for 3 chicken breasts so double or triple as needed.   To a  bowl, add 2 Tbl Honey, 1 Tbl Rice Vinegar, 1 1/2 tsp Stone Ground Mustard (such as Zatarains), 1 tsp Red Wine Vinegar, 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes, freshly Ground Pepper, and a Pinch of Kosher Salt.  While stirring with a wire whip, blend in 3 Tbl Olive Oil.  Divide the glaze in half, reserving enough to drizzle on the finished salad since there is no dressing otherwise.  I reserved 1/2 in a neat ceramic pitcher that I have so it can be poured easily.

Preheat grill and while it is preheating, wash and spin enough greens for the number of people you are serving.  I found a nice Arugula/Spinach Mix that was perfect.  Arrange greens on the plate and add any vegetables you want, for example, my father-in-laws Roma Tomatoes.

Cook the chicken.  Baste 1 side of the chicken with the glaze and place on grill, glaze side down.  Glaze the upward facing side.  After a few minutes, flip the chicken breast.  Glaze the upward facing side.  After a few minutes, you are going to flip again but you want the grill marks to create a cross pattern, so the chicken needs to be rotated by 90 degrees to the first set up marks.  Glaze upward facing side.  In a few minutes you will flip for the final time, again, 90 degrees to the set of marks you have already.  Let rest for 5 minutes and slice on an angle.  Place hot chicken on the fresh greens and drizzle with reserved glaze.  Depending on how thinly you pounded the chicken breast and how hot your grill is, this should take about 2 minutes on all sides.  If the chicken is not releasing from the grill, it is not ready to flip but note the honey can be sticky so don't get fooled.

Also, consider adding any of these: shredded Carrots, thinly sliced Red Onion, thinly sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms or colorful Sweet Bell Peppers cut into strips.  I also think it would be nice topped with a crumbled Fete Cheese.  As I am listing all these accoutrement's, you may be thinking what I am thinking, which is this entire meal can be served at a buffet.  In the event of a buffet, make certain you have lots of salad dressing because people tend to take more than might be needed.  Again, the point is keep it fresh, keep it light and keep it skinny!

1 comment:

Robert said...

This looks fantastic. I love the food at the Macaroni Grill. Thanks for posting!