Chicken Again!

To keep my family from saying, “Oh, no, not chicken again!” I have to stay creative. This was a hit at dinner the other night.

I grilled a few vegetables along with the dreaded chicken. But instead of serving them as a side dish, once the vegetables were nicely charred, I chopped them up and spooned them over the chicken. A touch of garlic and cayenne gave the chicken some zip and turned this into a dish they would be happy to eat the next time.

Lemon sorbet and cookies make the perfect dessert.

Spicy Chicken Breasts With Grilled Salsa

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 25 minutes

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1/2 pounds

Salt, pepper

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large tomato

1/2 red onion, sliced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and quartered

1 bunch green onions, dark green tops removed

Heat the grill or broiler to high.

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Place the chicken on a plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Spread the garlic over the chicken, sprinkle with the cayenne and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Turn the chicken breasts over a few times to evenly coat with the seasonings.

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Cut the tomato in half and squeeze out the seeds. Season the tomato, red onion, bell pepper and green onions with salt and pepper and brush with the remaining olive oil.

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Place the vegetables cut side down on the grill. Turn them occasionally. The green onions will be done in about 5 minutes, the rest will take about 10 minutes. When the vegetables are charred, remove from the grill and set aside. Remove the skin from the tomato and pepper.

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Meanwhile, grill the chicken breasts. Turn them over after 5 minutes, and cook until they are no longer pink inside, another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove to a serving plate.

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Roughly chop the red onion, pepper, green onions and tomato. Mix together and spoon over the chicken breasts.

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4 servings. Each serving: 318 calories; 183 mg sodium; 116 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 44 grams protein; 2.09 grams fiber.

MENU

Spicy Chicken Breasts With Grilled Salsa

Herbed Rice

Lemon Sorbet

Cookies

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GAME PLAN

25 minutes before: Start rice.

20 minutes before: Season chicken.

15 minutes before: Grill chicken and vegetables.

5 minutes before: Chop vegetables.

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STAPLES

Bay leaf

Cayenne pepper

Chicken stock

Garlic

Onion

Red onion

Rice

Olive oil

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SHOPPING LIST

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Cookies

Lemon sorbet

1 bunch green onions

1 red bell pepper

1 large tomato

Herbed Rice

Active Work Time: 10 minutes

Total Preparation Time: 25 minutes

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons diced onion

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cups rice

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

Pepper

Heat the oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the rice, bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 18 minutes.

4 servings. Each serving: 206 calories; 1,071 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.68 gram fiber.