Yum
California cuisine is all about eating fresh. Since our state is full of agriculture, local ingredients are treasured and are in abundance and often paired with lean meats or seafood. Regional cultures are also a big influence in the dishes.
Today's recipe is influenced by all the Mexican culture around us in Los Angeles. Bold savory spices mixed with bright citrus flavors hit all the right flavor notes when mixed together. Since it's summer and we want to keep the heat out of the kitchen we are going to do some grilling outdoors. Our go to meat is usually chicken, but this recipe would work well with fish or pork too. To impart the most flavor in the chicken it is important to marinate it in a mixture of spice, acid, and oil. Then the chicken is left to soak up all the flavors and produce a succulent and flavorful piece of meat.
Let's talk ingredients. When cooking on a weeknight simple is best. Cumin (a wonderful spice used in many Latin dishes) is used for the spice (salt & pepper to taste) along with lime juice as the acid, and a good olive oil. This makes the BEST Latin flavored marinade. This is all you need! Trust me, this packs such a flavor punch that you won't believe it.
It's all about the marinade! You also want a quick marinade time for weeknight cooking. So take out your chicken and place it along with the marinade in a sealable bag and leave it on the counter to come to room temperature about 30-45 minutes before grilling. This will give it a quick, but powerful marinating time to seal in the flavors in the chicken. A good marinade is the basis for flavoring your meat!
So did I mention that this dish is EASY to make? It practically makes itself! Really, this will become a go to recipe in your house this summer. It's great during the week or on the weekend for entertaining. This dish does it all!
Enjoy!
Latin Grilled Chicken
Serves 4
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 lime juice, fresh squeezed
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
salt & pepper
4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
In a large re-sealable bag add the ingredients for the chicken marinade and the chicken breasts. Close tightly and toss to coat all the pieces. Place the chicken mixture on the counter for 30-45 minutes allowing the chicken to come to room temperature.
Today's recipe is influenced by all the Mexican culture around us in Los Angeles. Bold savory spices mixed with bright citrus flavors hit all the right flavor notes when mixed together. Since it's summer and we want to keep the heat out of the kitchen we are going to do some grilling outdoors. Our go to meat is usually chicken, but this recipe would work well with fish or pork too. To impart the most flavor in the chicken it is important to marinate it in a mixture of spice, acid, and oil. Then the chicken is left to soak up all the flavors and produce a succulent and flavorful piece of meat.
Let's talk ingredients. When cooking on a weeknight simple is best. Cumin (a wonderful spice used in many Latin dishes) is used for the spice (salt & pepper to taste) along with lime juice as the acid, and a good olive oil. This makes the BEST Latin flavored marinade. This is all you need! Trust me, this packs such a flavor punch that you won't believe it.
It's all about the marinade! You also want a quick marinade time for weeknight cooking. So take out your chicken and place it along with the marinade in a sealable bag and leave it on the counter to come to room temperature about 30-45 minutes before grilling. This will give it a quick, but powerful marinating time to seal in the flavors in the chicken. A good marinade is the basis for flavoring your meat!
So did I mention that this dish is EASY to make? It practically makes itself! Really, this will become a go to recipe in your house this summer. It's great during the week or on the weekend for entertaining. This dish does it all!
Enjoy!
Latin Grilled Chicken
Serves 4
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 lime juice, fresh squeezed
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
salt & pepper
4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
In a large re-sealable bag add the ingredients for the chicken marinade and the chicken breasts. Close tightly and toss to coat all the pieces. Place the chicken mixture on the counter for 30-45 minutes allowing the chicken to come to room temperature.
Preheat a gas grill to medium high heat. Remove the chicken from marinade (discard marinade) and grill, turning once, until the center is no longer pink and reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. About 8- 10 minutes depending upon the thickness and size of the chicken breasts. Transfer chicken to a platter and allow to rest 10 minutes. Serve.
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