Saturday, June 28, 2014

Freezer to grill: easy summer marinated chicken




Victoria Abbott here. Don’t you love having an emergency recipe that’s ready to go for unexpected guests, busy schedules, small celebrations? Or maybe you suddenly feel festive and want something delish.




Here's our solution. We love this recipe. It’s our new go-to.  Boneless skinless chicken thighs are juicy and easy and a good price.  Plus they have lots of taste and someone else has done the work.  We are often working on marinades that make easy even easier.  This one uses stuff you have in your fridge and cupboard.  Mix it up.  Marinate the chicken for four hours. Or  freeze chicken in the marinade in a freezer bag and PRESTO! You have a super dish for a busy night. Just remove from freezer and allow enough time to thaw.  

All you need is:


2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tsp paprika (sweet)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup canola oil
8 – 10 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

We use charcoal, but if you are using a gas grill, you might want to add 1 tsp  hickory smoke flavoring




All you need to do is:


Mix all the ingredients  except chicken in a bowl. 














Place the thighs in a re-sealable freezer bag,  Add the marinade and make sure thighs are well-covered.  Marinate in fridge for 4 – to- 12 hours or freeze.  If frozen, thaw before cooking. That gives the marinade another kick at that chicken. 










Cook on pre-heated grill (medium heat).  Cook about 10-12 minutes per side.  Internal temperature should be 165 degrees.  


It’s a snap and it’s a hit too.  Everyone seems to love this recipe. 




 


 It even  passed the son-in-law test.  We plan to add it to the list of family favorites. Here we just served it with a crisp salad and chopped pears. Yum.





Have fun, friends! And you know with marinades, you can always give it your own twist. Is there anything missing you’d love to see in this recipe? Let’s hear it! 




Victoria Abbott is a collaboration between the mother and daughter team of Mary Jane and Victoria Maffini.    The Wolfe Widow, the third book in their popular book collector mystery series will be out in September. 



 You can pre-order The Wolfe Widow here HERE.




For Victoria's website click HERE 
For Mary Jane's click HERE 

22 comments:

  1. Did I mention we are coming to dinner tonight? LOL, looks and sounds wonderful! xo

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    Replies
    1. You'll be welcome, Lucy! In fact, wouldn't it be wonderful if we lived close enough to share dinner from time to time? XO

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  2. I bet it smells wonderful cooking on the grill. Darn, now I'm hungry!

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    Replies
    1. It does, Sheila! Since joining MLK I am hungry all the time. But who to blame?

      XO

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  3. Wouldn't it be fun if all of us MLKers could get together for a weekend and cook? Yum! This looks delicious and is right up my alley for those busy week nights. I'm putting chicken thighs on my grocery list right now! I love the idea of freezing them in the marinade.

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  4. Thanks, Peg. We have to make sure we all have a meal together! At Malice perhaps?

    XO

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  5. You two are adorable! Love that picture. My problem with chicken thighs is all the annoying fat that has to be cut off. But I'm thinking that the extra fat probably doesn't matter on the grill because it will just crisp up. And I have never even thought about freezing chicken in the marinade. BRILLIANT!!!!

    ~Krista

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    1. Krista, the thighs we buy have the skin and bone removed and the fat too! We are not into cutting off annoying fat. But if there was a bit, it would just fall onto the hot coals.

      XO

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  6. Man, I wish Canada was closer. Phoebe does too!

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    1. Kendra, we are a very Corgi-friendly county. You should both stroll on up. How far could it be!

      XO

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  7. I'm with Kendra (on the comment above). I would be over in a flash for your deliciously easy grilled chicken dinner!

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    1. You'd be very welcome, Cleo! It would be wonderful if you could visit.

      XO

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  8. Try marinating it with just Suracha sauce. Very easy and quit yummy!! Yours sounds good too. Will try it soon.

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    1. The Suracha variation sounds excellent. I will try that. Thanks, Ronna!

      XO

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  9. Utter brilliance! A yummy marinade and you can buy and prepare the chicken when it's on sale and then freeze it.

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    1. Exactly, Libby! Not only easy-peasy but also cheap and cheerful.

      Of course, you can switch up the marinades every time.

      XO

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    2. My sister is concerned that your dog doesn't look like it's enjoying the outfit!

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    3. Please assure her that Peachtree loves clothing and like all our dogs is very vain. She doesn't like cameras and the 'cameraman' was wearing a hat (two strikes against him!)

      Hugs.

      MJ,

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    4. I passed your message on to her.

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  10. Yum, yum!!! The picture of your pup is precious! Sharing on FB today.

    Daryl / Avery

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