After the holidays we decided to go for something light. We choose Bobby's Butterflied Chicken with Lemon, Garlic, and Basil. You will find the complete recipe on page 41 of Boy Meets Grill. I had to make some changes however. Bobby's portion is for eight using an entire chicken. I am only cooking for two so I cut down the measurements and used only chicken breasts. I also could not find fresh basil. The supermarket where I do most of the shopping was out - a frequent problem in the winter. In the summer we grow our own basil and other herbs, but we really only have fresh Rosemary this time of year so you can see from the photo I cut some of that and used it here.
I first marinated the chicken during the Cotton Bowl - about three hours in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and some dried basil. Then on to the grill by the second half kickoff of the Liberty Bowl. The chicken turned out great. The key is to follow Bobby's simple instruction, "Don't overcook it" (Grill it! p. 65). But you can't under cook chicken either or you'll get sick, so close attention must be paid with the fork thermometer. Shoot for 160 degrees. I added seasoning - dry basil, salt, ground black pepper - along the way, because lets face it, chicken alone does not have much flavor.
Weather Report. It was cold. The temperature at grill lighting time was 19 F with gusty winds. But the sky was clear, the stars were out.
What was on? My wife earned two of her four college degrees at East Carolina University. We lived in Greenville, North Carolina in the 1980s and early 90s and became big Pirate fans, so we were excited about the Liberty Bowl. The Pirates were clearly the better team, but their kicker, Ben Hartman, missed four times including two that would have won the game. Everyone has a bad day - most are not on national TV however. Someday that kicker could be a motivational speaker on how adversity and disappointment can make you stronger. I am betting on you in the long run Ben!
What to drink? Dorothy analyzed the spices in the chicken marinade and selected the Red Truck California Red Wine. Its a blend of Syrah, Cabernet, and Zinfandel - perfect for a cold night. It doesn't say it on the bottle but Red Truck is from the Cline Cellars winery in Sonoma, and yes we have toured there. There is an actual red truck parked out front. I guess it is worth it to these wineries to give away their wine in the tasting rooms, because we always build a loyalty after our visit. We visited the Sterling winery in 1986, and we still buy it whenever we see it on a shelf or menu. This was red wine with chicken, which goes against convention - but we don't care much for convention. The spice on the chicken and the smoothness of the Red Truck were a great match. We did decide to prepare this menu again when it is warmer. When we do it again, we will increase the lemon juice in the marinade and select a white wine with citrus flavor - maybe the White Truck.
I think Bobby would have been happy with my chicken using his recipe. I would have wanted it to be just a bit more juicy - but that's why we keep trying! Until next time - Go CJ!
No comments:
Post a Comment