Hi guys! By the time you read this, I may be sitting atop Half Dome in complete awe at the grandeur of Yosemite National Park. I might also have wimped out pre-cables and am now fueling up for the return trip back to Yosemite Village. Whatever it may be, all I know is that when I return, I will be spending a few nights in, relaxing and recuperating. I might even be enjoying this grilled chicken recipe from Doniree.
Today’s guest post has my mouth watering. I love spending quality time with loved ones without spending way too much money, and eating in is the answer. I’ll even admit to being a huge dork who sits there after a fantastic meal at home and calculates how much the meal cost per person, knowing full well that I saved quite a bit by preparing it at home.
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I recently posted a quick and simple date night dinner on my food and travel blog for a really tasty (and simple) meat and potatoes. We (my boyfriend and I) figured that this kind of meal (filet mignon, the sides, plus the wine) would’ve cost us upwards of $60 (or more) if we’d gone out to a restaurant to eat. The total spent? $20, plus the wine. And it was SO good.
Cooking from scratch is one of my favorite hobbies, especially this year. Joe Youngblood is a friend of mine and is a marketing coordinator for UMoveFree (a service that connects North Richland Hills apartments to renters in Texas). He’s also an avid runner and triathlete). Joe says,
I like to cook and eat my own meals at home. Not only do you save money but you can also track the exact ingredients of your meal and control portions better.”
I totally agree. At the local farmers’ market last week, I grabbed a half-chicken from Kookoolan Farms, and we decided to grill it once I had it divided into its respective pieces (breast, thigh, wing, etc.).
We skewered the breast meat and straight up grilled the other pieces. Prior to grilling, I had the chicken in a brine for 2ish hours. (Brine : water nearly saturated with salt*) Why brine? It helps lock the juices in, so your chicken is tender and juicy… not dry and sad.
Also, I think skewers are a great date night fix as well as perfect for parties. You can make some really colorful and flavorful skewers using fruits and veggies like pineapple, peppers, and red onions. We went with what we had on hand: shiitake mushrooms and little white onions.
Honey Herb Brine for Chicken
- Water and Salt (This website gives a great breakdown of how much salt to use per how much water, for whatever kind of meat you’re brining)
- Vegetable Broth (sub in some for the water)
- Honey Syrup (I used 2 cups)
- Fresh herbs (sage, rosemary, fennel, in my case)
Place chicken in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 2-4 hours, depending on size of the chicken (again, see this website for more information about timing).
Instructions: Grill the chicken. Keep the heat around medium so that the outside doesn’t burn while the inside is still cooking. Turn occasionally, and remove when the juices run clear (or, in our case, when you slice into a piece to just double-check that it’s cooked through).
While that’s grilling, prep the bok choy. You’ll also want to grab a grill pan or some aluminum foil for this side dish. I prefer this to placing this directly on the grill, because you don’t end up with charred pieces. If that’s your thing, go for it.
Grilled Bok Choy
- Fresh bok choy (for the two of us, I used 4-5 stalks)
- Olive oil – 2 tbsp
- Salt – to taste
- Pepper – to taste
- Sesame Oil – 2 tbsp
- Rice Vinegar – 2 tbsp
- Honey – 1-2 tsp
Note: next time I’m totally going to zest some fresh ginger in here.
Whisk together olive oil, salt, pepper, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and honey in bowl. This is a really basic recipe that can be tweaked however you like. Don’t have sesame oil? Use more olive oil. No rice wine vinegar? Use your favorite balsamic instead.
Also optional: squeeze of lemon, splash of white wine, fresh herbs.
Chop the bok choy into 2″ pieces, toss lightly with a little bit of olive oil, then set in the grill pan (or wrap in aluminum foil) and place on the grill. These only take about 5-10 minutes (depending on your grill heat). When they’re done (hot), toss the bok choy with the Sesame Honey dressing.
Done and done!
This makes a great summer date night IN (and/or date night out alternative). The bok choy is also really easy to scale for larger groups. Just grab more stalks and whisk up more of the dressing and you have a really simple side that’s fresh and flavorful.
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More about Doniree: She is a freelance writer and blogger based (for now) in Portland, Oregon. She blogs at doniree.com and Nomadic Foodie. You can follow her on Twitter @doniree, and she responds almost immediately to invitations involving champagne with breakfast, wine on patios, and unexpected adventures.
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