Huli Huli BBQ Chicken

Now that it isn't really BBQ season anymore, I'm posting one of my favorites from the summer. I was originally drawn to this recipe because of it's name: Huli Huli is Hawaiian for something. Possibly Tasty Tasty. Really...it's that good.

I made a coconut-lime rice to go with this chicken dish, but I didn't find it fabulous enough to pass on. This recipe comes from Cuisine at Home, which happens to be my favorite recipe magazine that I subscribe to.

The original recipe calls for drumsticks, but I don't really like drumsticks, so I used boneless skinless chicken breasts instead. The recipe I'm posting is actually double the original.

Whisk together:
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
4 TBS ketchup
4 TBS dark soy sauce
2 TBS garlic, minced
2 TBS fresh ginger, minced
2 TBS vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Marinate; Grill:
6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Whisk all ingredients (except chicken) together in a bowl.

Marinate chicken in half the pineapple juice mixture in a large resealable baggie for at least 1 hour, refrigerated. Reduce remaining mixture in a saucepan over medium-high heat until thickened, 5 minutes; set aside for basting.

BBQ chicken on medium-high grill. Baste with reserve glaze while cooking, or save glaze and pour it over your chicken when it's served.

Tortilla Soup in the Crock Pot

Angie's comment about everything she makes in the crock pot all tasting the same made me want to share with you my tortilla soup recipe. It is definitely one of our favorite meals. I got this originally from Shauna about two years ago and since then, I probably make it every other week in the colder months, and not quite as often in the warmer times. It is SOOO easy, and SOOO tasty, that I always have the fixins for it in my pantry.

The basic recipe...
1 28oz can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 cups chicken broth
1 can black beans, drained (or any beans you like)
1 can corn, drained (or frozen corn)
1-3 small cans of diced green chiles, depending on your taste (I usually use 2 is I have them)
2 or 3 chicken breasts (you can put them right in there FROZEN!)
1 small onion, diced and sauteed
salt, pepper and cumin (add as much as pleases you)

Other items you can add during cooking...
sliced carrots
sliced celery

Optional Toppings
chips
cheese
avocado
cilantro
sour cream
olives

Instructions...throw everything in the pot and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours!
Put chicken breasts WHOLE in crock pot, thawed or frozen, and cover with diced tomatoes (with their juices), chicken broth, chiles, and drained corn and beans. Season with salt, pepper and cumin.

If you've already sauteed the onions, you can add them now, but I usually forget and add them closer to the end. You would also add any other veggies you are putting in now.

Seriously, that's it. When you can easily shred the chicken with a fork, it's done. Top with all your favorite things.

I find a add a bunch of salt to this at the end, so don't be shy with that seasoning.

I've tried cooking it on high when I'm short on time. That works, too, but occassionally the chicken is not quite as moist. Same thing...it's done when the chicken is easily shreddable.

Best part...one of my children actually eats it!

Chicken with Lemon and Mustard Sauce

I'll try almost anything that has mustard in it. I adore mustard. We have at least five different kinds on the door of our fridge...

This dish comes from the Everyday Food magazine (sorry, I don't know the publication month). It's one of the ones I tore out and stuck to my bulletin board. It is supposed to be served with seared radicchio, but I didn't have radicchio, and that didn't sound so fabulous to me anyway. Later I realized I could have served it over seared romaine, which I did have. Too late. I'll record what I did, then add what I think could have happened with the romaine for future reference.

2 TBS all purpose flour
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets (I used 1 lb of breasts and cut them into strips)
1 TBS olive oil
2 TBS dijon mustard (I used Grey Poupon)
2 TBS capers, drained and rinsed
2 TBS fresh lemon juice (I used 1 TBS fresh and 1 TBS bottled)
2 TBS butter, cold, cubed

1. Season flour with salt and pepper (either in shallow bowl or plastic bag. I use left over produce bags). Dredge chicken in flour mixture, shaking off excess flour.

2. In large skillet (I used my cast iron pan), heat oil over medium-high heat. Add half the cutlets; cook until lightly browned and cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Cook remaining cutlets and add to plate. Set aside.

3. Add 3/4 cup water to skillet; boil over medium-high until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and whisk in mustard, capers, lemon juice, and any accumulated juices on the plate from the chicken. Add butter and whisk until creamy, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Serve chicken drizzled with sauce.

The sauce was a nicely tangy. It was plenty for one pound of chicken, but I would have wanted more if I served it with rice or over the seared lettuce.

The girls didn't like the sauce, but because you drizzled it on, I had some plain chicken left for them. They gladly ate that.

I learned that you should keep the sauce warm if you are not serving it right away. It was still tasty, but not as wonderful as if it had still been warm.

So, my thought with the lettuce-I think you could sear romaine heads that have been cut in half lengthwise. You'd want one half per serving, so 2 heads of romaine should be good for this amount of food.

This dish would serve 4 with no leftovers.

I would make this again, possibly trying to serve it over the romaine.