Key West Grilled Chicken

What's your favorite flavor?

Is that a weird question to ask?

I don't mean flavor of ice cream or anything quite that specific.  I mean, what is your favorite flavor in general.  What flavor do you think magically enhances almost every type of dish?

Do you even have one?

I do, it's lime.  I love limes so much that I once dressed up for Halloween as a superhero whose weapons was the incredible lime.

Think about it, lime makes everything taste better.  Lime sherbet, limeade, guacamole, lime salt.  Seriously, I don't think there can be more than a dozen things that wouldn't taste better with a bit of lime juice spritzed on.  In fact, at the moment I'm having a hard time thinking of one.

Take this chicken for instance.  It would be quite unremarkable without the citrusy marinade.  The mango salsa adds an additional splash of lime and the bed of cilantro-lime cauliflower "rice" lays the groundwork for a fantastic and flavorful meal.

Limes...yum. 

 

*for those of you without a grill, this chicken can be made under your ovens broiler 5-6 inches from broiler coils.  Just turn over when halfway through (as stated in recipe) and watch carefully so it doesn't overcook.*

Key West Grilled Chicken 

 serves 4

recipe from: Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

1/4 soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

3 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 jalapeno, seeded (just cut in half if you don't like it too spicy)

4 chicken breasts

For the salsa:

1 mango, chopped

1/2 jalapeno, seeded & minced

2 green onions, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2 tbs. lime juice

salt & pepper, to taste

For the "rice":

6 cups shredded cauliflower

4 tsp vegetable oil

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions: 

Make the chicken:

1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a large resealable bag.  Add the chicken and massage chicken around bag until well mixed and coated. 

2. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours. 

3. Grill over medium heat (for help gauging a charcoal grill temperature click here) for 4-5 minutes per side.

Make the salsa:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Refrigerate until serving

For the "rice":

1. Shred cauliflower on a box grater or pulse in a food processor until in very small rice-like pieces.

2.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high.  Add cauliflower and salt and pepper to taste.  Saute until just starting to brown, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat an add the lime juice and cilantro.

What the husband thinks: He really likes it.  I mentioned making it again to get better pictures (these ones were some of the first I've taken and are not very good) and he was very excited about that.  I decided against it though, because I'm really excited about this recipe and wanted to share it right away.

What the kid ate: A pretty decent amount of the chicken.  He normally shies away from meat, so I was happy about that.  He also ate grilled sweet potatoes for his vegetable.