Grilled Chicken Satay

Photo of Grilled Chicken Satay Skewers with peanut sauceWord on The Street
I love to travel. With my kids getting older and moving out, I am looking forward to having more opportunities to explore what lies beyond our windows. Of course, for me, that means trying new foods as well as new cultures. The world is full of really great places to eat but not all of them include white tablecloths. To really get to experience a different culture you need to try the street food.

I am sure that there are people who will disagree with me when I say that the U.S. does not really have street food. We tend to bring other cultures’ street food to us. (Boba tea, anyone?) I mean, I guess we do have street food to a degree. The hot dog carts in New York for example. And sure, the folks selling cut fruit at the corner sprinkled with Tajin (so good!) count also. We have plenty of regional specialties but, in my opinion, and I would be pleased to be proven wrong, the closest we come to true street food culture here in the U.S. would be the rise of the food trucks.

Some of the best things I have tasted came from a vendor selling their fare on the side of the road. From Kabobs to Al Pastor Tacos to Churros to Yada Pav there is a world of flavor waiting to tempt your taste buds.

Not all street food is on the street though. The hawker centers of Singapore are world-renowned and have been on my travel bucket list for some time. Remember that food scene in the movie Crazy Rich Asians? That’s my idea of heaven. And, since my calendar seems to be opening up, hopefully, we’ll get there soon. I’ve heard you can find almost anything you could desire in Singapore, though my first stop would be the grilled chicken satay as a warmup for later rounds. You can never go wrong with grilled meat on a stick.

Grilled Chicken Satay Recipe
Adapted from recipetineats
Yields 13 to 16 skewers Read more…

Brazillian Garlic Marinade

Chicken legs on a hot grill with Brazillian Garlic Marinade

Just Grillin’
I grill a lot of chicken. Rain or shine—but mostly shine. Though this past week I’ve been dodging raindrops. It would be easy to say that I grill chicken at least once a week. Sometimes more. Of course, that could mean many things.

Chances are I’m grilling chicken breasts for tacos https://piedmontgrocery.com/citrus-marinated-chicken-tacos/. It would be an even better bet that I am grilling Teriyaki Chicken Thighs for a rice bowl. Or, I’ve been craving these lately, a Bahn Mi. That type of grilling is for use as an ingredient.

If I am grilling chicken to eat on its own, I always go with chicken legs. And, I’ve got a wide range of marinades to match my moods.

It would be hard to pick my favorite grilled chicken recipe. But, I can tell you this, if I am straight-up grilling chicken for dinner, you better believe that the marinade is going to have a lot of garlic, lemon, and white wine. I don’t know why I gravitate towards this particular combination. But, I do. And, I know that it is cuisine-adaptable in that when you add more to it, you get a wide variety of global flavors. For example, if you add fresh oregano, thyme, and rosemary to it, the result is a very Greek or Mediterranean flavor profile. Add Dijon mustard and thyme and you are speaking French. Go with some hot smoked pimenton, and you find yourself in Spain…

My most recent favorite is this one which has Brazilian roots. There’s something about this Brazillian Garlic Marinade that just screams warm weather grilling. (Assuming we ever get warm weather.) This recipe swaps the lemon for lime, adds some vinegar for zing, and brings the heat with some Malagueta pepper hot sauce. The hot sauce can be a challenge to find so feel free to swap it out for Piri-Piri, Tobasco, or whatever your favorite hot sauce might be. Read more…

Amy’s Teriyaki Chicken Thighs

Photo of Amy’s Teriyaki Chicken Thighs over rice with broccoliHot Competition
For a lot of people, the start of College Football is a non-event. For others, like the majority of my family, it’s kind of a big deal. This year is especially wacky because, with my kids and my nephew off to college, we now have three more teams to cheer for.

If there was one silver lining for the heat we’ve had over the pasts few days it is this, there was a perfectly reasonable justification for camping out on the couch all Saturday to watch the full lineup of games. True, it wasn’t 155 degrees on Saturday but it was still hot. Hot enough that the chicken wings I had planned to make (because what else do you eat while watching football?) didn’t happen. I couldn’t bring myself to turn on the oven. I did, however, fire up the grill.

In lieu of wings, I made my recipe for Amy’s Teriyaki Chicken Thighs using boneless skinless thighs—which are the workhorse of my food repertoire. I always have chicken thighs in the fridge or freezer. I also always have teriyaki on hand because no matter what’s going on during the day you can get dinner on the table quick with a 30-minute dunk in teriyaki before throwing it on the grill.

Add some steamed rice and some broccoli and BOOM. Dinner is served. I also always make more than I need—so I can throw some on a salad for lunch or even make a sandwich.

There are plenty of good teriyaki marinades out there. But, lately, I have turned away from the super sweet ones for two reasons. First, the older I get the less sweet I want my food to be. Second, sugar in the marinade will burn on the grill if you’re not careful. That caramelized flavor has its time and place but I would rather taste the other flavors.

This is the teriyaki I have been using lately—though it does take a little bit more time to marinade than the open-and-pour options. To me, it tastes more like the grilled chicken you get in Hawaii. It’s sweet but not corn syrup sweet. Feel free to add a little chili garlic paste if you want some heat.

Amy’s Teriyaki Chicken Thighs Recipe
Adapted from Favorite Family Recipes
Yields 6 servings Read more…

Grilled Corn Salad

Image of Grilled Corn Salad on a plateCorn on the Side
Summer dinners tend to be a lot easier to produce. There is very little in your fridge that can’t go on the grill. Chicken, fish, beef, and veggies can all take a turn over the flames. The same is true when it comes to your side dishes.

Since you are going through the trouble of heating up the grill, might as well get the most out of it. If you’re like me, you have garden zucchini coming out of your ears. It’s easy to toss some with a little olive oil and salt and pepper and throw it on the grill next to your steaks. Corn is another great vegetable to put on the grill. You can leave it in the husk and grill it as is for on-the-cob greatness. Or, you can grill it husk-free for the Grilled Corn Salad recipe below.

Just prep the ingredients before you start grilling and while your meat is resting, throw it all together for a tasty smokey side. Bonus points if you grill the peaches too…

Grilled Corn Salad Recipe
Adapted from Love and Lemons
Yields 4 servings Read more…