Saturday, August 21, 2010

playing chicken


People always says "it tastes like chicken," when talking about any strange meat. Everything from alligator to frog legs, people think weird meat tastes like chicken - the most ubiquitous of all meats. And while it has been eons since I have even had chicken, I am also guilty of this. My dad used to feed us all kinds of strange things he killed and pass it off as chicken. I could tell you of an awful experience I had with rattlesnake once, but I won't.

In any case, I always think it is sad that everything gets compared to chicken. I mean, I don't eat the stuff myself any more, but I do know that there are many flavors that can be added to chicken to change the way it tastes. Everyone knows fried chicken and chicken pot pie don't have the same taste, after all. Think about it. Nobody ever says bacon and pork chops tastes the same, or a fillet and a burger. It all depends on the cut of meat and how you cook it in the end. (For the record the same holds true with veggies.)

This time of year the carnivore and I like to do lots of grilling (less heat in the kitchen is a good thing when the heat index reaches well over 100 every day). And, I like to get the large bag of frozen organic chicken so that I can always have something on hand to throw on the grill in a matter of minutes. But, in order to change things up, I am always looking for new marinades. And while the carnivore is very fond of the lemon and oregano I add to his nearly naked drummies, the other day I switched things up a bit by coating his chicken breast in the juice of one lime, several sprigs of cilantro from our herb garden, and a bit of the usual suspects (olive oil, salt, and pepper). Tossed in a large freezer bag and left in the fridge for a few hours these bright and spicy flavors added a different kick to the plain ol' breasts. So what's you favorite simple sauce do you use to play with your chicken? Let me know below.

menu ideas:
Served along side some seasoned black beans and rice the meal had a slightly Mexican flair. FYI - I opted for some fresh avocado and tomato in the same marinade as my main course. A few tortilla chips served as a nice starter while we waited on the the grill.

2 comments:

  1. You can totally make chicken taste like anything. Love the lime and herb idea. BBQ is popular at our house. Or as "O" likes to call it - brown chicken. Corky's bottled sauce is our fav but I should really find a homemade recipe.
    Where ever do you find big bags of frozen organic chicken breasts? None of my local places have them.

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  2. Whole foods has true organic bags. Kroger also has hormone free ones.

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