Tonight's dinner was inspired by my good friends Rebecca and Jeremy. They are grilling gurus, so when I go to their house, we often dine al fresco on something delicious they've grilled up. The last time I was there, Jeremy grilled bacon-wrapped shrimp, and I've been drooling over it ever since.
Maybe it's the heat or maybe I'm just craving something different, but I have only been hungry lately for food cooked on a grill. One of the (few) downsides of living in an apartment is that I can't have a proper grill. Sure, I could trek all the way to the common area grills, but the heat, bugs, and my summer clothing style (best described as homeless chic) aren't something I want to deal with in public. So, I've been trying to come up with a creative way to replicate bacon-wrapped goodness that doesn't require actual grilling skills or totally bust my calorie allotment. I finally tried it out tonight with chicken, and it was amazing! I love being able to indulge a bit now and then without feeling too guilty. (I accomplished that by only eating 1 serving of the meat.) Anyway, here's the recipe:
Indoor "Grilled" Bacon-Wrapped Chicken
2 chicken breasts, halved
4 slices applewood smoked bacon
about 4 oz. soy citrus ginger marinade*
dash chili powder (or Sriracha would be great if you have it)
toothpicks
*I used Safeway Select brand marinade, but you could make your own using 1/4 c. orange juice, 1/4 c. soy sauce, 1 t. ginger, and 1 t. sesame seeds.
Preheat oven to 350. Wrap each chicken breast half in one slice of bacon and attach with toothpicks. Mix marinade and chili powder, then coat the chicken/bacon in the marinade. (You can marinate for 30 minutes or so if you like; I'm just not patient enough to wait.) Cook in oven for 10 minutes and then place them in a hot George Foreman or other indoor grill. (Mine tells me when it's done, but I'm guessing it takes about 5 minutes.) Take chicken out, and you're done!
Finishing the bacon/chicken on the indoor grill gives it that outdoor grilled flavor, but because the chicken is mostly cooked already, the bacon won't burn from cooking too long on the indoor grill. I served mine with roasted corn on the cob, which I cooked by placing the ears on the oven rack, husks and all, and roasting at 350 for 30 minutes. It was a great summer meal with minimal preparation and, most importantly, very little cooking time in my hot Texas kitchen. Obviously, you could make this with shrimp, too, but I would skip the oven step. If you try the recipe, let me know what you think!
Maybe it's the heat or maybe I'm just craving something different, but I have only been hungry lately for food cooked on a grill. One of the (few) downsides of living in an apartment is that I can't have a proper grill. Sure, I could trek all the way to the common area grills, but the heat, bugs, and my summer clothing style (best described as homeless chic) aren't something I want to deal with in public. So, I've been trying to come up with a creative way to replicate bacon-wrapped goodness that doesn't require actual grilling skills or totally bust my calorie allotment. I finally tried it out tonight with chicken, and it was amazing! I love being able to indulge a bit now and then without feeling too guilty. (I accomplished that by only eating 1 serving of the meat.) Anyway, here's the recipe:
Indoor "Grilled" Bacon-Wrapped Chicken
2 chicken breasts, halved
4 slices applewood smoked bacon
about 4 oz. soy citrus ginger marinade*
dash chili powder (or Sriracha would be great if you have it)
toothpicks
*I used Safeway Select brand marinade, but you could make your own using 1/4 c. orange juice, 1/4 c. soy sauce, 1 t. ginger, and 1 t. sesame seeds.
Preheat oven to 350. Wrap each chicken breast half in one slice of bacon and attach with toothpicks. Mix marinade and chili powder, then coat the chicken/bacon in the marinade. (You can marinate for 30 minutes or so if you like; I'm just not patient enough to wait.) Cook in oven for 10 minutes and then place them in a hot George Foreman or other indoor grill. (Mine tells me when it's done, but I'm guessing it takes about 5 minutes.) Take chicken out, and you're done!
Finishing the bacon/chicken on the indoor grill gives it that outdoor grilled flavor, but because the chicken is mostly cooked already, the bacon won't burn from cooking too long on the indoor grill. I served mine with roasted corn on the cob, which I cooked by placing the ears on the oven rack, husks and all, and roasting at 350 for 30 minutes. It was a great summer meal with minimal preparation and, most importantly, very little cooking time in my hot Texas kitchen. Obviously, you could make this with shrimp, too, but I would skip the oven step. If you try the recipe, let me know what you think!
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