Thursday, July 22, 2010

Giada's Grilled chicken with Basil Dressing





Soon after I have had some deep fried goodness I go on a guilt mode. Isn't that sad ? I mean if life has come to a stage where I have to feel guilty of eating deep fried stuff, is that life even worth anything ? And hello, I am not in my seventies or something. My Hajmola eating, ever burping grandma did better than this.

Also when I am on the guilt mode, I eat crap.Not.

So on one of my such modes and on a weekday with very little time I decided to do a grilled chicken. Now there is nothing wrong with grilled chicken and we do a lot of that during the summer months. It is easy, less mess, I do the marinade, D stands on the deck, far from the madding crowd aka the family and turns chicken on the gas grill enjoying the light summer breeze and the peace that loneliness on the deck can bring.

But this time I wanted to use my Basil infused Olive Oil and more Basil with the chicken. A few Google clicks later I settled on Giada's Grilled Chicken with Basil Dressing. Now I love Giada. Ok, not exactly love, because I have seen her only maybe four times on Food Network. But I like her. She is very pretty. In fact I liked her enough to suggest that D start watching pretty Giada instead of brainy Alton Brown.

But he likes brainy guys and I like pretty girls.We have a happy marriage.





So I kind of followed her recipe, altering only a little bit. I used Basil Infused Olive Oil instead of just Olive Oil. And I must tell you, my infused Olive Oil wasn't smelling very great after a week in the refrigerator. I have no clue what happened.

I also reduced the lime juice and added a little honey and red chili powder.

The basil dressing was very good I must say. A little on the bland side for folks like us so should have added more chili but it was very refreshing. I served the chicken with grilled veggies.
The next day I added some Corriander Chutney from a bottle to the same marinade and used it for salmon. That made it totally delicious though.

While on the Grilling topic, I have updated the page Blog Hopped Recipes with two delicious recipes of grilled chicken that I tried from Malluspice and Aayis Recipes. Do check them out.


Read more...







Grilled Chicken with Basil Dressing




Original Recipe


Whisk
1/3 cup of oil(I used less),
2 tablespoons of lemon juice,
1 tsp garlic paste,
1 & 1/2 tsp of powdered fennel seeds,
salt,
1 teaspoon pepper in a heavy-duty re-sealable plastic bag. Add 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts and seal the bag. Massage the marinade into the chicken. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day, turning the chicken occasionally.

Blend
1 cup of basil leaves,
2-3 cloves of garlic,
1 tsp lemon zest,
1/8 cup lemon juice,
salt,
1 teaspoon pepper in a blender until smooth. Gradually blend in 1/3 cup oil. Season the basil sauce, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired. I added honey and some red chili powder to this dressing

Prepare the barbecue for medium-high heat or preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to plates. Drizzle the basil sauce over and serve.

12 comments:

  1. Hey Sandeepa.. your grilled chicken looks very pretty indeed! Grilled meat is so much quicker than our usual curries. I have never tried Giada's dishes. But frankly she is too much eye-candy for my poor eyes. :P Alton Brown is still King! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't like Giada - seems too artificial to me :P And I LOVE Alton Brown!

    But this chicken looks delish so am gonna give it a try!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sandeepa, don't feel guilty, we live only live once. Do a few laps in the pool or how about the jiggle dance you used to do?

    Giada I am not fond of, she is a fake :(

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Sandeepa
    I like this recipe. Now have to see where to get the Basil in Delhi..
    Have a nice weekend
    Ushnishda

    ReplyDelete
  5. Slurppp, fingerlicking dish...very tempting..

    ReplyDelete
  6. grilling season is on eh? that looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love chicken breast made like this, here hubby and S would love it too. Looks delish.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I like watching Giada, not just Giada, but all others on food network...I like Giada's take on authentic Italian food...but rarely tried any :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Recipe is looking yummmmy.... Can I try it with fish? My son is not having chicken and mutton for this 1 yr, as a choice.... after his poite

    ReplyDelete
  10. sounds yummy . A must try - will do it for Sat dinner :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Eta ki open pan e kora jabe ... I tend to overcook in a grill oven and the chicken turns tough. Snap ta ki shundor! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Perfect chicken recipe. looks so good. YUM!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your Comments. I hope you will be nice and not Spam.