I♥food4thought

One of the perks of being part of my baking group, Tuesdays w/ Dorie, is not only seeing their amazing variations on baked goods every Tuesday (duh?!) but also being inspired by other things they cook and bake on the other 6 days.

During my daily GR lurking I came across, Lindsey’s, blog with her cilantro inspired chicken. I would say that cilantro is a popular ingredient in many Vietnamese dishes so I am a big fan of the flavor. Since I am a bad wifey and had no idea what I was making for dinner that night, I scrolled through the ingredients quickly hoping I had everything to make it and was bummed that I didn’t have orange juice or limes but after talking to my cooking-partner-in-crime, Nikki, she confirmed for me that lemons could work even though she thinks limes would be better. That settled it! I had a few lemons left over from some various baking projects and just decided to go for it and see how it tasted with my citrus switcheroo.

(Recipe from Cafe Johnsonia | photos from me!)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves (I used 1 tsp dried parsley)
juice of 1 orange (I omitted)
juice of 1 lime (I substituted 2 lemons)
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 garlic cloves
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray

To serve: fresh lime wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine first 7 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth. Place the chicken breasts and the herb mixture in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning bags occasionally.

I think food tastes better when you make a big mess!

Prepare grill.

Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Let chicken stand 15 minutes. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt, cumin, and pepper. Place chicken, breast side down, on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 12 minutes on each side or until a thermometer registers 165°, turning once.

[NOTES: I used my grill pan. I grilled, on medium heat, about 10-12 minutes each side.]

Served with 1/2 baked potato.

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A+
He loved it! Chicken was moist and tender with a nice kick from the cumin and lemon.

Wifey rating: A/A+
ditto hubs. I definitely will make again but next time I do want to try with the orange and limes to see a comparison.