Tag: chicken

Recipe of the Month – Basque Chicken with Roasted Potatoes

Posted on by Cruisin Brian

Today we are sleeping in as we prepare to begin walking our Camino, leaving from Leon, Spain, tomorrow morning. I don’t know what we will find to eat today in Leon, but if we can’t find anything inspiring we know of a fine little Mexican restaurant called King Kong near the Cathedral.

On our 2017 Camino, the first real meal that we ate on the Way was a Pilgrim’s dinner in a small restaurant in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port the night before we started walking. We didn’t know it at the time, but the meal was the classic Poulet a la Basque or Basque Chicken. It was so tender, piquant, salty, and oh-so-good that I had to figure out the recipe. On my birthday later that year, Michelle bought me Yosmar Martinez’s Tastes of the Camino Cookbook. The first recipe is for Basque Chicken. Her recipe is not exactly like the one we had in SJPdP, but it gave me a jumping off point. So with Yosmar’s forgiveness for “borrowing” parts of her recipe, here is my version of Basque chicken. This version will serve 2-3 people.

Begin by seasoning one and a half pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs with salt and pepper and browning it in a pan with olive oil. It does not need to be cooked through. Set the chicken aside.

Add sliced onion, red and yellow pepper, four cloves of minced garlic, and a cup of petite diced tomatoes to the pan and cook until everything is softened, about ten minutes.

Add half a cup of dry white wine and cover to simmer on low for thirty minutes. Taste the sauce and season with additional salt and pepper if needed but be careful to not make the dish salty due to the garnish later. Also, a small amount of sugar may be added if the tomatoes are particularly acidic. Add the chicken back in and continue to simmer on low for an additional 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and slightly falling apart.

During the simmer, prepare the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 400º and cut fingerling potatoes in halves or quarters depending on size. Toss them in some olive oil and salt and place them in a roasting pan or cookie sheet. Roast for fifteen minutes, tossing several times to make sure they get browned evenly.

Meanwhile, for the garnish, cut four ounces of Serrano ham (I used Prosciutto) into thin strips and cook over medium-high heat in a skillet. There is no need to add oil as the ham will render some fat quickly. Cook until the strips begin to brown and get crispy. Roughly chop some flat leaf parsley for additional garnish. Don’t skip this, the green brightens the final dish and lightens the flavor too.

Spoon the sauce into a large serving bowl and place the chicken on top. Garnish with the ham strips and parsley. Serve the potatoes on the side. Don’t forget the white wine!

Basque Chicken with Roasted Potatoes

  • 1-1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 4 T olive oil, divided
  • 1 large onion sliced
  • 4 cloves of minced garlic
  • 1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 c petite diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 c dry white wine
  • 4 oz Serrano ham
  • 2 sprigs flat leaf parsley
  • 1 pound of fingerling potatoes
  • optional sugar
  • salt and pepper to taste

Begin by seasoning the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and browning it in a pan with half of the olive oil. It does not need to be cooked through. Set the chicken aside.

Add onion, red and yellow pepper, minced garlic, and diced tomatoes to the pan and cook until everything is softened, about ten minutes.

Add wine and cover to simmer on low for thirty minutes. Taste the sauce and season with additional salt and pepper if needed but be careful to not make the dish salty due to the garnish later. Also, a small amount of sugar may be added if the tomatoes are particularly acidic. Add the chicken back in and continue to simmer on low for an additional 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and slightly falling apart.

During the simmer, prepare the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 400º and cut potatoes in halves or quarters depending on size. Toss them in the remaining olive oil and salt and place them in a roasting pan or cookie sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, tossing several times to make sure they get browned evenly.

Meanwhile, for the garnish, cut the ham (I used Prosciutto) into thin strips and cook over medium-high heat in a skillet. There is no need to add oil as the ham will render some fat quickly. Cook until the strips begin to brown and get crispy. Roughly chop some flat leaf parsley for additional garnish.

Spoon the sauce into a large serving bowl and place the chicken on top. Garnish with the ham strips and parsley. Serve the potatoes on the side.

On a side note…

We hope you enjoy following us along our journey across Spain and Portugal in the coming weeks. Hit subscribe for up to date blog posts, and make sure that you check out our Instagram feed for real-time, up to the minute posts along the Way. Our goal is to post on Instagram daily, and YouTube and blog at least once a week. Thanks for coming on this adventure with us! Our July recipe will be for Tarta de Santiago, an almond cake that is popular across Spain but especially in Galicia. Buen Camino!

Recipe of the Month – Cajun Chicken Pie

Posted on by Cruisin Brian

We’ve been seeing a lot about Mardi Gras in the last week and it really gave me a taste for some New Orleans inspired food. We were already planning to make a chicken pot pie this week, so I figured that with a few tweaks it could really warm up the cold weather we’ve been having and take us back to the Big Easy.

Start by heating one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Place about a pound of boneless skinless chicken thighs in the pan and sprinkle with salt and half a teaspoon of poultry seasoning. Cook until browned on both sides and there is no pink. Set aside on a plate.

Meanwhile, chop a large onion, red pepper, two stalks of celery, and half a pound of mushrooms. Someone else in the house finished off the celery, so none for us this time around in the pot pie!

Put the vegetables in the pan and cook until they are softened and reduced in volume. Allow all of the liquids to cook off and scrape up any browned bits.

Dice the chicken into small bite sized pieces and add it to the veggies.

Add three tablespoons of flour (or two tablespoons of gluten-free flour blend) and one and a half teaspoons of Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning. Stir in and allow the flour to cook for a minute.

Add one cup each of chicken broth and half and half. Bring to a boil and allow the gravy to thicken. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Be careful about adding more Tony’s, it has a lot of salt and it’s easy to overdo it. If you want more spice, add some hot sauce or cayenne pepper.

Pour the whole mixture into a two quart casserole dish. Before you scroll any further, I must say… don’t judge.

Top the filling with a pie crust. There are several options here. I usually make a fresh crust and my favorite recipe is in this post for Praline Pumpkin Pie. Tonight I was trying to get things done a little quicker and used a premade crust. You can use a rollout refrigerator crust but I’ve never found a gluten-free one. Wholly Wholesome makes a really good crust that you can find in the freezer section. Pop the shell out of the pie pan and place it on top of the filling. I dropped ours and it shattered. In that case, piece it back together on top of the filling (I told you already, no judgment)! Once the crust thaws, roll the edges down and crimp them

If you’re eating it now, bake in a 400º oven for thirty minutes. You can also refrigerate it overnight to cook tomorrow. Set the pie out to return to room temperature for at least thirty minutes and bake at 350º for one hour.

We’re eating ours tonight for dinner, check out our Instagram page to see the final results around 7 PM.

Deep Dish Cajun Chicken Pie

  • 1 large onion
  • 8 oz mushrooms
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 1 red sweet pepper
  • 1 T butter
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 3 T flour (or 2 T gluten-free flour blend)
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/2 t poultry seasoning
  • 1 1/2 t Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
  • 1 c chicken broth
  • 1 c half and half

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet. Add the chicken and sprinkle with salt and the poultry seasoning. Cook until browned on both sides and no longer pink in the center. Place aside on a plate. While the chicken is cooking, dice the vegetables.

In the same skillet, cook the vegetables until they are soft and reduced in volume, cooking of all of the liquid. Meanwhile, dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Add the chicken to the vegetables along with the Creole seasoning and flour. Mix together and cook for one more minute. Add the milk and broth and bring to a boil. Allow the mixture to thicken and adjust seasonings if necessary. Pour the filling into a 2 quart casserole dish and cover with a pie crust.

Bake at 400º for 30 minutes. The pie will hold well overnight. Let it come to room temperature and bake at 350º for one hour.

Recipe of the Month – Mexican Chicken Soup

Posted on by Cruisin Brian

Yep, you read that correctly, the recipe of the week is becoming the recipe of the month so that we can focus on bringing you more content in other areas, such as Camino planning and recaps of some of our best previous adventures.

With all of the cold weather we have been having lately, I’ve been making lots of soup. It not only warms the stomach but also the house! I love this recipe but it’s not ours, we have to thank Laurie (one of Michelle’s colleagues) who found the recipe on Cooks Country. On a side note and a fun fact we learned that Laurie has diligently subscribed to Cooking Light magazine since its inception 40 years ago and was one of their first subscribers! The soup has just enough kick to warm you up on multiple fronts. Of course, you could adjust the spicy heat up or down depending on your preferences.

Begin by bringing six cups of chicken broth to a simmer in a large pot and add about a pound and a half of chicken thighs to poach for 15 minutes.

In a food processor, combine half of a large onion, a can of diced tomatoes (or Ro-tel tomatoes with you like things on the spicy side), half (or more) of a seeded jalapeno pepper, four cloves of garlic, one canned chipotle chili and a tablespoon of the adobo sauce it’s packed in, and a teaspoon each of salt, pepper, and cilantro. Pulse the whole thing until it is smooth and well pureed. If I had any tortilla chips in the house this is probably as far as I would have gone because it looked and tasted like a smooth salsa at this point.

Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool. Pour the broth into a container to skim the fat off the top.

In the same pot, heat a tablespoon of oil and add the “salsa” to the pot. Let it simmer for five minutes or so to cook the “green-ness” out of it and allow the flavors to combine.

Skim the fat off the broth and add it back into the pot along with two cups of frozen corn and a can of rinsed and drained tri-blend beans (or kidney, pinto, or black beans). Allow the soup to come to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, run a knife through the chicken to cut it into bite-sized pieces. Take the pot off the heat and add the chicken and two tablespoons of lime juice. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed (I added a little more salt).

Top the soup with diced avocado, slices of fresh or crispy tortilla, or a little cojita or queso fresco. We served it with pao de queijo, which are amazing gluten-free cheese rolls.

Mexican Cheese Soup

  • 6 c chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs
  • 1/2 of a large onion
  • 1 t each salt, pepper, and cilantro
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes (get the kind with chilis or jalapeno if you like)
  • 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 canned chipotle pepper plus 1 T adobo sauce it’s packed in
  • 1 T oil
  • 2 c frozen corn
  • 1 can beans, any variety, drained and rinsed
  • 2 T lime juice
  • assorted toppings such as diced avocado, Mexican cheese, or tortilla strips

Bring chicken broth to a boil and add chicken. Simmer for 15 minutes until the chicken is done and there is no pink remaining.

In a food processor, combine onion, spices, tomatoes, garlic, and peppers and pulse until smooth.

Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Pour broth into another container to skim fat once cooled. In the same pot, heat the oil and add the tomato mixture. Simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat to combine flavors.

After skimming fat from broth, add back to the pot along with the corn and beans. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Shred the chicken and add to the pot at the end of cooking along with the lime juice. Adjust seasonings if needed.

Let us know if you try this recipe or any other recipe we have posted! Tag us on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #cruisinwiththecolemans! We’d love to hear from you!

Recipe of the Week – Chicken Tamale Pie

Posted on by Cruisin Brian

We love flavors inspired by Mexican food and while this tamale pie is far from an authentic dish, it is quick and easy, perfect for RV cooking on a day you need to cook inside and don’t mind firing up the oven.
Start by preparing the cornbread base: mix half of a gluten-free cornbread mix with half a cup of frozen or canned corn (drained), half a cup of Greek yogurt, and on egg.  The mixture will be dry and sticky. If it is too dry, add a little milk or half and half. Spread the mixture into a baking pan. Place into a 400º oven and bake for 15 minutes. It will not be golden and crispy and it should be set in the center, but not “done.”

While the cornbread mixture is in the oven, prepare the topping. On the stove top, sauté one large diced onion in olive oil until tender then add 2 cloves of minced garlic for another minute. Add one tablespoon (about half a packet) of taco seasoning, two cups of diced cooked chicken, and about half a cup of enchilada sauce. The chicken can be poached, grilled leftover from a previous meal, or a rotisserie chicken that has been shredded. It doesn’t even have to be chicken. We grilled pork chops the night before and made a couple of extras for this meal.

Take the cornbread out of the oven and poke holes in it with the handle of a wooden spoon. Pour about half a cup of enchilada sauce over the mixture, allowing the sauce to fill in the holes.

Top with the chicken mixture.

Cover the whole thing with a layer of shredded cheddar or Mexi-blend. If yours is as full as mine, place it on a cookie sheet or you will end up with a huge mess (I may speak from experience here)!

Bake for another twenty minutes, until bubbly and the cheese has toasted. Bubbly and toasted are two of my favorite cooking techniques!

Serve with guacamole, green salad, or eat it all by itself. Stay tuned in future weeks for more traditional recipes turned into casseroles for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. Leave a comment below with your favorite dinner casserole recipe, maybe we will feature it as one of our recipes of the week.

Chicken Tamale Pie

  • 1/2 package of gluten-free corn bread mix (we like Krusteaz brand)
  • 1/2 c plain Greek yogurt (sub sour cream if you prefer)
  • 1/2 corn kernels (frozen or drained canned)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 T taco seasoning (about 1/2 a packet)
  • 2 c diced chicken or pork, already cooked
  • 1 c enchilada sauce, divided (I buy the small-sized can and use the whole thing)
  • 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (or Mexi-cheese, or pepper jack, or whatever you have on hand)

Preheat the oven to 400º. Prepare the base by mixing cornbread mix, yogurt, corn, and egg in a bowl. The mixture will be dry but if it doesn’t come together, add a little milk or half and half. Spread the mixture into a 9×9 pan and bake for 15 minutes while you prepare the topping.
In a large skillet, heat oil and sauté the onion for about 5 minutes, until tender. Add garlic and cook one more minute. Add taco seasoning, 1/2 c sauce, and chicken. Cook until heated through.
Remove the cornbread from the oven. It will not be done but should be mostly set in the center. Poke holes throughout with the handle of a wooden spoon and top with the remaining enchilada sauce. Top with the chicken mixture and finally, the cheese.
Bake for another 20 minutes until bubbly and the cheese has melted and toasted.

Recipe of the Week – Creamy Chicken Soup

Posted on by Cruisin Brian

As the weather cools, we love to start making heartier meals and one of my favorite things to cook are creamy, thick soups. Krissy at SelfProclainedFoodie.com has created a wonderful rich and creamy soup with lots of flavor and wonderful texture. I’ve made a few adjustments to her recipe as I’ve given it here, but you can compare her original recipe here.
Begin by heating one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over med high heat. Add one pound of chicken thighs, making sure that the pot is not too crowded. The chicken will stick to the bottom of the pan, it will release on its own as the chicken cooks. Turn the chicken after about seven to nine minutes. Continue to cook until the chicken is done. Remove it to a bowl to cool.


Deglaze the pan with a half cup of dry white wine or dry sherry. A note on cooking with wine or sherry: never cook with wine that you wouldn’t drink. Most “cooking” wines have lots of added sugar and salt. If the wine tastes bad by itself, it will taste bad in a recipe. I never use expensive wine for cooking, but a $10-20 bottle that tastes good will add depth and complexity to any recipe that you add it to. Adding wine to the pan at this time will allow you to scrape up the bits of stuck chicken and browned bits that are full of flavor. Remove the bits and remaining liquid to the same bowl as the chicken.

While the chicken is cooking, dice one large onion, four stalks of celery, and two large carrots. Add two tablespoons of butter to the pot and once melted, add the diced veggies, called a mirepoix, to the pan and lower the heat to medium. If the butter starts to brown, the heat is too high. The liquid released from the veggies should help keep things from burning. Let the vegetables cook until soft and lightly browned. Remove the veggies to another bowl.

Add three more tablespoons of butter to the pot along with three or four cloves of minced garlic. Cook until fragrant and bubbly. Add six tablespoons of gluten-free flour blend and stir well. Cook the roux over medium heat until lightly browned, about five minutes, stirring constantly. Roux can be tricky, once the color starts to change, it can burn very quickly. If the roux gets too dark, or if you see black flecks, toss it out and start over because it will make the entire soup tasted scorched and bitter.

Add two cups of half and half and whisk until the soup thickens. Add four cups of chicken broth along with all of the accumulated juice and wine from the bowl of chicken. Add the cooked vegetables and use an immersion blender to partially puree the mixture. I like some larger chunks left behind.

Dice up the chicken, add it to the pot, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

We love to serve the soup with Pao de Queijo, a Brazilian cheese bread that is naturally gluten-free and a glass of the wine that was used to deglaze. If you try the soup, let us know in the comments what you serve on the side.

Creamy Chicken Soup (based on the recipe from Self Proclaimed Foodie)

  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1/2 c dry white or dry sherry
  • 5 T butter, divided
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 stalks of celery, diced
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 6 T gluten-free flour blend
  • 2 c half and half
  • 4 c chicken broth
  • salt and pepper, to taste

In a heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat and cook chicken thighs until browned, about 7-9 minutes on each side. The chicken will stick and then release from the pan when ready to be turned. Transfer the chicken to a bowl.
Deglaze the pot by adding wine and scrapping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add bits and remaining liquid to the chicken bowl.
Add 2 T butter and lower heat a little. Add all vegetables except garlic to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove to another bowl.
Melt remaining 3 T of butter and add garlic. Cook until fragrant, 2-3 minutes and add flour. Stirring constantly, cook flour until a rich light brown color. Be careful not to burn or scorch the roux. If it begins to burn, toss it out and start this step over after cleaning the pot.
Add half and half to the roux and whisk until thickened. Whisk in the chicken broth and accumulated juices and wine from the bowl of chicken.
Add the cooked vegetables to the pot and use an immersion blender to slightly puree the mixture. Leave chucks to your liking or puree completely smooth.
Dice the chicken and add to the pot. Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings to your liking with salt and pepper. Makes 5-6 servings.

Recipe of the Week – Sautéed Chicken with Garlicky Pasta

Posted on by Cruisin Brian

We love to entertain guests but there are only so may opportunities during the weekend with our busy schedules. That leaves weeknight entertaining, but who has time for a fancy dinner after work? Sautéed Chicken with Garlicky Pasta comes together quickly and is perfect for a “Sunday dinner” any night of the week. Serve with a green salad and invite some company for dinner on a weeknight!
Start by heating some olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Season four chicken cutlets with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes per side.

While the chicken is cooking slice half of a red onion, a small package of baby bella or white mushrooms, four cloves of garlic and about one tablespoon of fresh thyme. Take two or three tomatoes and core then slice them thinly. Dispose of the seeds and juice that result.

Remove the chicken and keep it warm (I usually put it on a plate and stick it in the microwave to get it out-of-the-way). Add a little more olive oil to the pan if necessary. Toss in the mushrooms and onion and saute until soft. Meanwhile start a pot of water to boil for the pasta. Cook two ounces of spaghetti per person according to package directions.

Add garlic, thyme, and tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are heated through.

Pour two cups of chicken broth into the pan and scrape up any browned bits (this is called deglazing). Make a slurry by mixing one tablespoon of gluten-free flour with two tablespoons of water and add to the pan along with one teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Add the chicken and any juices on the plate back into pan and allow the sauce to thicken. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Portion out the spaghetti on plates and top with sauce and chicken. If you really want to get fancy, sprinkle some chopped parsley on top or a little parmesan cheese.

Sauteéd Chicken with Garlicky Pasta

  • 1 T olive oil, plus a little more
  • 4 chicken cutlets
  • 1/2 pound white or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 small red onion, sliced
  • 2-3 tomatoes, cored and sliced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 T fresh thyme, chopped
  • 8 oz gluten-free spaghetti
  • 2 C chicken broth
  • 1 T gluten-free flour blend
  • 1 t Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
  • 4 T parmesan cheese (optional)

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium high heat and saute chicken about 5 minutes on each side. Place chicken aside and keep warm.
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Add a little additional oil to pan and saute mushrooms and onion until soft. Add garlic, thyme, and tomatoes and heat through.
Deglaze the pan with chicken broth and add a slurry of flour mixed with 2 T of water. Stir in Dijon and allow sauce to thicken. Taste sauce and adjust seasonings if needed.
Top with parsley and parmesan, if desired.

Recipe of the Week – Honey Ginger Scallion Chicken

Posted on by Cruisin Brian

Ready for another tasty and easy marinade and basting sauce?  Our original recipe for Honey Ginger Scallion Chicken is another great marinade that you can throw together in a few minutes and is sure to please everyone at the campsite.
To prepare the marinade, chop 4 green onions, 2 cloves of garlic, and 1 T of fresh ginger.  If you’ve never worked with ginger, don’t worry. Look for it in the produce department, often near the garlic and shallots.  Ginger comes in “hands” because the large pieces often have several smaller “fingers.” If you’re like us, you don’t need that much at one time, but you can break off a finger to get as much or little as you need (think like breaking a bunch of bananas in half to buy just a few). I cut off the edges and thin skin to end up with a small piece about the size of 2 dice.  Cut thin slices, cut again into julienne, and finally mince. In the picture, the ginger is in the center.
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Combine with 1 T honey, 2 T soy sauce (or our favorite, San-J Gluten Free Tamari), a few dashes of Crystal hot sauce and mix well.  You could marinate for 2 hours to overnight, but I wanted to try something different this night.
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We picked up a grilling mat after hearing lots of people talking about how much they liked them. On this evening, after getting a good fire going, we flipped over the grill, and added the mat.  Place the chicken on the mat and pour some of the sauce over.  Once the chicken is done on the bottom, flip and add some more of the basting sauce. Flip once more just to make sure that everything is cooked through.
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We served this with some store-bought coleslaw, but any deli salad would be a great addition.  Let us know in the comments what your favorite deli salad is.
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Honey Ginger Scallion Chicken

  • 4 green onions
  • 1 T minced ginger (about 2 inches of a ginger finger)
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 T honey
  • 2 T soy sauce
  • Dash hot sauce to taste

This makes enough sauce for 4-6 chicken breasts.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
On a hot grill, place chicken on a grill mat and baste with the sauce, turning and basting again as each side cooks.

Recipe of the Week – Easy Chicken and Potato "Kabobs"

Posted on by Cruisin Brian

I love to cook, that is not a surprise to anyone who knows me (Brian).  I don’t love to spend a lot of time cooking usually (though I do believe that making a wonderful, intricate recipe can also be very cathartic in the right time and place).  This recipe from the Baking Beauties at Faithfully Gluten Free is simply my all time favorite marinade.  I call it dump marinade because it has a little bit of everything in, you can dump in any protein you want, and it will come out amazing.  Kabobs are a challenge to me.  It is difficult to get everything done together without burning the more delicate items, hence the second dump of this recipe, where I just throw it all on the grill and forget the skewer!
First the marinade: Put into a gallon resealable bag put 1/4 t dried rosemary (I didn’t carry rosemary in the RV this time so substituted dried oregano and it worked just fine), 1/2 t each of dried parsley, garlic powder, and black pepper, 1 t stone ground mustard, 1 T each balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, and 2 T olive oil.  WOW that’s a lot of ingredients!  Now throw in about a pound of your favorite protein.  We love this with chicken thighs (in the pictures) but beef works well too (or country style pork ribs, chops, or an old tire, seriously this marinade tastes that good!).  A note on gluten free: soy sauce is one of those items with hidden gluten in it, always make sure to check labels of sauces and condiments to ensure they are safe if you or someone you are cooking for can’t have gluten.IMG_5847
Let the meat marinade for at least two hours.  I put the meat in the marinade the night before but we ended up eating out the next day so I just threw the whole thing in the freezer.  A week later, I took the bag out one evening and cooked it up the next day, it was still perfect!
Even the smallest potatoes take forever to cook on a grill.  Here’s a great tip stolen from the Baking Beauties: cook them in the microwave first!  I put them in and hit the potato button, they always come out a little under done, but then the time on the grill with the other raw veggies, and they are perfect! (Too many explantation points in this post, but I really love this recipe!)
We always add onions and mushrooms at minimum when we cook this meal but bell pepper, asparagus, zucchini, and summer squash are also great additions.  Cut your veggies into largish bite sized pieces.  The less dense the vegetables are, the bigger the pieces should be so they hold up.  Here’s another tip for the mushrooms: if you cut it in half and find lots of dark fins (especially common in portobello), scoop them out with a spoon or knife because they are bitter and turn mushy when cooked.
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If you are assembling kabobs, layer meat, potatoes, and veggies (obviously not the asparagus, but if you get one on a skewer, please put a picture in the comments, haha) onto a wooden or metal skewers. Don’t forget that wooden skewers should always be soaked in water for 30 minutes first to keep them from catching on fire.  I like the metal ones because they help to cook the food from the inside a little too.
I don’t like to take the time to thread skewers most of the time, so I toss all the veggies together, drizzle with some oil and salt and pepper and toss ’em on the grill.
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If you use foil, poke a few holes so the juices run out – you want crispy browned edges, not a soggy mess.

Once the veggies get going, put the meat on the grill and cook to your desired degree of doneness.
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YUM!! BTW, thats a little bit of ranch dip on the side. It’s amazing on the potatoes!
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Easy Chicken (or Steak) “Kabobs”

For the marinade:

  • 1/4 t dried rosemary (or other dried herb such as oregano or basil)
  • 1/2 t dried parsley
  • 1/2 t garlic powder
  • 1/2 t ground pepper
  • 1 t stone ground or dijon mustard
  • 1 T balsamic vinegar
  • 1 T soy sauce or tamari sauce
  • 1 T Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 T olive oil

For the grill:

  • 1 lb chicken thighs or marinating beef
  • 1 lb of small potatoes (red or Yukon)
  • Optional bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, etc.

Mix all of the marinade ingredients into a resealable plastic bag and smoosh them around to make sure everything is mixed. Add the meat and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Soak wooden skewers in water to keep them from catching on fire.
Cook the potatoes in the microwave until almost completely done. Cut other veggies into similar sized pieces.
Thread all of the ingredients onto skewers and discard used marinade or…
Place veggies in a bowl and drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper. DO NOT put used marinade onto the veggies, as tempting as they may be. No one wants a side of salmonella with their dinner!
Place kabobs onto a medium high grill and turn every few minutes until done or…
Place veggies on grill and toss occasionally to keep searing fresh sides without burning. Place meat along side and turn after about 3-5 minutes.
Serve immediately with a cold beer and enjoy!

★ 25 years guiding ★ 48 U.S. states ★ 10 countries ★ 3,000+ Camino miles