Grilled Chicken Sands with Spicy Aioli Mayo

We are suckers for a good sandwich. I would say we eat a grilled sandwich at least once a week in the summer. This chicken was juicy and flavorful, and the aioli was a hit! My husband loved the spicy kick it gave the sandwich, and the lime pop at the end made for quite the palate party:)

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with Spicy Aioli Mayo

Printable Version

2 chicken breasts

1 pkg Good Seasons Italian dressing

1/2 c. olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Sriracha
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lime, zested and juiced
Kosher salt

Marinate chicken in italian dressing packet, olive oil, and lemon juice for at least 2 hours. Meanwhile, mix remaining ingredients together in a bowl.
Get your sandwich fixings together...toasted buns, tomatoes, avacado, tomato and lettuce were our choices. Grill chicken 3 minutes each side, or until cooked through.
Spread buns with aioli, place chicken on bun, and top with your fixings. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Michael Symon
Serves 2.

Smores Cookies

I couldn’t stop. I REALLY couldn’t stop eating them! Doughy deliciousness on top of perfect crunchy cracker. I liked these hot, cold, and right in between. Thank you for introducing me to these Amanda!

Smore’s Cookies
Printable version

11 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 ½ cups flour
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
3 regular sized Hershey’s bars, broken into pieces
1-2 packages graham crackers, broken into squares

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter with white and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixer and combine on low speed.
Fold in the chocolate chips and marshmallows. Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 11x17 baking pan with parchment paper.
Lay out graham crackers side by side on the pans as close as possible (they should be touching). I used 16 graham cracker squares. You may have to add or remove graham crackers according to how much dough you have. If you want your cookies thicker you will use more dough and less graham crackers.

Place tablespoons of dough on graham crackers about 1 – 1 ½ inches apart. I averaged about 2  tablespoons of dough per graham cracker square as seen in the picture above. Press down slightly with fingertips.

Bake for 5 minutes then remove from oven to press Hershey’s bar pieces on to the top. You can place as many pieces or as little as you want depending how much chocolate flavor you want.

Bake for 5 – 7 more minutes or until dough is beginning to turn golden brown at the edges. Remove to a wire rack to cool. For clean cutting make sure cookies are completely cool and cut with a sharp knife.

Recipe from The girl who ate everything
Makes 16-20 cookies

Chick Fil A Nuggets

We love chicken. If you regularly follow my blog, you definitely know this about us. We eat it at least 4 times a week. One of our go-to meals is Chick Fil A Sandwiches, so when I found this recipe for nuggets I figured I better give it a try. Let me tell you, this pickle juice marinade is straight from heaven. It makes your chicken be the most moist, juiciest chicken on the planet, with a hint of dill. Now, we aren’t big pickle fans, but please don’t skip this step! It makes these nuggets pop with flavor in your mouth. Literally, my mouth is watering as I type this. Too bad it is 9:30am or else I might be sneaking some right now:)

Chick Fil A Nuggets
Printable Version
2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup dill pickle juice
1 egg
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon malted milk powder
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons honey
2 tsp. bbq sauce (I used sweet baby rays)
2 tsp. sour cream or greek yogurt

Spicy Dipping sauce:
1 Tbs. franks hot sauce
1 Tbs. sour cream
1 Tbs. ranch dressing

Whisk together egg, milk and pickle juice, and pour into a large ziplock bag or bowl. Add chicken pieces and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.
Combine flours, paprika, malted milk powder, powdered sugar, baking soda, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a large ziplock bag. Shake to combine. Remove chicken from the marinade and add into the bag. Shake to coat the chicken completely.
Heat oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat (6 or 7 out of 10.) Test the oil by dropping in a bit of the flour mixture. If it sizzles, the oil is ready, if it pops, lower the temperature a bit.
Gently place chicken pieces into the oil with tongs. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown on one side. Turn the chicken over and allow to cook for 3-4 more minutes. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate.
Stir together the honey mustard dipping sauce ingredients. In a seperate bowl, stir together the spicy dipping sauce ingredients. Serve with the hot chicken bites.

Serves 2.

Orange Teriyaki Chicken Skewers

Chicken, sweet sauce, quinoa, and a BBQ. Talk about right up our alley! I wish we had found this recipe at the beginning of the BBQ season, but we will just have to keep it on hand the rest of the year!

Orange Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
Printable Version

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon ginger, finely grated
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon honey
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
Pineapple, diced
To make the sauce: Set a small saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the ginger, orange zest and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. (Watch carefully, you don't want to let the garlic burn, or it'll be bitter.) Stir in the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, orange marmalade, orange juice, honey and red pepper. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking for 3-5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Set aside half of the sauce to serve with the cooked chicken, the other half is for brushing the kebabs.

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat (400-450 F). Oil the grates lightly. Thread the chicken cubes and pineapple onto skewers.

Place the kebabs on the grill and cook, giving them a quarter turn every 2-3 minutes, until they are slightly charred on all sides. Brush one side of the kebabs liberally with the sauce then flip and cook until the sauce caramelizes, about 1 minute. Cook until chicken is cooked through. Transfer the kebabs to a platter and let rest for 5 minutes before serving with the reserved sauce and rice or quinoa.


Serves 4.
Recipe from raceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com

Chipotle Rubbed Steaks with Lime Butter

So I used to dip my steak in ketchup. It didnt matter how tender or how flavorful, I always had that big red botte right next to my plate. Well, last night gave me a new addiction: Lime Butter. Really, I want to dip every future steak, okay every future piece of meat I ever eat, in lime butter. It was straight for heaven, to my tummy. Please give this a shot before the summer is over and your grill has to retire for the winter. You won't regret it!

Chipotle Rubbed Steaks with Lime Butter
Printable Version

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 small garlic clove, minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon finely grated zest
1 tablespoon fresh juice

Kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle powder
Four thick, boneless steaks, such as ribeye or hanger, 10- to 12-ounces each
Vegetable oil, for the grill

Combine the butter, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, and a salt to taste. Set aside. Combine the paprika, cumin, and chipotle powder in a small bowl. Sprinkle the steaks with plenty of kosher salt, then evenly sprinkle the spice mixture over them and rub into the meat.
Oil the grates of the grill (or grill pan) and preheat over high heat until smoking. Reduce heat to medium high and add steaks. Cook without moving until well-charred, about 4 minutes. Flip steaks and continue to cook until center of steaks register 125°F on an instant-read thermometer for medium-rare, 135°F for medium, or 145°F for well done. Transfer to a platter and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes, adding the lime butter after a few minutes to melt from the residual heat.
Serve immediately.

Serves 2.
Recipe from seriouseats.com

Avacado Egg Salad Sandwich

Another girly lunch option! I would eat an egg salad sandwich every single day if I could...but all that mayo just doesn’t do wonders for my waistline. When I saw an option for an almost mayo-less sandwich I had to try it. I will never go back! I love avocado and this sandwich was to die for. I wanted it every day for lunch this week!

Avocado Egg Salad
Printable Version

4 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 medium hass avocado, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 Tbs. light mayonnaise
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
pinch freshly ground pepper

Combine the egg yolks with the avocado, light mayo, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mash with a fork. Combine with egg whites and adjust salt as needed.

Adapted from Skinnytaste.com
Serves 2.

Lemon Garlic Herb Pasta

Girls, gather round! This was the perfect, light, healthy dish for a girls lunch or dinner! I made it for my friend and we were oooo-ing and ahhh-ing the entire time. The pop of zest of lemon and the fresh, sweet basil lingers on your tongue and keeps you begging for more... I might just try and trick my husband into liking this dish!

Lemon Garlic Herb Pasta
Printable Version

10 oz. whole wheat pasta (cooked al dente)
2 chicken breasts, diced

Marinade
1/2 teaspoon ground or 2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
4 fresh basil leaves, whole
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

Sauce
3 Tbs unsalted butter
1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, finely minced
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
¼ tsp. lemon zest
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cups whole cherry tomatoes

Add all the marinade ingredients into the chicken and marinade for 20 minutes. Remove basil leaves and saute the marinated chicken in extra virgin olive oil until cooked (about 4-5 minutes) then set aside.
For the sauce, place sauté pan over medium heat and add butter and olive oil. Saute the garlic until fragrant and soft, about 30 seconds, then add the flour and cook for a minute, stirring constantly. Add cooked chicken stock and simmer gravy until thickened, then add the ½ chopped basil and lemon zest and juice, and add ¼ cup parmesan cheese.
Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Add the sauteed chicken in the gravy then toss the cooked pasta into the sauce. Finish the dish with tomatoes, fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese.

Recipe highly adapted from the Goddess of Scrumptiousness
Serves 4.