Chicken Souvlaki

We love to grill. Even though we grilled a few times this winter (including once when it was 1 degree outside), we have started firing up the grill more often since the snow has started melting. One of the first things we made was Chicken Souvlaki, which, basically, a chicken kebab marinated in a blend of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and dried herbs. We served it on pita bread with tzaziki sauce, onions, and diced tomato, sort of like a gyro. The flavors are truly amazing. I was a bit skeptical making a marinade with so much balsamic vinegar, but it really is the star of this marinade. Give it a try - I know you'll love it.

Chicken Souvlaki
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com
Serves 3-4
Prep Time - 5 minutes
Inactive Prep Time - at least 8 hrs
Cook Time - about 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
3 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

Optional garnishes:
Pita bread, warmed up
feta cheese
lettuce
diced tomatoes
sliced onions

DIRECTIONS
Mix together the garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, rosemary, salt, & pepper in a zip-lock bag. Add the chicken and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 8 hrs, up to overnight.

About 30 minutes before you're ready to start cooking, take the chicken out of the refrigerator and put on skewers. Discard the marinade.

Pre-heat the grill and place the skewers on the prepared grill. Cook until juices run clear, about 5 minutes per side.

Remove from skewers and put on pita bread and top with your favorite pita toppings.

Fun with Balsamic Vinegar

Because I'm lazy, and because this post is probably buried by now, I'm simply going to link my post from the first time I made this. It's delicious, and very simple.

Braised Chicken with Onions, Garlic, & Balsamic Vinegar

Enjoy!

Balsamic Wings

I've always liked Giada de Laurentiis's Balsamic Chicken Wings, but I thought they were missing a little something. Then, one night when we were eating them and my husband suggested we try frying the wings to get the skin crunchy. We tried it last night, and man, were they good that way. I can't wait to make them again. We gobbled them up way too quickly to get a picture.

Balsamic Chicken Drumettes
Recipe by Giada de Laurentiis, adapted
*Serves 2-4*
Cook Time - 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS
½ cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup honey
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup soy sauce
5 sprigs of rosemary
5 garlic cloves, chopped
10 to 12 chicken drumsticks
Oil for frying

DIRECTIONS
Combine the balsamic, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, rosemary sprigs, and garlic cloves, in a medium pot. Bring the marinade to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes. Reserve. If sauce is too thin, add a cornstarch/water mixture.

Heat oil to 375 degrees F. (We used our deep fryer).

Meanwhile, place chicken wings in a large re-sealable bag. Shake with flour to coat.

Fry drumsticks until cooked through (Should be about 5-10 minutes).

Place chicken wings in pot with the sauce and shake to coat.

Braised Chicken with Onions, Garlic, & Balsamic Vinegar

I love recipes with minimal ingredients. They make my already busy life so much easier. I especially love it when I happen to have all those ingredients in my kitchen. So, I was absolutely thrilled to come across this little wonder on foodnetwork.com. It has such amazing flavor. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did.



Braised Chicken with Onions, Garlic, & Balsamic Vinegar





6 slices bacon (4 oz), cut crosswise into 1/4 inch strips
1 chicken, cut up into 8 pieces (I used chicken legs because it was all we had)
1 lb onion or shallots, thinly sliced
1 head garlic, cloves separated & peeled
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar.

Cook bacon in a deep, 12-inch, heavy skillet over moderately low heat, turning twice, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain and reserve bacon fat in skillet.

While bacon is cooking, pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Brown in bacon fat, beginning with skin side down, in 2 batches, over moderately high heat, turning, about 8 minutes. Transfer browned chicken with tongs to a plate, and pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet.

Lower heat, add onions to skillet and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and pale golden, about 10 minutes.

Remove lid and cook onions, stirring, until deep golden, about 10 minutes more. Add garlic and 1 cup water to skillet and boil, stirring, 1 minute.

Return chicken to skillet, turning pieces to coat, then arrange them skin sides up and gently simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through and garlic is tender, about 30 minutes.

Transfer chicken with tongs to a serving dish. Add vinegar to sauce and boil, uncovered, mashing garlic with back of a spoon or a potato masher, until slightly thickened. Season sauce with salt and pepper and pour over chicken, then sprinkle with bacon (I tossed out the bacon after using it for the grease because I don't really care for bacon).