Grilled Mexican Chicken

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

A group of friends and I hit the town Saturday night to celebrate my 30th birthday. I didn't want to eat too heavy of a meal, so I decided to go with grilled chicken! I had some salsa and avocado on hand, so this is what I came up with! It was easy, light, and delicious :)

- 2 chicken breasts (pound out if too thick)
- 1 tb olive oil
- dash of salt and pepper
- dash of Adobo Seasoning (I used without pepper)
- 1 avocado, sliced and cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 lime, juiced (save about 1 tbsp for avocado topping)

Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle  both sides with salt, pepper and Adobo seasoning. Place in a bowl and let marinate in lime juice for 30 minutes (or however long you can). Grill one minute on each side over medium heat to brown. Reduce heat to medium low and cook each side for approximately 6 minutes per side (depends on the thickness of the chicken). Cook until 170 degrees. Mix the avocado, tomatoes, and a few squeezes of lime juice. Plate the chicken and top with salsa and avocado mixture. Yum :)

Beer Can Chicken

Tim, in case you're reading this -- relax, I didn't make this tonight. This picture is actually from when I made beer can chicken earlier this Spring. I made two because it was a dinner party, and yes, we dominated both birds. I just stumbled across the photo and thought I'd share. It is a crowd favorite!

Ingredients:

• 1 (2 to 3-pound) whole chicken
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 (12-ounce) can beer -- I usually use Dale's Pale Ale
• 1/2 pound bacon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Wash chicken with cold water and pat dry. Mix dry ingredients in small bowl. Rub 1/2 of the ingredients on inside cavity of chicken. Gently peel skin away from chicken and rub mixture into meat of chicken. Open beer can pour out about 1/2 cup. Drop the garlic cloves into the beer can. Place chicken, open end down, over the beer can to insert the beer into the cavity. Place chicken, standing up, in large saute pan. Place 1/3 of the bacon in the top cavity of the chicken and drape the remaining 2/3 of the bacon down the outside of the chicken. Pierce the bacon to the chicken with toothpicks. Place chicken in the oven for 10 minutes and then lower temperature to 325 degrees F and cook for another 1 hour, or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.

Note: I've made this with and without the bacon -- both are delicious! Enjoy!