Sunday, January 31, 2010

Cheesy BBQ Chicken

I made these for dinner tonight and I was very pleased with the results. The Hungry Housewife says these are a take off the the Montery Chicken at Chili's ("Topped with BBQ sauce, cheese and applewood smoked bacon. Served with mashed potatoes with black pepper gravy and seasonal veggies."). We even had mashed potatoes and green beans to go with our dinner too :)

Cheesy BBQ Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (salted & peppered)
4 slices of bacon, cut in half
1 onion (sauted or caramelized)
1 poblano pepper (cooked same as onions)
1 bottle of BBQ sauce
Cheese (any blend is fine)

Place chicken breasts in large zip lock bag and pour enough BBQ sauce in bag to cover the chicken. Marinate them in the fridge from about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to broil HI, with rack 4 inches from heat. In a large oven proof skillet (I used my cast iron skillet), over medium heat, sautee chicken until mostly done, about 4 minutes per side. Pour some BBQ sauce over chicken. Place desired amount of onions on the chicken. Cover with cheese (how ever much you want) & place bacon on top. Place pan in the oven and broil until the bacon has crisped up, about 5 minutes. Or until the chicken reads 165 on a instant read thermometer.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Steak Fajitas with Chimichurri

We had these for dinner tonight and I thought they were great! We added shredded cheese and sour cream as toppers to these fajitas. Guacamole would have been nice too, but I didn't have any avocados.

Steak Fajitas with Chimichurri

1 bunch fresh parsley
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 to 2 cloves garlic
1 large red onion, halved and sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
3 TBSP lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound chuck or top round steak (London broil) (I used Flank Steak)
3 poblano peppers, seeded and cut into strips
1/4 cup chicken broth (recipe called for lager beer, but I wasn't going to use that!)
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
Lime wedges, for serving (optional)

Combine the parsley and cilantro (leaves and stems), garlic, half of the sliced onion, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, vinegar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1/2 cup olive oil in a food processor; blend into a thick and smooth chimichurri sauce. Pierce both sides of the steak with a fork several times; place in a resealable plastic bag and add half of the sauce. Seal the bag and turn to coat the steak; refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cover and reserve the remaining sauce.

Preheat a grill to medium-high. Remove the steak from the bag (discard the bag of sauce); season with salt and pepper and grill until medium-rare, about 6 minutes per side. Let rest, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and the remaining sliced onion half; season with salt and pepper. Saute until the vegetables are softened and caramelized around the edges, about 8 minutes. Add the broth, cover and cook until the peppers are tender, about 5 minutes.

Warm the tortillas on the grill. Thinly slice the steak on the bias; divide among the tortillas along with the peppers and onions. Thin the reserved chimichurri sauce with the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice; drizzle over the fajitas. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.