Easy Meal Ideas: Friday night grills

This email was sent to you by tampabay.com. To ensure delivery to your inbox please add easymealideas@tampabay.com to your address book. Easy Meal Ideas From Janet's Kitchen    Grilled Lemon Chicken I am always a bit nervous about grilling chicken. You know ... burned on the outside and a scary, uncooked pink on the inside. Grilled Lemon Chicken takes away some of the worry because the chicken is cut in small pieces before it's marinated and placed on the grill grates. The lemon makes me think Greek so I would serve this with buttered-and-parsleyed (is this a word?) orzo and a Greek salad, heavy on the feta and minus the Tarpon Springs-centric potato salad. TGIF, my friends. Grilled Lemon Chicken 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons) 1/2 cup olive oil 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut diagonally into smaller pieces Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Place chicken in a large, resealable bag, cover with lemon juice mixture and let marinate for 6 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Lightly grease the grill with cooking oil. Drain chicken, discarding marinade, and grill for 10 minutes per side. Serves 6. Source: "Where Women Cook: Celebrate!" by Jo Packham (Lark, 2010)   More recipes and food stories at tampabay.com            Tip of the day. Many recipes call for washing chicken then patting it dry. Some food safety experts say this is unnecessary (we don't usually wash beef or pork) and that it can actually spread contamination more easily because of the extra handling. If you need to dry the skin of poultry to remove excess moisture for frying, simply blot it with a paper towel, then wash your hands thoroughly in hot, soapy water afterward.       On Sale This Week. Got a deal? To have your deal featured in tampabay.com's Easy Meals newsletter, contact Maryann Balbo at mbalbo@sptimes.com or call 727-892-2237.   Janet K. Keeler, who cooks in a kitchen she hates for a job she loves, was named food editor at the St. Petersburg Times in 2000. Since that time, Taste has twice won best food section honors from the Association of Food Journalists. In addition to writing about food, she is the paper's lifestyle editor, overseeing travel and homes coverage.   For more, go to: http://www.tampabay.com Unsubscribe from this newsletter or manage other newsletter subscriptions at tampabay.com ©2009 • St. Petersburg Times, 490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 Contact Us | Join Us | Advertise with Us | Subscribe to the St. Petersburg Times Privacy Policy | Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright