TFF: Bring on the cookout
This week for Tyler Florence Fridays I was ready to get the cookout started.
I chose to make Grilled Chicken with Peach Barbeque Sauce and Tolan’s Mom’s Potato Salad, both from the book Tyler’s Ultimate.
Of course I had big plans to use my outdoor grill but then realized we were out of propane… kind of an important part to the whole gas grilling thing. Now I live directly behind a huge shopping center with tons of stores and restaurants selling most everything I could ever need, but I avoid shopping like it’s the plague. Laziness and an unwillingness to go shopping usually leads to some alternative thinking for me. I got to looking around on foodnetwork and saw that Tyler’s BBQ chicken recipe there had you grilling for a few minutes and then transferring to a 350 degree oven for the remainder of the cooking time. I figured with those instructions, me and George (Foreman, that is) could still get this whole grilled chicken thing worked out.
If you look on foodnetwork.com at Tyler’s Top 100 Recipe list you will find that the majority of this list are chicken dishes, tons with 5 out of 5 ratings. So I knew going in that I pretty much was going to get something great. I wasn’t let down. The chicken is brined for two hours prior to cooking and doing it this way it turned out really moist. Cooking on the Foreman grill and then in the oven worked like a charm. The Peach Barbeque sauce was AMAZING. It was sweet, smoky and had a fresh flavor burst from white wine vinegar. I was so happy with it I’m not sure I’d bother looking for any other BBQ sauce recipe to try out this summer.
The potato salad was so different than what I’m used to, which is a good thing. I’ve never been a huge fan of potato salad but would tolerate it if I had to. This one had eggs, red onions, dill pickles, pickle juice and capers – some things you might not expect to see and things that made me interested in testing it out. I liked how he had the eggs cooking with the potatoes, that was a nice shortcut. Wasn’t disappointed here either, this was one of the best potato salads I’ve ever had.
Both of these dishes made up the perfect dinner for me and the boyfriend this past Memorial Day. Neither one of us had any complaints and there wasn’t anything leftover.
Now all I need is to add a few more Tyler dishes to the list alongside this BBQ chicken and potato salad and I’ll have the perfect cookout menu. Oh… and I guess I better get some propane, too.
Tyler Florence’s Grilled Chicken with Peach Barbeque Sauce
Ingredients
Brine:
2 quarts water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a large knife
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chickens, quartered (I used chicken breasts)
The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce:
1 slice bacon
1 bunch fresh thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups ketchup
1 cup peach preserves
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin (didn’t have any, left it out)
1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
Click here for instructions!
Tyler Florence’s wife Tolan’s Mom’s Potato Salad
Ingredients
2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes
2 large eggs
Kosher salt
1/2 bunch sliced scallions, white and green parts
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 cups mayonnaise (foodnetwork.com lists as 2 cups – only use 1!!!)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickles with 1/4 cup juice, about 2 pickles
1/2 small red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 bunch dill, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Click here for directions!
Grilled Chicken with Peach BBQ Sauce and Tolan’s Mom’s Potato Salad marks my fourteenth post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday.
Ina Garten’s Chinese Chicken Salad
The first April Barefoot Bloggers recipe was Chinese Chicken Salad chosen by McKenzie of Kenzie’s Kitchen.
Chicken, red peppers, asparagus and scallions are paired with a dressing that has a nice Asian zing to it. Peanut buttery and gingery… it reminds me of the salad dressing my favorite Hibachi places use. I never thought I’d ever try or get even close to duplicating that kind of dressing at home.
The recipe is pretty easy, I threw it together in the same amount of time it took to cook a box of angel hair and jarred pasta sauce from start to finish. Although I did take a shortcut and use pre-cooked chicken breast strips to make it easier. I used crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth. I read some comments from others that the salt could potentially be overwhelming so I just left it out.
I wasn’t sure I’d like this recipe going into it but I ended up being very pleased. I loved cooking with mostly fresh ingredients and making my own salad dressing. The salad had a ton of crunch and seemed to hold up well mixed together with the dressing which was light and had a great flavor. The apple cider vinegar gave it a fresh boost that I really liked.
I’d highly recommend this one. Thanks, McKenzie!
The Fabulous Ina Garten’s Chinese Chicken Salad
From the book Barefoot Contessa Parties!
TV Show: Barefoot Contessa Episode: Back to School
Ingredients
4 split chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on)
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound asparagus, ends removed, and cut in thirds diagonally
1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
2 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted
For the dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup good apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Click here for directions!
There’s lots of great things starting to happen with the Barefoot Bloggers group, especially this month. My schedule is getting a little hectic right now but I hope to participate as much as I can. Thanks so much to Tara and Rebecca for coming up with so many interesting ideas. The group just gets better and better!
Barefoot Bloggers: Panzanella
And we’re back with another Barefoot Bloggers recipe. This time, Melissa of It’s Melissa’s Kitchen was up to choose and she selected Panzanella, a perfect summer recipe.
Panzanella is an Italian bread salad loaded with fresh vegetables and mixed with an olive oil based vinaigrette. You really don’t need your oven other than to toast the bread on the stovetop and cutting the vegetables is the most considerable work you’ll have to do. It’s a very simple recipe to put together and the taste is light and fresh. This recipe seems very adaptable. You could play around with the ingredients and throw in whatever you had available and I’m sure it would turn out fine. And I know that some people are funny about capers. However, I would definitely recommend adding them to this salad.
What I did/changed/thought: I made half a recipe and it still made a large amount. I forgot to get fresh basil and I didn’t have any mustard so I had to substitute dried versions for both. No worries. For the bread I used a french baguette. I really liked this salad but I probably would only make it for a party. A nice summery, outdoor party.
Head on over to It’s Melissa’s Kitchen to see how Melissa’s Panzanella turned out. Then stop by here to check in on almost 100 others.
Panzanella
From the book Barefoot Contessa Parties! by Ina Garten
Seen On the TV show: Barefoot Contessa Episode: Beach Volleyball Picnic
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons capers, drained
For the vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Click here for directions
Next up will be Butterflied Chicken chosen by Stefany of Proceed with Caution.
