Marinated Grilled Chicken Dinner Salad

This is my new Weber charcoal grill - I just love it!! We had a charcoal grill when we first got married, but decided to get a gas grill about five years ago. A friend of ours owned a patio and hearth shop, and talked us into a very expensive gas grill. We both hated the thing. After doing some research, and watching a lot of Food Network shows, we decided to go back to the Weber. It seems the old kettle design just can't be beat!! If you're in the market for a good charcoal grill, I give the Weber Performance 5 stars!!

This recipe, for marinated grilled chicken, is pretty "tried-n-true" in our home. I probably make it a couple of times a month in various forms - kabobs, summer salad, with rice and vegetables - you name it. There's no real recipe, more just a method. So, Step #1: The Marinade: I love this marinade. I have several that I like that I make myself, but this one is awesome to just "have on hand" to whip together. It's McCormick's Grill Mates Baja Citrus. McCormick's makes other blends, but this one, in my opinion, it the best. Recently my grocery store ran a "10 for $10" special on the Grill Mates marinades - so lets just say I have enough to see me through Christmas!! LOL!! The chicken doesn't have to marinate all that long - maybe 30 minutes - which is a big help if you're running late. Just follow the basic directions on the back of the label, which is to mix the marinade with 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 2 Tablespoons water and 2 Tablespoons plain vinegar. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Place in the refrigerator about 30 minutes, as you begin to prep the other parts of the meal. If I'm going to make kabobs, I usually cube the chicken before I marinate it, so all the sides get coated. Step #2 - Grill Chicken Here's a picture of the chicken breast almost finished. Just grill as you normally would chicken breasts. For the Weber, that means grilling over indirect heat, maybe about 20 minutes total. I like to make sure the breast reaches an internal temperature of about 177 degrees. 180 degrees is considered done, but the breast will continue to cook after you take it off the grill a little.

Once you take the breast off the grill, allow it to cool for about 5 minutes to seal in the juices. In this recipe I sliced the breasts and added to a basic dinner salad. I like a Ranch dressing with crumbled blue cheese, but I'm sure this chicken would be equally as good with an Italian dressing too. My kids ate the chicken sliced and dipped in (yuck!) ketchup!! LOL!! Hope you enjoy!!

***Tomorrow's Post: Celebrating Harry Potter With Some Kid Friendly Butterbeer***