Sweet Chili Grilled Chicken

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Do you use your grill as much as possible all summer like we do?  For one thing, it tastes like summer on a plate.  And for another, meals just don’t get easier!  Add some fresh veggies, fruit and some bread, pasta or rice and dinner’s on the table.

Having a stash of meat in the freezer makes pulling something out to grill simple as well.  I like to keep several options.

Meat for Grilling

Sometimes, I’ll pick up packages of chicken breasts when they go on sale.  I’ll divide them into meal size portions (usually 4 per Ziploc bag) and pour a cup or so of whatever salad dressing I’ve got on hand (ranch, Italian, etc.) over the top and freeze them like that.  When I want to make them, I let them thaw in the fridge, and they marinate while they thaw.

I do something similar with steaks that I find good prices on (usually at Costco).  I mix up a marinade of Worcestershire, soy, red wine vinegar, vegetable oil, garlic powder, and lots of ground black pepper.

Also from Costco, I currently have a gigantic bag of flash frozen chicken breasts in the freezer.  Perfect for pulling out enough for dinner and letting them thaw in whatever marinade I choose for the day.  A bag of flash frozen chicken thighs from Trader Joe’s lets me pull out both light and dark meat.

We have a new favorite marinade this summer.  I’ve already made it three times and it’s on the menu again this week.  I found the recipe here, and have tweaked it a bit to work best for us.

Sweet Chili Marinade

The basic marinade is sweet chili sauce and soy sauce.  (Both easily found in the Asian food aisle at your grocery store).   I add a little splash of chili oil (or red chili flakes and a bit of vegetable oil) for a little extra heat.  The original recipe calls for a little water to thin in out a bit, but I like the glazed effect this gets when it’s grilled.

I also always mix up some extra to boil as a sauce  to serve with the chicken, and I do add a bit of water to that..just a couple of tablespoons.

Our favorite side dish is rice (it is delish with the extra glaze) and whatever green veggie is freshest…green beans, broccoli, zucchini.

The chicken itself doesn’t taste decidedly Asian in flavor, not like my teriyaki chicken.  But the additional glaze definitely adds to that feel.

I also almost always double the recipe.  We love having leftover meat for lunches (or even breakfasts, depending on who you ask).

If you are looking for a new grilled chicken marinade to try this summer, give this one a go.  I think you’ll love it!