Thursday Dinner - Grilled Chicken with White BBQ Sauce & Grilled Salad

Please be sure to check out my favorite blogs on the right over there ---> I've found some really great food blogs over the past couple of days.

One of those blogs was sent to me by Trey's Mom, it's called the Bitten Word. Every single thing on that site looks delicious! We found this grilled chicken with white BBQ sauce on there as well as the grilled butter lettuce salad with buttermilk-chive dressing. In this season of grilling, how cool is a grilled salad?! Very very cool. And very very yum, too. The white BBQ sauce was really good, too, but next time I might add just a little less vinegar. The chicken was really good. The spice rub made for a great crisp skin and added so much flavor.

Also, our hydrangeas are blooming right now and I am obsessed with the combination of purple and green. Lovely.

 

Grilled Chicken With White Barbecue Sauce (found on the Bitten Word, from Southern Living magazine, May 2010): 

Ingredients

    •    1  tablespoon  dried thyme
    •    1  tablespoon  dried oregano
    •    1  tablespoon  ground cumin
    •    1  tablespoon  paprika
    •    1  teaspoon  onion powder
    •    1/2  teaspoon  salt
    •    1/2  teaspoon  pepper
    •    10 chicken thighs (about 3 lb.)*
    •    White Barbecue Sauce

Preparation

1. Combine first 7 ingredients. Rinse chicken, and pat dry; rub mixture evenly over chicken. Place chicken in a zip-top plastic freezer bag. Seal and chill 4 hours. Remove chicken from bag, discarding bag.

2. Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 8 to 10 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 180°. Serve with White Barbecue Sauce.

*4 chicken leg quarters (about 3 lb.) may be substituted for chicken thighs. Increase cooking time to 20 to 25 minutes on each side.

White Barbecue Sauce
Yield: Makes 1 3/4 cups
Ingredients
    •    1 1/2  cups  mayonnaise
    •    1/4  cup  white wine vinegar
    •    1  garlic clove, minced
    •    1  tablespoon  coarse ground pepper
    •    1  tablespoon  spicy brown mustard
    •    1  teaspoon  sugar
    •    1  teaspoon  salt
    •    2  teaspoons  horseradish

Preparation

1. Stir together all ingredients until well blended. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 week.

Grilled Butter Lettuce Salad with Buttermilk-Chive Dressing (found on the Bitten Word, from Southern Living magazine, May 2010):

• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup crème fraîche
• 2 Tbs. mayonnaise
• 2 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh chives
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• Kosher salt
• Vegetable oil for the grill
• 4 large heads butter lettuce, halved lengthwise
• Bacon, cooked and crumbled (we added this ingredient!)

In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, crème fraîche, mayonnaise, chives, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt. (The dressing may be made up to 1 day ahead and kept refrigerated.)

Prepare a gas or charcoal grill fire for direct cooking over medium-high (500°F) heat. Lightly oil the grill grates.

Lightly season the lettuce with 1/4 tsp. salt. Grill cut side down until wilted, lightly charred, and the cores are crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the grilled lettuce to a serving platter and drizzle with the dressing (you won’t need all the dressing; refrigerate leftovers for 2 to 3 days). Lightly sprinkle the lettuce with salt, top with bacon crumbles and serve.