Before I say anything else, I want to emphatically thank Iron Chefs Bobby Flay and Cat Cora for their recipes for this lunch. If you try either one of these recipes, you’ll see why and want to send them thank you cards yourself. Oh. My…..
I’m not usually a big fan of grilled food, much to the chagrin of fabulous Hubby, but. BUT! Bobby Flay’s Grilled Chicken Breasts with Orange, Maple and Black Pepper Glaze served with Cat Cora’s Grilled Asparagus with Citrus and Caper Aîoli ….well, there’s no way I can’t love grilling now. In fact, I want to grill everything after trying these. These two recipes, along with some grilled Italian garlic bread, have converted me. This lunch was nothing short of perfection. It really was the most delicious thing I ever took off a grill.
Please forgive me for the lack of step-by-step photos for these two dishes. Honestly, I was having so much fun preparing them that I flat out forgot to take them! Some blogger I am, right? Anyway….so….today I’ll simply share the recipes with you, having full confidence in your ability to make these dishes without those step-by-step photos. 
Let’s start with that chicken!
Grilled Chicken Breasts with Orange, Maple and Black Pepper Glaze
This recipe is adapted from one in Bobby Flay’s Grill It! Cookbook, but you can also view it at The Food Network site, where he uses chicken thighs and drumsticks instead (which we will try next time!) Also, we used orange zest and orange juice rather than tangerine. (Couldn’t find the tangerine-orange juice!)
Ingredients:
- 5 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 quart orange juice, not from concentrate
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 orange, zested
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
- 4 boneless chicken breasts (8 oz)
- Salt
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish
Directions:
Heat the grill to medium-high.
For the glaze:
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium saucepan over high heat, add the onion and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the juice and thyme, bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to approximately 1/2 cup, about 20-30 minutes.
- Strain the mixture into a bowl and whisk in the syrup, soy sauce and black pepper and let cool to room temperature. Can be made 2 days in advance and brought to room temperature before using.
For the chicken:
- Brush chicken on both sides with the remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown on both sides and just cooked through. Begin brushing with the glaze during the last 5 minutes of grilling. Remove to a platter and sprinkle with the green onion. Tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with grilled citrus if you’d like.
On to the grilled asparagus!
I’ve never tried a Cat Cora recipe before, but when I saw this one in this month’s issue of Coastal Living I was all over it. As some of you know, I adore asparagus, and now that it’s in season, it tastes better than ever. And the aïoli compliments the flavor SO well. To be honest, after I initially made the aïoli, I didn’t like it. It was much to bitter for me at that point. But, after the flavors had time to meld, and I poured it over the warm asparagus, I just loved it. Hubby thinks it might be the best thing that ever happened to him.
Cat Cora’s Grilled Asparagus with Citrus and Caper Aïoli Recipe
Adapted from a recipe in the May, 2012 issue of Coastal Living Magazine
For the aïoli (make this first):
Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large garlic clove, pressed
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 1/4 cups olive oil
- 1 jalapeño or other hot chile pepper, stem removed
- 1 teaspoon capers
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Combine first 3 ingredients in a food processor or blender, and process until well blended. With processor on, slowly pour in oil and process until smooth.
- Add jalapeño, capers, kosher salt and pepper, pulsing until well mixed. If aïoli is too thick, stir in a little bit of water at a time until it reaches desired consistency.
For the grilled asparagus:
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds large asparagus stalks, trimmed
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat (350° to 400°).
- Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus. Cook asparagus in boiling salted water 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Plunge asparagus into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process; drain.
- Brush asparagus with olive oil, and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Grill 2 minutes on each side; let cool. Top with Citrus-and-Caper Aïoli.
The perfect lunch? Dinner? Both If you try either one of these, let me know what you think. I hope you love it as much as we did!
I love eating like this. I could do it every day. This recipe goes in the arsenal for sure, especially for one of those hot July days when I don’t want to heat up the house by running the oven. In fact, I have a lot of recipes flagged in Bobby Flay’s Grill It! for that exact purpose. I like to be prepared that way
What’s your favorite grill recipe? Link me!
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