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Two Meal Grilled Chicken

Chef Owen May and Dr. Michelle May

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No doubt! It is a challenge to eat balanced, nutritious, delicious meals when you’re busy. That’s why it’s important to leverage the time you spend cooking into two meals whenever possible. This easy grilled chicken recipe makes a great main course for meal #1 and a fabulous salad for meal #2!

Chef Notes

How to prepare gas grill

Heat the gas grill on high for 10 minutes. If necessary, clean grill by brushing grates with a wire grill brush. Turn grill down to medium high. Fold over several sheets of paper towels and pour approximately 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil on the paper towels. Use long grilling tongs to hold paper towels and carefully rub the oil onto the grates. Immediately place item(s) to be grilled onto oiled grates.

How to keep chicken moist

Grilled chicken often ends up overcooked and dry. For best results, try to use chicken breast that is fairly uniform in thickness so the thin parts don’t get overcooked. For moist chicken, whether on the grill or in the over, it is essential to use a cooking thermometer. Depending on the thickness of the breast, cook the chicken for ten to fifteen minutes, then insert thermometer into thickest part of the breast to check the temperature. When the temperature reaches 160 degrees, remove the chicken from the heat and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. The chicken will continue cooking (“carry over cooking”) and will reach about 165 degrees. Resting also helps the chicken retain its juices.

If you don’t have a kitchen thermometer, you may cut into the thickest part of breast. The meat should no longer be pink and the juices will run clear when the chicken is done. (If there are no juices, then the chicken may already be overcooked!)

Health Notes

I know that there are many barriers to balanced eating: time, money, know-how, and fear that food will be boring and tasteless. We love recipes like this because you only have to cook once but you get at least two great meals! We probably eat at least a couple of meals like this every week when we’re home (as you can see from the different photos).

When you master basic culinary techniques, like how to make delicious moist chicken (every time!), you will be less tempted to eat out. When you have a few basics on hand, like salad greens, fresh fruits and vegetables, and precooked chicken, it is easy to put together a nice salad for lunch the next day–or a main course salad for dinner the next night. Once you learn simple recipes for making your own poultry seasoning and homemade dressings, you’ll find that cooking at home is not only healthier, but it is less expensive.

Of course this simple two-meal idea can be applied to steak (see photos), pork loin, and salmon too!

Number of Servings: Two main courses and two salads

Ingredients

Meal #1 – Grilled Chicken with Grilled or Vegetables

4  chicken breasts, 5 to 6 ounces each
2 teaspoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of your favorite poultry seasoning or, better yet, make your own using 1/4 teaspoon each of: garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, basil, black pepper, salt
Serves with sides and vegetables of your choice; try our Grilled Vegetables or Roasted Roots

Meal #2 – Grilled Chicken Salad

Mixed greens of your choice, such as romaine, spinach, red leaf, arugula
Vegetables in season, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, red onion
Leftover grilled or roasted vegetables
Fresh fruit if desired, such as strawberries, blueberries, orange slices, grapes, peaches
Bottled or homemade salad dressing; try one of our recipes for Garden Herb, Lemon, Champagne Vinaigrette, Five Tastes dressing
Optional extras to make a heartier salad: Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts), seeds (sunflower, sesame, poppy, pumkin), cheese (feta, goat, blue, cheddar, pepper jack), avocado

Directions

Meal #1 – Grilled Chicken Breast

  1. Heat grill on high for 10 minutes.
  2. Trim any excess fat from the chicken breast. This will help prevent flare-ups on the grill.
  3. Place chicken in a bowl or plastic bag; add olive oil and toss to coat; add seasoning and toss to coat.
  4. Turn grill down to medium high.
  5. Place chicken on oiled grill (see Chef Notes) on a 45 degree angle.
  6. After 5 minutes, rotate chicken 90 degrees to achieve the diamond grill marks that you see in restaurants.
  7. Cook chicken another 5 minutes then turn over and cook for another 5-10 minutes until done. Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes to finish cooking (see Chef Notes).
  8. Serve one chicken breast each with sides and vegetables of your choice. Immediately cover two remaining breasts tightly and refrigerate.

Meal # 2 – Grilled Chicken on Salad

  1. Prepare salad greens and toss with vegetables and dressing.
  2. Slice or cube the chicken breast and place on top of salad and serve.
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