Grilled Herb-Coated Chicken Breasts

Another excellent grilling recipe. The lemon buttermilk herb marinade tasted as good as it sounds. Also, I was able to put together the marinade a day ahead of time so all we had to do when I got home from work was throw it on the grill. I love those nights! We will definitely make this again.

Grilled Herb-Coated Chicken Breasts


Serve these juicy chicken breasts sliced over mixed greens, fanned out next to a grilled vegetable salad, or cold for lunch.


3/4 cup Herbed Lemon-Buttermilk Dressing
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 teaspoon honey
Cooking spray

Combine Herbed Lemon-Buttermilk Dressing and chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour or up to 8 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

Remove chicken from marinade, and discard marinade. Sprinkle the chicken evenly with salt and black pepper. Combine fresh parsley, chives, canola oil, and honey, stirring well. Spoon herb mixture evenly over tops of chicken breast halves. Place chicken, herb side down, on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes each side or until done.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half)

CALORIES 222 (15% from fat); FAT 3.8g (sat 0.7g,mono 1.4g,poly 1.2g); IRON 1.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 99mg; CALCIUM 44mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4.6g; SODIUM 540mg; PROTEIN 40g; FIBER 0.3g

Cooking Light, AUGUST 2005

Herbed Lemon-Buttermilk Dressing


This all-purpose dressing is similar to ranch dressing. It's great as a marinade on chicken, dressing on salad, and dip with cut-up vegetables.

This recipe goes with Grilled Herb-Coated Chicken Breasts

3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
1/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced

Combine all ingredients, stirring with a whisk until dressing is well blended.

Note: Refrigerate dressing in an airtight container for up to five days; stir well before using.

Yield: 1 1/4 cups (serving size: 1 tablespoon)

CALORIES 12 (23% from fat); FAT 0.3g (sat 0.0g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.2g); IRON 0.0mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 13mg; CARBOHYDRATE 1.9g; SODIUM 89mg; PROTEIN 0.4g; FIBER 0.1g

Cooking Light, AUGUST 2005

Weeknight Grill Special

Here's a simple, healthy, and balanced grilling menu that's good for any night of the week. The chicken marinade was not out of this world but the flavors were simple and worked together.

Herbed-Grilled Tomatoes


Prep: 12 minutes; Cook: 10 minutes.


1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 medium tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon grated fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

1. In a wide, shallow bowl, combine the olive oil and next 5 ingredients (through pepper).

2. Add tomatoes, and turn to coat them on all sides.

3. Prepare grill.

4. Place tomatoes, cut sides down, on the grill rack. Brush once with remaining marinade, and then discard marinade. Grill about 5-7 minutes on each side over medium-high heat or until tomatoes begin to blister, soften, and brown. (They can burn easily, so keep an eye on them.)

5. Remove the tomatoes from grill, and top with Parmesan cheese, if desired, and parsley. Serve immediately.

Yield: Makes 4 servings (serving size: 2 tomato halves)

CALORIES 60 ; FAT 4g (sat 1g,mono 3g,poly 1g); CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 18mg; CARBOHYDRATE 7g; SODIUM 79mg; PROTEIN 1g; FIBER 2g; IRON 0.0mg

Health, JUNE 2007

Skewers of Rosemary Chicken and Zucchini


If using wooden skewers, soak them in lemon juice for 30 minutes before grilling. This moistens the skewers so they don't char during grilling, and it infuses the food with more flavor from the inside out.


2 tablespoons grated lemon rind
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/4 pounds zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
Cooking spray

Place rind, rosemary, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 teaspoon garlic in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken; seal bag and refrigerate 1 hour.

Prepare grill.

Combine 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon garlic, juice, salt, and pepper, stirring with a whisk.

Thread chicken and zucchini alternately onto each of 12 (12-inch) skewers. Place kebabs on grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill 12 minutes or until chicken is done, turning once. Drizzle with juice mixture.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 skewers)

CALORIES 183 (30% from fat); FAT 6.1g (sat 1g,mono 3.7g,poly 0.8g); IRON 1.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 66mg; CALCIUM 38mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4.1g; SODIUM 370mg; PROTEIN 27.4g; FIBER 1.4g

Cooking Light, JUNE 2002

Santa Maria Smoked Tri-Tip

This was nothing short of remarkable. The salsa was decent but really wasn't needed. The meat was so flavorful and smokey just by itself. We will definitely make this again but without the salsa.

Santa Maria Smoked Tri-Tip


Flavorful tri-tip steak is a cut of beef also known as bottom sirloin or sirloin tip. Compared to other styles of barbecue, this recipe comes together quickly, making it ideal for a weeknight, as well as special dinners.


3 cups hickory wood chips
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (2 1/4-pound) tri-tip steak, trimmed
Cooking spray
2 cups Santa Maria Salsa
Cilantro sprigs (optional)

Soak wood chips in water 1 hour; drain well.

Combine salt, pepper, and garlic powder; sprinkle evenly over steak. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Remove grill rack; set aside. Prepare grill, heating one side to high and one side to medium. Place wood chips on hot coals on medium-heat side of grill; heat wood chips 10 minutes. Coat grill rack with cooking spray; place on grill.

Lightly coat steak with cooking spray. Place steak on grill rack over high-heat side of grill; grill 6 minutes, turning 3 times. Place steak on grill rack over medium-heat side of grill; grill 40 minutes or until a thermometer registers 140° (medium-rare) or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steak from grill; let stand 10 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices. Serve with Santa Maria Salsa; garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Wine note: Tri-tip from California's Santa Ynez Valley goes naturally with a full-throttle merlot from the same region. Gainey Merlot 2004 (Santa Ynez Valley, California), $26, is plush and plummy, with enough structure to stand up to the steak, the char-smokiness of the wood chips, and the pungency of the salsa. --Karen MacNeil

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3 ounces steak and 1/4 cup salsa)

CALORIES 259 (46% from fat); FAT 13.1g (sat 4.8g,mono 6.9g,poly 0.5g); IRON 3.9mg; CHOLESTEROL 66mg; CALCIUM 26mg; CARBOHYDRATE 2.6g; SODIUM 544mg; PROTEIN 30.9g; FIBER 0.7g

Cooking Light, JULY 2007