Orange-Rosemary Grilled Chicken

“Summer time and the living is easy.” Really? Easy, maybe; HOT, yes! Today was the tenth day in a row with high temperatures above 90 degrees and humidity to match. But that’s really just typical for the deep south at this time of year. Hot and humid. So humid that there’s a hazy look in the air. It’s like living in a sauna, but hey, it’s wonderful for your complexion!

Because of the heat I was looking for something fabulous for dinner that wouldn’t heat up the kitchen and I found it in this delicious grilled recipe from Real Simple (www.realsimple.com). This chicken is marinated in a wonderful citrus and rosemary mixture, grilled and then served with a salad of romaine, orange sections and grilled onions.

So, fire up those grills and start marinating. Here’s what you need for this summertime treat:

2 navel oranges
1 lemon
salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
2 tblsp chopped fresh rosemary
¼ cup olive oil, plus 1 tsp
1 ½ pounds chicken thighs and/or drumsticks
1 large red onion sliced into rings
1 head romaine lettuce

Prepare the marinade by grating ½ to 1 teaspoon of zest from 1 orange into a large mixing bowl. Squeeze in the juice from the orange. Add the juice of a lemon, ¾ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, garlic, rosemary and ¼ cup of olive oil. Remove and set aside ¼ cup of the mixture. Add the chicken to the bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (Photo of raw chicken above…yuck and sorry.)

Heat your grill to medium temperature. This is BeeBop’s “big rig” grill. It has five main burners, a side burner and a warming rack (or something like that). I usually never touch the “big rig.” It’s strictly BeeBop’s domain. But, you know what, I’ve seen him do it enough times that I thought, “I bet I could do that; what’s the big deal.” I cranked that big old grill up just like I knew what I was doing. When BeeBop got home, he asked me what I was cooking and I told him I was grilling chicken.  He said, “On the grill? Outside?” He had a vaguely panicked look on his face and went right out to the deck to see what was going on. I must have passed the test because he just said, “looks good.” I never told him that I forgot to turn off the gas when I was finished. I turned it off the next morning when I remembered. That evening he was completely perplexed that we were out of propane. Hmmm…

So, after your grill has heated, place the chicken, skin side up, over indirect heat and cook, covered, for 35 minutes. I put the chicken over one burner which I turned off and left the ones on either side running. Made sense to me, anyway. Turn the chicken and cook, uncovered, over direct heat, until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, brush the onion slices with the remaining 1 tsp oil and season with ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Grill until tender, about 8 minutes.

Peel the remaining orange and slice into ¼-inch thick rounds. I like to make a game out of peeling the orange. If I cut it all off in one long piece I win! Hey, who said cooking wasn’t entertaining for the cook, huh? Cut the rounds into quarters.

Combine them with the grilled onion, lettuce, and reserved marinade/dressing in a bowl. Transfer to individual plates and serve with the chicken.

Enjoy!