Garlic Chicken on the Grill

Barbecue are one of the time-honored traditions of the summer season. Getting together with friends and family to relax outdoors and enjoy freshly grilled food with delightfully cool beverages, falls somewhere just short of paradise. With all the local warm weather as of late, I felt it time to shovel out the small path to the grill and formally fire up barbecue season. For this weeks I went with Chicken breasts grilled with a marinade of lemon or lime juice, garlic, and chili powder, along with oregano.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 cup purchased salsa or picante sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, crumbled
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Preparation:

Flatten chicken breasts; place each chicken breast between sheets or plastic wrap or food storage bags and pound gently with flat side of meat mallet until about 1/4-inch thick.

Cut each flattened chicken breast into strips about 1-inch in width. Place chicken strips in a glass baking dish or nonreactive shallow container.

Combine remaining ingredients: pour over chicken until just covered, reserve the remaining for basting to avoid cross contamination. Cover and chill chicken in marinade for 1 to 2 hours.

Thread chicken onto metal skewers or well-soaked wooden skewers. Grill over hot coals for 6 to 8 minutes, turning a few times and basting with remaining marinade. Serve with additional salsa, if desired.