I Never Claimed to be Queen of the 'Que

Of the many recurring themes I touch on in this little blog, is the fact that I live in a house of picky eaters. My husband simply refuses to eat anything that even remotely resembles a healthy meal (or, for that matter, anything ethnic or with flavors he is unaccustomed to), and unfortunately, our son is trying like hell to walk in his shoes.

How do I handle this, you may ask? Simple. I bitch a lot.

Yep, I learned long ago that there is just no converting him, no matter how hard I try, so I have mainly given up on trying to pull the “Deceptively Delicious” routine with his meals and I take my victories anywhere I can.

Whenever the hubs has a job in the St. Louis area, he picks up the local papers on his way to work and reads them on his breaks. Fortunately for me, on Wednesdays, two of these newspapers publish a “Food” section and another includes a magazine insert called “Relish”. It is in this magazine that my picky eater found a new love. The hubs came home from work that day with the page folded back so I could get a good view of the full color picture that was making his mouth water.

This little jewel is dubbed “Indian Style Grilled Chicken”, so there is no claim being made that they are purveying anything traditional or specific, like Tandoori chicken, which I appreciate. The method for this chicken is similar, in that it utilizes a marinade of yogurt and various spices. Having attempted a similar recipe before, and being disappointed in the stove-top results, I decided this recipe was going to have to wait until I got my much-anticipated new grill for Mothers Day (Yes, its true, I knew that he would cave in and get it for me). In this manner, the chicken may have marinated a bit longer than intended, as the night I planned to cook it (the night after the grill came home) something came up unexpectedly and I didn’t manage to get the grill completely assembled. Hence, no chicken for dinner. (A quick peek at my new baby. Didn't I do a nice job putting her together? I am woman - hear me roar!)

I was on the ball the next night, however, rising early the next morning to work on the grill again and getting it upright in time to put some flame to the chicken thighs that had been lounging in the fridge nearly 48 hours at that point.

Now, I never claimed to be queen of the ‘que.

My inaugural dinner had its ups and downs and I did manage to get almost every piece of skin to stick like glue to the hot grates, but that didn’t deter me. I was a woman on a mission. And, in the end, beauty IS only skin deep.What was under the skin is another story. Luscious and moist, tender and flavorful, the Man of the House couldn’t stop raving about how good it was, and frankly, I have to agree. This one will definitely be on the menu again this summer. And next time....he better not make off with all the leftovers again!
Indian Style Grilled Chicken
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon coriander
2 teaspoons garam masala
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup hot sauce, such as Frank’s Original Hot Sauce
¾ cup plain yogurt
¼ cup heavy cream
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Cooking spray
8 bone-in chicken thighs

1. Combine all ingredients (except cooking spray and chicken) in a large bowl; stir until well blended. Add chicken, turning to coat well. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
2. Prepare grill and spray grate with cooking spray.
3. Remove chicken from marinade and place on a platter. Discard marinade. Grill chicken skin side down 6 to 8 minutes, turn and grill second side 6 to 8 minutes. Serves 8.

Relish Magazine (http://www.relishmag.com/)