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Eating for Life: Grilled Chicken Spiedini
By JILL WENDHOLT SILVAThe Kansas City Star
The culprit?
Typically the skewered, breaded kebabs are served drowning in a puddle of olive oil. For instance, one recipe on cdkitchen .com calls for 1/2 cup olive oil. Another on recipezaar.com lists 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter.
The Star’s Grilled Chicken Spiedini adds more zesty lemon and spicy pepperoncini, a mixture that balances flavor with a more modest tablespoon of olive oil.
•Shopping tip: Look for pickled pepperoncini in the condiment aisle with salad dressings, pickles and peppers. You can also find them on some salad bars.
•Cooking tip: For tips on getting the coals to the right temperature using the “Mississippi” counting test, go to Kansas City.com and click on House + Home. At 400 degrees, you should be able to hold your hand 4 inches above the grate and count to four, using the “1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi…” method, before the heat forces you to pull it away.
•Serving tip: Instead of serving the grilled chicken over a bed of fettuccine — referred to by the Center for Science in the Public Interest as a “heart attack on a plate” — try it on a bed of noodles lightly dressed in the pepperoncini sauce plus a dab of heart-healthy olive oil, if desired.
Makes 4 servings
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons grated lemon zest, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped pickled pepperoncini
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
Combine lemon juice, 1 tablespoon lemon zest and olive oil; blend well. Remove 2 tablespoons lemon juice mixture, stir in pepperoncini and set aside. Place remaining mixture into zip-top bag and add chicken breasts. Seal bag, refrigerate and allow to marinate 30 minutes.
Place bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, remaining 2 tablespoons lemon zest and garlic cloves in shallow dish such as a pie plate; blend well. Remove each chicken breast from marinade and place in crumb mixture, coating well. Carefully cut each breast into 1-inch thick slices and thread onto metal skewers.
Preheat grill to medium-high (400 degrees, see cooking tip) allowing coals to burn down to white ash. Grill chicken 9 to 12 minutes, or until fully cooked and meat thermometer registers 170 degrees, turning midway through cooking.
Place on serving platter and drizzle with pepperoncini mixture.
Per serving: 275 calories (24 percent from fat), 7 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), 71 milligrams cholesterol, 19 grams carbohydrates, 32 grams protein, 489 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.
Throughout July, the Food and House + Home sections are teaming up to bring you healthy, low-fat grilling recipes, like today’s Chicken Spiedini. You can also find tips for prepping your grill in the H+H section each Sunday. To view video clip, go to KansasCity.com.