Chimichurri Chicken

The fridge is often a sad place for bunches of cilantro and parsley, in my kitchen, at least. I loooove fresh herbs, and if a recipe calls for fresh cilantro or parsley, there's no way I'm skimping, but it's been a long--looooong- time since I've bought a bunch of cilantro or parsley and used it all before it began to wilt. 

Some times I'll sort out a bunch of cilantro straight from the beginning, and place in it a vase with water to keep it fresh for a few extra days. And it works, for a few days, but the last remaining stems always hang around until they're far past "usable". 

This recipe, though, is perfect for those just-beginning-to-wilt bunches of cilantro and parsley in your fridge. The only real problem is you'll fall in love with using Chimichurri sauce and you'll being buying parsley and cilantro just to make this recipe, and well, the vicious cycle of buying bunches of fresh herbs, using half, and letting the other half wilt will begin. At least, that's how it happened with me. Luckily, this sauce stays nice an fresh in your fridge for at least a week, so you can make a BIG batch (go ahead, use the entire bunch of parsley!) and then put it on everything you eat: eggs, sandwiches, burgers, chicken, fish--the list goes on. 

My number one favorite use of Chimichurri sauce right now: using it as a marinade for chicken and throwing it on the grill. Then topping that chicken with even more sauce. It's vibrant and fresh, making it the ultimate grill-out dish, when you tire of standard BBQ sauce. Plus if you, like me, have be wishing for a little vacation lately, this meal will remind you of somewhere south of the border... a little bit of South America in a bite! 

Chimichurri Chicken

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free,    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

Use up bunches of cilantro and parsley to make this recipe!

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients:

Sauce:
• 1/4 white onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup cilantro, packed
• 1/3 cup parsley, packed
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 jalapeño
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Optional, for extra-spice: dash of cayenne

For the chicken:
• 1 pound boneless chicken (cutlets, breasts, or thighs)

Directions:

1. Please the onion, jalapeño, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until minced. Next, add the cilantro and parsley, and drizzle in the vinegar and oil. Pulse until the herbs are minced. Add a few cracks of salt and pepper, and the oregano. Pulse 2 or 3 more times. Taste, and add additional salt/pepper to your preferences. If you prefer a spicier sauce (or you find that the jalapeño you used was quite mild), add a dash of cayenne to taste. Use a spatula to scrap sauce into a jar.
2. For the chicken: Place chicken in a zip lock or shallow dish for marinating. Pour 3/4 of chimichurri sauce into container, and give it all a shake to ensure all of the chicken is coated. Cover (or seal zip lock) and place in fridge for 8-12 hours to marinate.
3. When ready to cook: heat grill to 375-450°F. Place chicken on grill and allow to sear on one side for 5 minutes. (Discard any marinade that remains in the container). Flip chicken, and sear on the second side for 5-10 more minutes. Check that the chicken is cooked through before serving: cooking time will vary greatly on thickness of cut of meat. Juices should run clear and meat should no longer be pink. Serve hot, with reserved chimichurri sauce as a topping.

Maple Sriracha Barbecue Chicken Kabobs

Update: This is an older recipe from Foraged Dish but still a good one! I updated it on 1/1/2019 (happy new year!) to make it easier and more clear. Plus — new pictures, and a video!

The sauce here is as easy as adding 4 ingredients to a bowl. Sriracha, garlic, maple syrup, and coconut oil.

From there you can basically do whatever you like. I use chicken, bell peppers, red onion, and zucchini but you could easily swap in steak or shrimp, and replace the veggies for something else grill-friendly, like yellow squash, mushrooms (I LOVE grilled mushrooms!!), or even little cubes of pineapple. (If you like grilled pineapple, try these sweet and spicy barbeque shrimp & pineapple skewers).

Compared to other hot sauces, sriracha is not very spicy — it’s a little sweet, in fact. This, combined with some maple syrup, turns into an ultimate grilling glaze. It comes out as a sweet and spicy kabob. Make some extra sauce for dipping, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve with a lime wedge if you have it. Make a complete meal by serving over a bed of rice!

Most people would tell you that kabobs are a perfect BBQ, potluck, picnic, camping dinner. But I — crazy me - made these in January while it was snowing. 🤪❄️Watch for snow flake over the grill in the video below!

Maple Sriracha Barbecue Chicken Kabobs

Published January 3, 2016 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4-6   |    Active Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup sriracha sauce

3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 pound chicken breast, cubed

1 red bell pepper, diced into bite-sized pieces

1 green bell pepper, diced into bite-sized pieces

1/2 red onion, diced into bite-sized pieces

1 zucchini, diced into bite-sized pieces

Directions:

1. Add garlic, sriracha, coconut oil, and maple syrup to a medium or large sized mixing bowl and stir to combine.
2. Add chicken, bell peppers, onion, and zucchini to bowl and stir to coat in sauce.
3. Assemble kabobs: put chicken and veggies on metal or wooden skewers, alternating ingredients (ex: chicken, bell pepper, onion, chicken, zucchini, etc).
4. Heat grill to high. Place kabobs on hot grill and cook for 12 minutes with lid closed, turning every 5 minutes and brushing with any extra sauce.
5. When juices run clear and chicken is cooked through, remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Update December 2018: This is one of the most popular recipes on Foraged Dish! I love it too. I updated it with new images, a video (!!) and made the instructions more concise. Enjoy!

Let's just cut to the chase: I'm a big fajita fan. What's not to love about have a sizzling hot skillet brought to your table?? 

This recipe is simple to whip together --30 minutes tops- but I'm going to bet high here and say it taste better than any Mexican restaurant. All you have to do is the toss the peppers and chicken in the spice mix, spread them out on a pan and throw them in the oven until their sizzling and the peppers are blackened on the edges. Bonus points for a squeeze for fresh lime juice at the end. 

Grab a helping hand and have them make the guac and the pico while you chop the peppers. As a little experiment, I made my pico de gallo with the tiniest cherry tomatoes I could find, and left them whole. All I can say is, you should try it too! Cherry tomatoes are sweeter than regular tomatoes, so each bite was like a bright explosion of yum. It also made for dripping-juicy fajitas, but I have no problem with that when it tastes so fresh.

You can serve these really however you want--I choose cabbage leaves as a paleo tortilla replacement, as they add a nice crunch, but if you really want to go big you could even make your own paleo tortillas. Heck, just use this filling as a salad topping and you'll still be all set! 

Now, enough talk... on to the recipe! 

Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Published September 16, 2015 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

3 bell peppers, mixed colors, sliced into strips

1 white or yellow onion, sliced into strips

1 pound chicken breast, sliced into 1/4-inch strips

1 tablespoon olive oil or melted coconut oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Juice from 1/2 a lime

To serve: tortillas, finely sliced cabbage or romaine, cilantro, pico de gallo, avocado, cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. On a large sheet pan, combine bell peppers, onion, and chicken. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with spices. Then toss everything to coat evenly.
3. Place in oven and roast for 15-20 minutes, until edges of peppers are turning brown.
4. Pull from oven, and sprinkle with lime juice.
5. Serve with tortillas, avocado, cheese, greens (such as cabbage or romaine), minced cilantro, etc.