Now that it’s finally summer in southern Minnesota (climatologically speaking), it has become difficult for me to do any cooking that isn’t done outside on the grill. After all, who wants to be stuck inside using the stovetop or the oven, heating up the kitchen on a sunny, warm Sunday afternoon? Not me. Furthermore, after such a gruesome winter this year, folks around here believe in taking full advantage of every nice day that we are fortunate enough to receive. Of course, on rainy days I don’t hesitate to return to the kitchen, because as I have stated before, I have an aversion to grilling food outdoors while holding an umbrella—and no, during bad weather I NEVER push the grill into the garage or up next the house under the overhang of the roof. There have been too many reports of mishaps and serious accidents and houses burning to the ground as a result of using outdoor grills in such risky places. Besides, I don’t want my grill or the metal tip of my umbrella (or myself, for that matter), to become a lightning rod during a thunderstorm, resulting in much more being grilled than just the chicken.

 

With that said (my somewhat indirect way of reminding you to follow common sense safety procedures when using your outdoor grill), let me tell you about the wonderful chicken entrée I prepared on the grill last evening. “California Grilled Chicken,” a dish I found on BetterRecipes.com, features honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, ginger, pureed nectarine, and ground toasted walnuts that are used as a marinade for boneless chicken tenders prior to grilling. The marinade gives the chicken an incredible flavor.

 

Of course, as I often do with recipes, I found it necessary to make some minor changes to conform to my tastes or the tastes of my guests. In this case, I followed the ingredients exactly, except that I doubled the amount of the marinade called for in the recipe. I used the suggested amount to marinate the chicken, and as the recipe called for, I discarded the marinade afterward. I used the other half of the marinade (which was not used to marinate the chicken) to generously baste the chicken during the cooking process. (I never reuse a marinade for any purpose once it has been in contact with the raw chicken, thus the reason I made a double batch.) I also couldn’t resist throwing a few legs and thighs onto the grill with the skin on. The sauce made the crispy grilled skin irresistible. You will not be disappointed with this superb chicken recipe.