August 23: Marinated Grilled Chicken Breasts with Zippy Chunky Salad and Garlic Dill Fries

1 sack (16 to 18 ounces) crispy-style frozen French fries
4 6-to 8-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
   Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
4 garlic cloves, chopped
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 seedless cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored seeded and chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
10 radishes, thinly sliced
2 romaine lettuce hearts, chopped
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon dried dill, chopped

Preheat the oven according to the package directions for the fries. Spread the fries out in a single layer on a rimmed cookie sheet. Place in the oven when it comes up to temp.

Heat an outdoor grill or grill pan on high.

In a shallow dish, combine the chicken with the EVOO, lemon juice, oregano, three fourths of the chopped garlic, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat evenly and marinate for 5 minutes.

In a salad bowl, combine the cucumbers, red and green bell peppers, onions, radishes, and romaine.

To make the zippy dressing, in a small bowl combine the yogurt, lemon zest, red wine vinegar, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss together.

Transfer the marinated chicken to the grill and cook for 6 minutes on each side. Remove from the heat and let rest for 2 to 3 minutes.

A minute or two before the fries are finished cooking, combine in a small bowl or sauce pot the butter, dill, the remaining fourth of the chopped garlic, and some salt and pepper. Melt over low heat or in the microwave. Once the fries are done and very crisp, transfer to a large shallow bowl, drizzle with the melted garlic-dill butter, and toss to coat the fries evenly. Have a taste to check if they need more salt or pepper.

Serve the chicken with some of the chunky salad and the garlic-dill fries.

4 SERVINGS

This is a pretty good meal, but I had to alter it a little. First of all, the recipe called for 3 tablespoons of butter on the fries. I changed it to a teaspoon, because the fries are already deep fried in oil! Second, the dressing was just way too sour. Maybe some people like nothing but sour salad, but I always have to balance it out. So I put a teaspoon of splenda in the dressing and a little dill. It turned out really nice. I made way too much salad, because my husband won't eat it, but hopefully I can get it eaten up in the next couple days. I made this for lunch today because a friend invited me over for dinner last night. It was great not to have to cook, but having to cook twice in one day is a lot to handle. At least I got a good nap in between meals.