Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Lemon-Rosemary-Garlic Marinated Grilled Chicken with Cheddar Cauliflower Patties

This evening we grilled boneless chicken breasts that I marinated in a Lemon Rosemary Garlic Marinade that I made yesterday evening and let them marinate overnight.  I made Cheddar Cauliflower Patties to serve with our meal and baked sweet potatoes for daughter and hubby too (I had broccoli & carrots instead of sweet potato).

The marinade was good...very lemony.  I added 1/2 teaspoon of salt which might not be enough for some people, so adjust it according to your preference.  The Cheddar Cauliflower Patties were really good...but it is very important that you have the pan really hot before you add the cheese cauliflower mixture so they can quickly develop a "crust" to make it easier to flip them when it is time.  On the first batch I made, I added the mixture to the pan before the pan was hot enough and they were very difficult to flip without falling apart.  The second  batch came out much better.  Also, the head of cauliflower I used was quite large...so I probably needed to adjust and add more almond/coconut flour (or bread crumbs if you are using those instead) to dry the mixture up a little bit more.  They were very tasty though and once I realized I needed my pan to be hotter, it made the process much easier.  When I make them next time, I will probably add a little more almond/coconut flour as a thickener (or bread crumbs if you are using) to dry out the mixture more.  They tasted very similar to "potato cakes" you make with leftover mashed potatoes.  I snapped a few pics of dinner as well as the recipes for the marinade and Cheddar Cauliflower Patties below.  Enjoy!



Lemon-Rosemary-Garlic Marinated Grilled Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (approximately 3 large lemons, squeezed)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon rind
1/3 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper. to taste
Pinch cayenne pepper

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

DIRECTIONS:

Blend all ingredient wells and pour into a 1 gallon Ziploc bag.  Add chicken breasts; seal bag tightly, removing as much air as possible.  Marinate several hours or overnight.  Grill chicken until juices run clear; discard leftover marinade.
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Cheddar Cauliflower Patties

INGREDIENTS:

1 head cauliflower

2 large eggs
3/4 - 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup almond flour (see note below)
2 tablespoons coconut flour (see note below)
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Olive oil (to coat skillet)

DIRECTIONS:


Cut cauliflower into florets and cook in boiling water until tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Drain well (if possible, it is better to cook all the water out of the pan near the end so cauliflower is as dried out as possible before mashing).  With cauliflower in the pan; over low heat, mash the cooked cauliflower in the pan to help evaporate any excess moisture.  Stir cheese, eggs, almond and coconut flour, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste.

Coat the bottom of a griddle or non-stick skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat (the pan should be hot when you add the mixture to develop a light crust so you can flip them).  Form the cauliflower mixture into small patties about 3 inches across (if the mixture isn't thick enough to make patties, drop by heaping tablespoons into the heated and lightly oiled skillet and gently press down with back of spoon to form patties). Cook until golden brown and set on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown. 
Makes about 10-12 patties.

Note:  You can substitute 1/2 cup of Panko bread crumbs instead of using the almond and coconut flour if you aren't concerned about "gluten or wheat free".

2 comments:

Annie said...

For the patties, have you considered refrigerating them before cooking? I saw a blog where gnocchi was made using coconut flour and the chef said he got a MUCH better gnocchi as long as he chilled it for a while and then quickly placed in the hot water whilst the gnocchi was still cold. Perhaps you could chill the pattie mixture for a few hours and then place on the hot griddle. Worth a try :)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Annie -- no, I never considered refrigerating them first. I didn't have any problem making them the way I did -- but it might make it easier for a lot of folks -- that way you could also make them in advance too which would be a good thing! Thanks for your suggestion -- I will definitely try it next time I make them! :-)