Grilled Lemon Garlic Chicken (Greek Chicken)

I found the recipe for the chicken marinade in an Instyle magazine eons ago. They were doing an article on John Stamos...yes from Full House sitcom fame...he gave his dad's recipe for Greek Chicken...delish! ..Plan ahead - the chicken needs to marinate overnight. He also uses this marinade for Grilled Shrimp, and Sea Scallops.

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of white wine (plus a nip for the cook!)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tsp salt

freshly cracked pepper and fresh flat leaf parsley isn't in the original recipe, but I added it. 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. **** I ditched the bowl, and just put the marinade ingredients straight into the zip lock bag, zipped it, and then shook it to combine. 

Marinate chicken overnight in the refrigerator - turning occasionally. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade; season with salt and pepper. Cook over high heat on charcoal or gas grill (turning once) about 10 minutes. ( I used my cast iron grill pan on the stove)  Let sit 5 minutes before slicing. Serves 8 if using 3 pds of chicken.

OR....for marinated grilled seafood:

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/4 pound sea scallops
wooden skewers

In a ziplock bag marinate seafood in refrigerator for 2 hours, turning occasionally. Soak skewers in water for 30 minutes. Remove seafood from marinade; discard marinade. Place on skewers; season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat on charcoal or gas grill, 6-8 minutes, or until opaque. Serves 8.

Cucumber & Dill Yogurt Dressing

Use this cucumber dill yogurt dressing with my  Grilled Lemon Garlic Chicken with feta cheese and kalamata olives in a pita, or on top of grilled salmon or fish, as a dip with pita chips, or fresh pita bread

1 heaping cup chopped baby cucumbers, 1 small

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1 clove garlic, minced, or pressed through a garlic press

squeeze of fresh lemon juice

3/4 tsp white wine vinegar

1/4 tsp kosher salt 

1-2 Tablespoon  fresh dill - depending how dilly you like things

mix  all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate so flavors can meld. 

Orzo Cucumber Tomato Salad

I had some orzo I wanted to use, and I had everything on hand to put together this refreshing salad. It's even better the next day. I like to serve this as a side with my grilled lemon garlic chicken - left overs make a great lunch the next day..

1 1/2 cups dry orzo pasta
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion ( to tone down the sharpness of an onion soak it in some water for about 10 minutes, drain, and pat dry with a paper towel)
kalamata olives, as many as you like
1/4 cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup good quality feta cheese ( I like Valbreso french feta sheep's milk - expensive, but I'm worth it!)
balsamic vinaigrette ( I like Newman's Own) or Greek salad dressing

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add dry orzo pasta and cook 8-10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients add 1/4 to a 1/2 cup dressing to taste. You don't want it swimming in dressing, just enough to flavor everything. Refrigerate until ready to serve. I like to pull it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving.