Grilling Without a Grill ~ Memorial Day Plate

Barbecue Grilled Chicken Breasts - Steamed Green Beans - Honey Glazed Biscuits

Not all of us are blessed with an outdoor grill. If you live in the city or in apartment building, chances are you have little to no outdoor space and having an outdoor grill is not really an option. That doesn't mean you can make delicious "grilled" food on your own. And when grill-happy holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July come around, you can still celebrate by doing some clever indoor grilling.

There are two basic methods of grilling without an outdoor grill. The first is using a grill pan and the second is using your oven's broiler. A grill pan is essential and is not as big of a financial investment as a real outdoor grill. You can easily find a good quality grill pan for $20 to $50. The grill pan has grooves that simulate the rack on an outdoor grill and gives any meat or vegetable those grill marks that we all love so much. And if you have an oven, chances are you have a broiler. If you have a gas oven, your broiler will produce flames which is as close as you'll get to cooking directly with fire inside your own home. If you have an electric oven like I do, the broiler is still useful for producing a blast of intense heat but isn't quite as effective as the gas oven broiler's flame.

So if you are celebrating Memorial Day tomorrow by yourself or with family and friends but you don't have an outdoor grill, why not try this plate? It's simple and delicious and easily feeds a couple of people or a small crowd.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day!


Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts per person
Your favorite Barbecue sauce
green beans
Pillsbury Grand Biscuits - 3 per person
honey

You'll need a steamer, pastry & basting brushes and a grill pan.

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Honey Biscuits - Preheat your oven to package instructions and arrange your biscuits on a nonstick baking sheet. Add a few tablespoons of honey to a small bowl and add a little bit of water or some lemon juice to slightly dilute the honey. With a pastry brush, brush some of the honey onto the biscuits. Bake to package directions and then add a bit more honey to the top of the biscuits while they are still hot. Set aside.

Chicken - Season your chicken with salt. Add your chicken breast to a bowl and smear each breast with your favorite barbecue sauce. You can either heat up a grill pan and grill the breasts that way (about 4 minutes each side) or you can preheat your broiler and broil your chicken on the middle rack (remove any upper racks) for about 5-6 minutes each side. You can baste with more sauce as you go or just add some more sauce at the end.

Green Beans - Steam with whatever method you steam vegetables with. I use a pot with an inch of water and a steaming rack. I let the water come to a boil then add the green beans as season them with salt. I cook them for about 8-10 minutes or less if I want them bright green and crunchy. Check on them every couple of minutes so they don't over cook.

Enjoy!