My neighbor Ben turned me onto this recipe. We are both fans of the Dinosaur BBQ in upstate New York  – a favorite hang of bikers, too! If you are ever in Syracuse or Rochester, NY – check it out.

I love it, especially on the weekend when having guests. It’s one of those dishes that you can get started in the morning, let it marinate all day, and just pop in the oven when the guests arrive. You don’t even have to hang out by the grill! The chicken is a crowd pleaser because it is so flavorful and tender. I like to serve it over brown rice, with my quick Lemon Cilantro Coleslaw and easy Gluten-free Corn Bread.

Dinosaur BBQ’s Mojito Chicken
Make a double batch: this marinade will keep for 2 weeks

Marinade (use 1 cup for chicken)

• 1/4 cup chopped garlic
• 1 Tbs ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 cups fresh orange juice
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Chicken

• 8 pieces chicken
• 1 large onion, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 2 Tbs fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Directions

To make the marinade:

1. Mix the garlic, onions, orange and lime juices in a bowl.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan until just smoking.
3. Cover your arms and put on potholder mitts. Slide the contents of the bowl into the hot oil – be very careful because the liquid will spatter.
4. Simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Season the marinade with the rest of the ingredients.
6. Pour everything into a blender or food processor and pulse 3 times to combine. Pour into a plastic container and cool to room temp; then cover and refrigerate. Will keep for up to 2 weeks.

To make the chicken:

1. Spread the chicken out in a baking dish and pour the marinade over it. Rub some of the marinade under the skin. Marinate the chicken for 4 hours or overnight in the fridge.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3. Scatter the onion over the bottom of a roasting pan large enough to hold all pieces of chicken.  Place the chicken on top of the onion, skin side up. Cook until chicken juice runs clear or internal temperature is 165-175 degrees, approximately 35-45 minutes.

Gluten-free Corn Bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix – my favorite gluten-free baking mix
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 3/4 cup corn meal
• 1/4 cup pure cane sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup almond or coconut milk
• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
• 1 egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8×8 baking pan with grapeseed or other neutral oil. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth. Pour batter in to 8×8 pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out moist but not wet.

Quick Lemon Cilantro Coleslaw
Who says everything has to be made from scratch? For a quick dressing, I added lemon and cilantro to make this slaw fresh and tangy!

• 1 bag shredded cabbage for coleslaw
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• Zest of one lemon
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup of Marzetti’s Low-Fat Coleslaw Dressing
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Put cabbage, scallions and cilantro in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, zest and Marzetti’s dressing. Pour dressing over slaw and toss. End with some fresh crushed pepper.

Notes from Denise

Make a double batch! This slaw is a refreshing addition to any sandwich.

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Summer is coming to an end and who wants to be inside? The beauty of this meal is that all the recipes can be made ahead of time, so you can stay outside and play!

If you were having too much fun this summer and feel the need to regroup and get back to some good eating habits – stay tuned! I have a great 4 day detox — Simple 7 Detox — you eat real food made from just 7 main ingredients: it’s that Simple!