Pretending to be Southern

Those who know me well know of my love of Southern accents, music, food, and selected people (you know who you are).  A recent dinner made me think of myself as a Southerner in training.  The meal consisted of barbecue chicken sandwiches, pickled onions, broccoli slaw, and grilled corn with honey butter.  The husband and I finished off the meal with red velvet cupcakes.  Too bad the cupcakes were store bought, but there is only so much a girl can do in one day.   The food  so delish and a great summertime meal no matter what the geography is.

Barbecue Chicken with Pickled Onions 
(adapted from Cooking Light, August 2010)

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
3 tablespoons white vinegar, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons honey, divide
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, trimmed
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Combine sliced onion, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons honey in a small bowl; toss well.  Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
3. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, remaining 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons water, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Bring to a simmer (do not boil).  Simmer 5 minutes; stir in butter.  Remove from heat and keep warm. 
4. Sprinkle chicken with remaining pepper and salt.  Place on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until done.  Remove chicken from grill; cool slightly.  Shred chicken into bite-size pieces.  Add chicken to saucepan with mustard mixture, and toss gently to coat.  
5. Top toasted hamburger buns with chicken and drained onion slices.

Yield:  4 servings


Broccoli Slaw
(Cooking Light, August 2010)
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 (12 ounce) package broccoli slaw

1. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.  Add parsley and broccoli slaw; toss to coat.

Yield:  4 servings