Chicken strips dress up dinner and cut kitchen time

Tag: Dried pepper

In the summer, everyone wants to make meals quickly. My daughter, Anna, and my best friend, Lynn, love to have cooked chicken strips on hand in the fridge -- they're a great way to make cooking easier. Although you can buy cooked chicken, it tastes better when you grill or roast it yourself. Freeze the strips in portions of 1 cup (250mL) if you are not going to use them in a few days. You can use the strips in sandwiches, quesadillas, tacos, pasta dishes, salads, omelets, on top of pizzas and in soups. Here are a few recipes to show you how versatile this idea really is, especially for individual meals.

GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS

Use your favourite rub or try this one. - 2 tbsp (25mL) olive oil - 1 tbsp (15mL) chili powder - 1 tsp (5mL) salt - ½ tsp (2mL) sugar - 2 lbs (1kg) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1. Combine olive oil with chili powder, salt and sugar. Rub into chicken. Marinate 30 minutes at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator.

2. Grill chicken on a medium-high barbecue, grill pan or skillet approximately 2 minutes per side to brown and then on lower heat 3 to 4 minutes per side (depending on thickness of chicken breasts) until just cooked through. A meat thermometer should reach 160F (71C) when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken. Chicken breasts can also be roasted on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, in a preheated 375F (190C) oven, for 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Cool chicken. Slice into thin strips. Makes 6 to 8 servings.