Summer Grillin'

I'm always looking for new marinades to spice up regular old grilled chicken. I like marinades that are simple, but have lots of flavor. Well this one is both! It has a subtle lime flavor but the red pepper adds a nice kick to it. The original recipe calls for a black bean sauce but since I have such a picky husband that won't eat beans of any kind, I decided to just use the chicken marinade.

Grilled Lime Chicken

3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
¼ tsp. dried red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, crushed

Directions:
Combine lime juice, vegetable oil, red pepper and garlic in a large zip-top heavy duty plastic bag. Add chicken; seal bag and marinate in refrigerator for 8 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove chicken from bag and grill over medium-hot coals. Cook 8-10 minutes on each side or until chicken is done.

*I served this with roasted red potatoes and steamed baby carrots.

Here's the recipe for the black bean sauce that I ommited.

1 cup water
½ cup red bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp. red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained
½ cup orange juice
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
sprigs of fresh cilantro (optional)

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan; add bell pepper and onion. Cook 30 seconds; drain. Rinse with cold water until cool; drain and set aside.

In a food processor, add beans, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic. Process until smooth. Pour into a saucepan; cook over medium-low heat until heated.

Divide bean mixture onto plates. Place chicken breast on top of sauce; top each with some of the bell pepper mixture or a fresh tomato salsa. Garnish with fresh cilantro.