Grilled Balsamic Chicken

Two great recipes for chicken plus a video!

Grilled Balsamic Chicken turns out moist and flavorful. I love how it starts cooking in the oven but then finishes on the grill. It's a real crowd pleaser and can be served hot, warm or chilled.

Plus – scroll down for a video showing how to cut up a chicken starring Vince Krekeler, a St. Louis butcher who's been cutting up chickens since he was eight years old. You won't believe how quick-quick he can cut up a chicken. Plus, Vince shares his family recipe, the simple Vince's Baked Chicken, a great family dish.

“All it takes is a sharp knife and a little experience.”

That’s the advice of butcher Vince Krekeler, who began cutting up chickens at his dad’s grocery in Maplewood, Missouri at age eight and is now one of five meat cutters, the modern title, at Freddie’s Market in Webster Groves.

“Cutting meat is a lost art,” says Vince. If he sounds rueful, it’s because working butchers are increasingly rare. In the St. Louis area, only Freddie’s, McDonnell’s Market Place [closed in 2011] and Straub’s still cut meat behind the counter.

"Artful" is exactly how to describe the 50 seconds of swift, sure, practiced knife work that Vince uses to separate one of Freddie’s fresh, ice-packed chickens into wings, drumsticks, thighs, breasts and the back, all for an extra 10 cents a pound. That, good cooks, is art for a price we might all happily invest.

VINCE's BAKED CHICKEN At the Krekeler house, Wednesday night is Chicken Night, when Vince bakes chicken for wife Linda and the rest of the family, especially granddaughter Jade who looooves her grandpa’s baked chicken. Just season chicken pieces with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Bake for an hour at 325F in a baking dish covered with foil. This is how I bake chicken all the time, it's so simple! I do recommend chicken that's never been frozen, it makes all the difference!

HOMEMADE CHICKEN STOCK For homemade chicken stock, throw the back and the wings into a pot with onion, celery, a few peppercorns and cover with water. Let barely simmer for an hour or so, strain and refrigerate. For more detail, see Homemade Chicken Stock or No-Big-Deal Homemade Chicken Stock.

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. Follow Kitchen Parade on Facebook!

QUICK SUPPER:
GRILLED BALSAMIC CHICKEN

Start in the oven, finish on the grill

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 24 hours
Serves 8

• 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces

MARINADE
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped green onion

Rinse and dry chicken pieces. Place breasts, thighs and drumsticks in a large ziplock bag. (Save the back and wings for Homemade Chicken Stock.) Mix marinade ingredients and pour over chicken. Seal bag and refrigerate for 24 hours, keeping meat submerged, turning if needed.

Preheat oven to 325F. Place chicken in a baking dish in a single layer, pour marinade over top. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes. (If making in advance, cover and refrigerate. Return to room temperature.)

Heat grill, wipe rack with wad of paper towels dipped in vegetable oil. Finish chicken on the grill, cooking each side 4 - 5 minutes, brushing with marinade.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Drumstick, Thigh or Half Breast with skin: 235 Calories; 17g Tot Fat; 5g Sat Fat; 0g Carb; 0g Fiber; 0mg Sodium; 99mg Cholesterol; 19g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS WW Old Points 6 & WW Points Plus 6.

ALANNA's TIPS Grilled Balsamic Chicken is a great party recipe too since the chicken tastes great served hot, warm or cold. For potlucks, I use chicken thighs and drumsticks, smaller portions when the table is laden with other goodies. For budget meals, I use chicken "quarters" – that's a leg and a thigh, still joined. The balsamic flavoring really sticks in the chicken skins but to save some calories, I usually remove the skins before marinating the chicken.

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Vince Krekeler:
Cutting Up Chickens Since He Was Eight Years Old!

What It Takes to Cut Up a Chicken:
"A Sharp Knife and a Little Experience"

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Chicken Hot off the Grill

Grilled Balsamic Chicken is perfect for dinner or a crowd. The 'fire' in the photo comes from burning dogwood leaves. I've read about a chef who adds smoke to his grill, not with the typical hickory or mesquite wood, but from fresh basil, fresh rosemary or, in this case, all that was on hand, a few leaves from a nearby dogwood tree!

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More Easy Chicken Recipes

(hover for a description, click a photo for a recipe)

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Cook an Extra Chicken for Another Meal

(hover for a description, click a photo for a recipe)

~ more chicken recipes ~

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Recent Favorites from A Veggie Venture

~ Bok Choy Salad with Chinese Salad Dressing ~
~ Classic Seven-Layer Salad ~

If you like Kitchen Parade's recipes, for more recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, visit A Veggie Venture, my food blog, home to the Alphabet of Vegetables where there's a vegetable in every recipe and vegetables in every course.

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ chicken ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Quick Links to This Page

(for easy bookmarking and searching)
~ Homemade Chicken Stock ~
~ Vince’s Baked Chicken ~

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