the 12 days of [simplifying] Christmas: many merry meals from one chicken marinade

Those of you who have the freezer meals thing down have a big jump on the rest of us, especially during the busy months of the holidays. I'm not there yet. But I did find boneless chicken breasts for $1.67 lb. thru Deals to Meals, and put together six packages of marinated chicken and a few containers of soup for the freezer a couple weeks ago. Even just a few meals planned ahead have made a huge difference in simplifying.

This past September, our Relief Society fall social was rained out. Half an hour before everyone was to arrive, we moved it to my friend (and our RS President) Marci's basement. (With six kids, it takes a lot to get her frazzled.) She also happens to be an amazing cook, so she had put together the main meal for all 50-60 sisters.



We had grilled chicken salads, and they were fantastic. Everyone asked for the recipe for the chicken.

I planned to get a photo, but this is all that was left. Seriously, it was a huge container. The recipe is very close to my favorite chicken fajita recipe, so I knew it was going to be good.

Like me, Marci likes to keep things simple. What's great about this chicken, is that you can use it for so many different dishes--tacos, burritos, nachos, salads, etc. And obviously, it's great to feed a large crowd. I used this recipe for my "freezer chicken" and it's been wonderful in and on every dish.

I even used it in my Southwestern Egg Rolls the other night since it was already cooked.

For the fall social salads, Marci served it with lettuce, cheese and black bean salsa, tortilla strips and Cafe Rio salad dressing. (Tortilla strips and dressing purchased at the restaurant.)  The black bean salsa recipe is a huge time saver since it already includes the other toppings.

CHICKEN MARINADE

2 T. olive oil
2 T. lime juice
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 t. chili powder
1/2 garlic cloves, minced

Marinade four chicken breasts for 1-2 hours before grilling.

*Marci says you really do need to grill these. I used my George Foreman Grill and it turned out great!

BLACK BEAN SALSA

1/4 c. oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. cumin
15 oz. can black beans (drained and rinsed)
15 oz can niblet corn
1/2 c. chopped onion (green onions are good)
3-4 large tomatoes
lime juice to taste (I usually use 1/2 a lime)
1/4 c. chopped cilantro

Mix ingredients together in a large bowl and enjoy!

MORE SUPER SIMPLE RECIPES
Chicken Taco Soup
Loaded Nachos

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