First things first…we need to announce the winner of our Everyday with Rachael Ray Giveway (try saying that 5 times fast!).
Congratulations to Samantha Martin!
We were happy to see that she won because she just recently got married. Hopefully Rachael’s recipes will help her and her husband, Derek, to avoid falling into the same traps that we did when we first got married!
Thanks to all who entered to win, and we truly wish we could give something away to every one of you. We do have another giveaway coming up this week and if you are a coffee drinker, you’ll want to check it out!
Rachael Ray has helped shaped the way we think about and cook our food. In the past, if we wanted to make chicken, the only option in our minds was chicken breast. Now don’t get us wrong, we still love chicken breast and eat it all the time. But Rachael’s recipes gave us permission to cook other cuts of chicken. Rachael always talks about how flavorful chicken legs and thighs are. We used to stay clear of chicken legs and thighs, but this summer they have become our favorite parts of the chicken. Yes, yes…there is more fat and calories in chicken legs/thighs compared to chicken breasts. But there is also way more flavor and they are MUCH less expensive than chicken breasts. Eating a chicken leg or thigh instead of a chicken breast is totally fine, when done in moderation. If you are concerned about the fat and calorie content, you can remove the skin before eating.
We recently grilled chicken legs and decided to serve them with one of our favorite sides, quinoa. We put a little bit of a Mexican twist on everything and it turned out amazing!
Lime Chicken Drumsticks
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
1 package chicken legs (4-5 drumsticks)
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 lime, cut into wedges
Directions
Heat your grill to high. Brush the chicken legs with olive oil and season with cumin, salt and pepper.
Place the chicken legs on the grill over direct heat and cook until the skin gets crispy and slightly charred, about 10 minutes. Turn and continue cooking the chicken legs for about 8-10 minutes, or until an internal thermomater reads 180° F. Remove the chicken from the grill. Squeeze the juice of 2-3 lime wedges over the chicken. Tent the plate with foil and let rest for 5 minutes.
Quinoa Salad
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
2 cups quinoa
4 cups chicken stock
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup fresh salsa
4 ounces crumbled light feta
Directions
Combine the quinoa and chicken stock in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes until quinoa is soft and liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork.
While the quinoa cooks, place corn in a dry saute pan over medium heat and cook until it starts to get golden brown. We did this to mimic grilled corn on the cob. If you’ve got corn on the cob, throw it on the grill with the chicken and just cut the kernals off the cob. Same idea!
Toss the cooked quinoa with the beans, corn and salsa. Top with the crumbled feta cheese and a squeeze of juice.
Sooooo. Good. We really feel like this meal is “us.” We love to try lots of different things in the kitchen and are always looking for new ideas, but this is a meal we could make and eat over and over again.
What’s your favorite meal to make these days?
I’m so excited for the subscription!! Thank you so much!! This recipe looks delicious as well. We will have to try it!
We are happy you won Sam!
I honestly was hoping Sam would win (if I didn’t, of course-ha!). So glad you got it, friend! And congrats on marriage! And Dave/Sarah- that chicken looks insanely good. Definitely on my list to try!
Too bad you didn’t live closer, we’d cook it for you and bring it to you after you have your baby!
Those drumsticks look fantastic! I am guilty of staying away from thighs and legs, but you have inspired me to branch out a little bit more and try cooking some. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks Libby!
Ummm – this looks A-mazing. You totally have me convinced that I need to try grilling drumsticks!
Mission accomplished.
Seriously, so flavorful. And the quinoa salad that goes with it is simple but amazing.
Looks great! Will be trying next week since we already have most of the ingredients on hand(I love it when that happens with recipes I want to try).
Thanks Julie! Hope you enjoy it!
OMG, this was absolutely delicious! I’ve never had quinoa before but after this recipe, I will certainly be having it more often! Thanks for the great recipe!
No problem. We are so happy you liked it Traci!
Made this for dinner tonight – LOVED it!! We have a ton of quinoa salad leftover b/c the kids don’t really like quinoa… do you have any suggestions for leftovers? We were thinking it would be good in a burrito. I put a container in the freezer for another time – do you think that will be ok?
Thanks Janet! So glad that you chose to make it and that you loved it!!!! We are honored.
As far as the quinoa goes, it will freeze and thaw out just fine. The burrito is a great idea! Just add your favorite meat and you’ve got amazing burrito. With our leftover quinoa salad, we actually just eat it plain for lunch. It is a great, healthy, quick, filling lunch. The beans provide some protein to fill you up and keep you satisfied through the afternoon.
AND I just had to rave about the quinoa salad – it was the perfect combination of everything, nothing overpowered, so delicious and healthy! Next time I’m going to make some extra chic legs instead of freezing them and tear off the meat and throw it in the leftover salad.
Thanks Janet. It’s crazy how perfectly that all comes together!
Made it and loved it! Hubby too
Thumbs up! That makes us happy!
I made this recipe tonight. It was so good! I have never made quinoa and I have no idea how to pronounce it (which is going to be a little awkward tomorrow when I tell my coworkers about this awesome recipe), but I would definitely make this again.
Yay! Glad you loved it and thanks so much for spreading the word about 1 cup Awesome!!!
Tomorrow you can impress your co-workers by telling them you cooked Quinoa (pronounced Key-Nwa). When they ask you what Quinoa is, you can tell them it’s a protein-packed grain native to South America. You are actually cooking and eating the seed of the plant.
Thanks again for making it!
i found your site through iowa girl eats, and i have to say i am glad i did! i am loving your recipes. i made these last week and they were both delicious! thanks for a new twist on quinoa
Thanks for checking us out Jordan! Glad you liked the recipe!