8 chicken breast halves,

 boneless, skin attached

Olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Assemble all ingredients for Pineapple Citrus Sauce, but do not cook yet. Pre-heat grill.

Pound the chicken breasts with a meat tenderizer until they are a uniform ½” thickness. Rub both sides with oil and salt & pepper. Grill breasts, skin-side down for 4-5 minutes, turn and cook an additional 3-4 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove to platter and cover with foil for 5 minutes before serving. You may remove skin to serve, if desired. Meanwhile, make the Pineapple Citrus Sauce.

Pineapple Citrus Sauce

2 tablespoons shallots, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

3 tablespoons vegetable broth, purchased

Zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

2 tablespoons fresh pineapple juice

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Add all ingredients except cornstarch to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. To avoid lumps, whisk cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water and add to sauce. Bring to boil and until thickened, about 1 minute; serve immediately over chicken breasts.

Note: Purchase 1 fresh pineapple and use it for the 2 tablespoons juice for the sauce, 1/3 cup small dice for the Basil-Pineapple Rice and cut up the rest to serve as an appetizer. Cut the pineapple in half length-wise through the green top and carefully cut out the flesh from each half, reserving the shells to use as a bowl for the rice. Cut out the core and discard. Cut remaining pineapple into chunks. Squeeze a few into a small bowl to obtain 2 tablespoons of juice for the sauce.

Chimichurri Sauce
1 cup fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
½ teaspoon salt
Dash red pepper sauce such as Tabasco, Tapatio

For Chimichurri Sauce, combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until pureed. Serve as a sauce with the Chili-Rubbed Chicken Breasts. Best made 2 hours in advance and served at room temperature.

Mix chili powder, cumin and salt together and rub on both sides of chicken breast steaks. Oil grill well and heat to medium high. Place chicken breast steaks on hot, oiled grill and grill for 2-3 minutes, turn & grill for an additional 1-2 minutes until no longer pink in the middle. Do not overcook. Remove to platter, cover with foil and let rest for 5-6 minutes.

Substitute: Chili-Rubbed Chicken Breasts are also great served with a dollop of my Zesty Guacamole from the Family Fiesta Chapter of my book, Easy Entertaining for Beginners.

2 pounds tomatillos, washed & husked
1 Anaheim chile
2 cups chicken broth, purchased
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 medium-size onions, white, chopped
8 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
24 very fresh corn tortillas
½ cup canola oil
1 cooked rotisserie chicken, purchased, skinned, boned and shredded
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup Mexican Crema or Sour Cream, to serve

For Roasted Tomatillo Sauce:
Pre-heat broiler. Place tomatillos and Anaheim chile under hot broiler until they are blistered and roasted; about 4-5 minutes. Turn over and roast the other side for an additional 3-4 minutes. Cool and transfer to blender (with juice from tomatillos) to blend until smooth. Before adding the chile to the blender, remove the stem and seeds and peel the clear layer of skin off and discard. Add to blender. In a large heavy frying pan heat the oil on a medium heat and add half of the chopped onions. Stir and cook for 7-8 minutes. Add half of the chopped garlic and cook an additional minute.
Add the tomatillo/chili mixture and stir. When the mixture comes to a boil, stir in the chicken broth and season with about 1 teaspoon salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to assemble the enchiladas.

For enchiladas:
Warm the tortillas in foil in a 300 degree oven for 7-8 minutes while sautéing the chicken mixture. This makes the tortillas more pliable for rolling.
In a heavy medium frying pan, heat the canola oil. Add remaining chopped onion and sauté for 7-8 minutes. Add remaining garlic and sauté for 1 more minute. Add the chicken and ½ teaspoon salt and freshly cracked pepper. Remove from heat.
To assemble the enchiladas:
Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Place half of the Roasted Tomatillo Sauce in a wide bowl. Dip 2 corn tortillas for each enchilada in the sauce to coat. Lay both tortillas together in pan and add about 2 tablespoons of chicken mixture and 1-2 tablespoons of the cheese. Roll tightly and place seam side down in the pan. Continue until you have made all 12 enchiladas. Ladle about 2 cups of the sauce evenly over the enchiladas (reserving 1 cup for serving) and sprinkle with the last bit of cheese. Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes until heated through.

To serve the enchiladas:
Place 2 enchiladas on a dinner plate. Top with additional sauce and a dollop of Mexican Crema or Sour Cream and serve.

Shortcut: If you cannot find tomatillos in the produce section of your supermarket, purchase a 28 oz can of green enchilada sauce in the international food aisle instead of making your own sauce.

1 turkey, about 12 pounds, defrosted

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), softened to room temperature

2 tablespoons dried turkey seasoning (see Note)

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 can (14 ounces) chicken broth (soup aisle)

Gravy

4 cups water

2 medium carrots, each cut into 2 or 3 pieces

1 large onion, quartered

1 bay leaf

1 can (14 ounces) chicken broth

Reserved turkey neck and giblets

1/4 cup drippings from roasted turkey

1/2 cup white wine

3 tablespoons all-purpose unbleached flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Special Equipment

Instant-read thermometer

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Remove the giblets (heart, kidneys, and liver) from the turkey (they are usually packed in a bag in the neck cavity). Remove the neck from the opposite cavity inside the turkey. Reserve for the gravy. Rinse the turkey inside and out in cold water and pat dry. Starting at the neck cavity, loosen the skin from the breast and drumsticks by inserting a tablespoon, upside down, under the skin, gently pushing it between the skin and meat to separate the skin. In a small bowl, combine the butter, turkey seasoning, salt, pepper. Rub the mixture under the skin onto the breast meat and both drumsticks.

Place the turkey, breast side up, in a shallow roasting pan. Pour the broth over the turkey. Place in the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 325 degrees F. Roast for about 2-2 ½ hours.

While the turkey is roasting, make the stock for the gravy. Combine the water, carrots, onion, bay leaf, chicken broth, and neck and giblets in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook until reduced to 2 1/2 cups. This will take 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Using a sieve, strain the stock into a medium bowl and discard the solids. Reserve stock for gravy.

After the turkey has roasted for 2 hours, place the instant-read thermometer in the meaty part of the thigh, making sure not to touch the bone. The turkey is done when the thermometer reads 175 to 180 degrees F. If it hasn’t reached this temperature, roast it for 15 minutes more and check again. Repeat until the thermometer indicates that the turkey is done. If the skin is becoming too browned, you can tent the turkey with a piece of aluminum foil until it is finished roasting.

Take the turkey out of the oven and put it on a heatproof surface. Remove 1/4 cup of the turkey drippings from the bottom of the pan, cover the turkey with aluminum foil, and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before you carve it.

To make the gravy, while the turkey is resting, combine the flour and turkey drippings in a bowl and stir with a whisk until smooth. Whisk drippings/flour mixture into the wine in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce and simmer for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in the 2 1/2 cups of strained stock, salt, and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes. You should have perfectly lump-free gravy.

To carve the turkey, cut through the skin between the drumstick and the body. Pull the leg outward to locate the joint at the body and cut through the joint to remove the leg. This includes the thigh and the drumstick. Remove the other leg and both wings in the same way. Cut between the joint to separate the thigh and drumstick. Slice the meat off the thigh and drumstick and put it on a platter. Insert the carving fork to steady the turkey and slice the breast into thin slices, cutting parallel to the rib cage. Continue on both sides until you have enough turkey carved to serve.

Pour the gravy into a gravy boat or bowl and serve with the turkey.

Notes: The spice section of most grocery stores has prepared turkey seasoning, or you can mix together 2 teaspoons each of dried sage, dried thyme, and dried marjoram.

For ease, in this recipe the turkey is not stuffed. The stuffing is baked separately in a casserole dish. If you wish to stuff your turkey, lightly spoon the stuffing into the cavity and be aware that your turkey will take a longer to roast.