Brined BBQ Chicken with Collard Greens and Corn on the Cob GFCF

The brining of the chicken adds another layer of flavor as well as locking in moisture. Collard greens get a bad rap due to the tendency to overcook them which results in a nice pile off dark green mush on your plate. They are an incredibly healthy vegetable providing vitamin C, soluble fiber and recently, researchers at UC Berkeley discovered that vegetable such as collards possess potent anti-viral, anti-cancer and anti-bacterial properties. The key to this meal is timing—pay attention to when everything needs to starts cooking so it will all finish at the same time. Also, all of it can be done on the stove and in the oven instead of on the grill.

Serves 4-6

For the Chicken:
1 organic whole chicken, cut into pieces
½ cup organic brown sugar
¼ cup sea salt
6 cups water

1. Place the chicken in a large, shallow, glass dish, such as a lasagna pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine, sugar, salt and water until dissolved. Pour over chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

3. Place on heated, oiled bbq grill and cook for about 5-6 minutes on each side. A meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat should read 165°F. Remember that each piece of meat will have a different thickness and therefore be finished at different times!

4. Remove chicken from grill and immediately place in shallow bowl and cover with bbq sauce. Serve immediately.

BBQ Sauce:
1 can organic tomato sauce
½ can organic tomato paste
2 T organic apple cider vinegar
3 T organic brown sugar
3 cloves organic garlic, minced
2 T organic shallot, minced
2t mustard powder
2 T honey
1 t organic cayenne powder
Sea salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix everything in a small bowl-add a touch of water if it seems too thick

2. Taste—adjust salt and pepper

For the Collard Greens:

1 bag organic collard greens, washed and drained
2 cloves organic garlic, sliced
1 ½ t crushed red pepper
2-4 cups organic chicken broth
1T organic olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. In a large sauce pan with a lid, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, making sure to keep it covered in the oil, and cook until soft—about 3 minutes.

2. Add greens, crushed red pepper, chicken broth and salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 35 minutes, adding chicken broth as needed. The greens should be tender, but not limp.

For the corn:

4-6 ears of organic corn
½ cup Sheep’s milk parmesan cheese
½ t organic cayenne pepper
Juice of 1 lime
¾ t Olive oil

1. Preheat your grill to high

2. Wrap each shucked ear of corn in aluminum foil with an ice cube tucked in it

3. Place the corn on bbq away from direct heat or flame and cook for about 10 minutes. Turn the corn and cook for another 5 minutes.

4. While the corn cooks, mix the cheese and cayenne pepper together. Juice the lime and combine it with the olive oil. You’ll want a flat surface covered with waxed paper to you can spread out your cheese mixture and something like a brownie pan to put the lime juice and oil in.

5. Remove the cooked corn from the grill and remove the foil.

6. Roll each cob in the lime juice and oil and then roll it in the cheese mixture. Knock off the excess cheese and serve immediately.

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