Delicious Reading: Trader Joe’s Tangy Grilled Chicken

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Most of the time when I travel to St. Louis, it is with the kids and/or my husband to visit the Fabulous Fox Theatre or one of St. Louis’ many museums. We fill our day trip with fun and maybe some Fitz’s root beer. There would be rebellion if I suggested we include grocery shopping.

When I happen to be going to St. Louis alone, however, or with one of my girlfriends, a stop at the closest Trader Joe’s will be part of the itinerary.

Brooke Clubbs

These grocery stores began in 1957 as a small chain of convenience stores in California called Pronto Markets. Joe, the owner, decided to change them up in 1967. He made them bigger, lined the walls with cedar planks and had the cashiers don Hawaiian shirts. He started packaging new, hard-to-find, delicious foods under the “Trader Joe’s” name and looked for ways shoppers could save money. Now, more than 50 years later, there are stores all across the country and loyal shoppers everywhere.

The items I absolutely must pick up on any trip include: Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo, Savory Rice Crackers, Speculoos Cookie Butter and a bottle of Charles Shaw wine — a.k.a. “Two Buck Chuck.” In addition to any regular groceries I need, I can always be sure to find some new tasty treat I just have to try — red pepper, eggplant and garlic spread, anyone?

When I was preparing for my most recent visit to St.Louis to pick up a friend from the airport, I decided to check out the recipes Trader Joe’s has online at www.traderjoes.com knowing I was going to stop on the way. While of course their recipes are all very Trader Joe’s product-centric, most or all of the TJ’s ingredients could be substituted with store-brand products from any of our local grocers in Cape — despite plenty of speculation on social media, I don’t think we are getting a Trader Joe’s of our own here anytime soon.

This grilled chicken was simple enough for a week night and just different enough to be special. All my kids commented on how good it was, and my husband told me to make it again soon.

Tangy Grilled Chicken

INGREDIENTS

˝ cup TJ’s Plain Greek Yogurt

Juice of ˝ a TJ’s Lemon

1 tablespoon TJ’s California Estate Olive Oil

2 teaspoons TJ’s Onion Salt

1 ˝ lb TJ’s Organic Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Lemon slices, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Add yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil and onion salt to a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add chicken, and stir to coat evenly. Cover bowl and refrigerate one hour.

Oil the grill grate (I used a grill pan), and preheat to medium-high. Shake excess marinade from chicken and grill 6-8 minutes per side, until juices run clear and internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove from heat and pair with fresh greens, steamed rice or pasta salad.