Key West Chicken and "Fried" Plantains

Three years ago, yesterday, Kevin and I were married on the beach in Key West, Florida. It was one of the best days of our lives... a day long-awaited after 8 years (to the weekend) of dating. :) It was a wonderful wedding weekend for which almost 40 of our relatives and friends joined us. With the exception of just a few people, everyone loved Key West and there are many talks of taking a group trip back again in a couple of years. Kevin and I look forward to taking Carson and any future children we may have to visit, too - we'd love to invest in a vacation home on the island someday and would love to spend our winters there in retirement. Its a typical island town with a laid-back, relaxing atmosphere with some unique aspects (like the chickens running wild and the Garden of Eden) and there are tons of things to do and see. Anyway, in celebration of our wedding anniversary, I decided to make a Key West themed meal. I found a recipe for Key West Chicken on AllRecipes that sounded great and I tried my hand at making "fried" plantains using a recipe I found on RecipeZaar. Both were very easy to make. The chicken was delicious!! I think this will be a marinade that I frequently use this summer. The plantains were ok... not quite as tasty as truly fried plantains. We had this with rice and green beans. I totally forgot to take a picture, though. Instead, I'll post some of my favorite pics from our wedding. :)

Key West Chicken

3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

In a shallow container, blend soy sauce, honey, vegetable oil, lime juice, and garlic. Place chicken breast halves into the mixture, and turn to coat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes. (I put mine together in the morning before leaving for work, so it marinated for about 12 hours)

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Discard marinade, and grill chicken 6 to 8 minutes on each side, until juices run clear.


Almost Fried Plantains

1 ripe plantain, look for one with lots of brown spots
1/4-1/3 cup water
cooking spray

Peel plantain and slice 1/4 inch thick on a slight diagonal. This will give you oblong slices that are easy to handle while cooking.

Using medium-high heat, pre-heat a non stick skillet.

Place plantains in a single layer in the pan. Add water just until it covers the bottom half of the plantains. Reduce heat a small amount and cook 2 or 3 minutes until the water evaporates. Your plantains should begin to have a softer texture and more translucent quality. Lightly spray the tops of the plaintains with cooking spray and turn over. Cook an additional minute or so until you get a lovely, slightly crispy brown exterior on the plantains. Give the tops another quick spray of oil and turn over again. Cook the first side a minute or so until it too has browned a bit.