It’s March. That means it’s almost Spring. Spring means warm weather. Warm weather means being able to grill. Being able to grill means I am happy.

The End!

Oh, no, wait. I had more to say.

I just stumbled across a recipe for chicken cooked in a skillet on the stove, but it TASTES like it’s been grilled. Weird, huh? After months and months of being all cooped up in my house without access to my grill, I just had to try it.

The verdict? Why the heck didn’t I try this sooner? It really does taste like barbecued chicken cooked on the grill! But, even better than that, this recipe is EASY! And simple! And quick! You can get it all ready in the morning before work and then just head home and get it cooking. I love recipes like that.

All you need is a pound of chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins, a cup of italian salad dressing, two teaspoons of lime juice and two or three teaspoons of honey. I know, you’re wondering how the heck THAT is going to turn into gorgeous grilled chicken. I don’t know how it does either. I think it’s magic.

The first thing we need to do is slice up the chicken breast into strips. You can buy tenderloins if you like, but there’s just something I don’t like about them. They are stringy and the texture is just, well, not right. So I just slice up my chicken breasts and call it a day. I am using two large breasts for this recipe, which should be just about one pound of chicken. I sliced each breast into thirds.

Set those aside and we’ll make the sauce.

In a small bowl, whisk together one cup of italian dressing, two teaspoons of lime juice and two or three teaspoons of honey, depending on how sweet you want your sauce. After you’ve got that all mixed up, place the chicken strips into a bag and dump the sauce on top. Squish it all up and stick it in the fridge for at least one hour. I mixed mine up in the morning and let it sit in my fridge all day long.

When you’re ready to get dinner started, just drag out a large skillet and turn the heat to low. Dump in the bag of chicken and sauce and let it cook. You’ll want to stir it every 5 minutes or so.

I know, I know. It doesn’t look like that sauce is going to turn into anything but a soupy mess, but it will. Promise.

Let your chicken cook over low heat until it is cooked all the way through. If the sauce is still milky looking, just take the chicken out and set it aside. Keep cooking the sauce, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown and then pop the chicken back in the pan.

Start rubbing the chicken around in the sauce and get every last bit of it covered. The sauce is pretty darn yummy. I’d hate for you to waste any of it.

I don’t know how it happens and, really, I don’t care. This tastes like grilled barbecue chicken. Have I mentioned that I like grilled barbecue chicken?

Grilled Chicken on the Stove
Adapted from RecipeZaar

• 1 lb chicken breasts
• 1 cup Italian dressing
• 2 teaspoon lime juice (fresh or bottled)
  
• 2-3 teaspoons honey

Slice chicken breasts into strips and place in plastic bag. Whisk together remaining ingredients and pour into bag. Allow to marinate in refrigerator for at least one hour. Dump into large skillet over medium heat. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until chicken is done and sauce starts to brown. Stir to coat the chicken in sauce.

What would you all say if I told you that I had never, NOT EVER, eaten a meatball until October 25, 2008. It’s true. October 25. I’ll remember that day fondly for as long as I shall live.

(Okay, so I should mention that my first ever taste of a meatball was at a wedding and THAT is how I remember the date. I don’t generally remember the dates of the first tastes of food.)

I’ve made meatballs quite a few times since then. I like meatballs. Teryiaki meatballs. Served on a toothpick. Because I’m fancy.

I made these meatballs for a New Year’s Eve get together and then I ate them all. You should make them for your next party. But save some for your guests. Or just make them for dinner like I did the other night.

Let’s get started.

Let’s start with a pound of ground beef.

Alright now. Hold on to your hats. When I make meatloaf or meatballs, I don’t use bread crumbs. I use Stove Top Stuffing. That’s right. Stove Top. It is SO good. Measure out about a cup of dry stuffing and add just enough water to moisten it. You don’t want it soppy wet, but you don’t want it dry either.

Dump that on top of your meat.

You can make your own sauce if you like, but that’s too much work for me. I LOVE this teriyaki sauce, so that’s what I use. Use whichever brand you like most. Or make your own, you over-achiever.

Dump in about 1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce and crack one egg right on top. You can sprinkle in a bit of garlic powder or any other spices you like right about now. I usually keep it simple and go for salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.

If you don’t live with a bunch of picky eaters, you can also add in some chopped onions at this point. Or some bell peppers. Or some grated carrot. It’s all good. Unless you are married to my husband and then it’s all bad.

Now go ahead and stir everything together. At this point I decided that I had too high of a meat to stuffing ratio and so I threw in some oats. Oats make me feel healthy. If you prefer you can add a bit more stuffing. But the oats are good too. I promise. I added about 1/2 of a cup.

Mm, mm. Raw meat. (Gag.)

Now get your hands back in there and gently form it into little balls.  I shoot for golf ball sized meatballs, but you can make them a bit smaller or bigger if you prefer. Just remember, the bigger they are the longer it will take to cook them.

If you have a bright yellow plate, use it. Arrange your meatballs in the shape of a smiley face. It’ll make you happy. I promise.

Add about 1/4 inch of oil to a deep 10-12 inch round skillet. Get it good and hot and then add your meatballs.

Fried meat. It’s good.

I believe I cooked these for about 8-10 minutes, flipping them over once halfway through.

When they are finished cooking, put them on a paper towel lined plate and let them drain for a minute or two.

If you’re like me and you have a good, healthy fear of raw meat you can crack one of these open and check to be sure it’s done. If it is, go ahead and eat it. If it’s not, weep.

Add another batch of meatballs to your skillet. While those are cooking you’ll need to keep the others warm. I like to dump about 3/4 cup of teriyaki sauce into the bottom of my crock pot, set it to low, and add the cooked and drained meatballs to that. It keeps them warm and it lets them soak in the teriyaki sauce. Trust me…a teriyaki sauce bath is a good thing.

Serve ‘em on a bed of rice. Or next to rice. Or with a toothpick stuck in the middle of them. Or with a fork. Or just get a shovel and start scooping them right into your open mouth.

Teriyaki Meatballs

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 cup Stove Top Stuffing for Chicken
• water, to moisten stuffing
• 1 cup teriyaki sauce, divided
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• oil for frying

1. Mix together all ingredients except oil.

2. Form into golf ball sized balls.

3. Add meatballs to hot oil. Don’t overcrowd pan. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until meat is fully cooked.

4. Drain on a paper towel and transfer to a crockpot (or dish in the oven) with 3/4 cup teriyaki sauce. Roll meatballs around to coat in sauce.

5. Serve as an appetizer (with fancy toothpicks!) or as a main dish.