grilled pickle-brined chicken sandwiches

move over, burgers.

FILL UP YOUR PROPANE TANKS — it’s grilling season, y’all!

No, seriously, how many of you have run out of propane halfway through a grilling sesh, had to finish the half-cooked meat inside on the stove, and wound up eating dinner an hour late? I can’t be the only one?

Speaking of grilling disasters, let’s kick off grilling season by talking about our greatest grilling snafus. I’ll go first. Please leave yours in the comments so we can all commiserate!

Right after George graduated from Stanford Business School, a big group of our guy friends — mostly from England — were living in a massive fancy house and hosted a bunch of us for one last hoorah up at “the ranch” the night before we all moved to our various post-school locations around the world. As had become customary, the guys invited us over for dinner and then, the morning of, asked me if I would “help cook” — AKA plan, shop, and cook the entire meal.

I was in the middle of writing Just Married at the time, so I always obliged because I loved having the chance to have tons of people test recipes and give feedback. I literally would send feedback forms the morning after a dinner party — lol.

Since it was a farewell dinner, I splurged on really fancy, fresh salmon. I made a beautiful citrus-y marinade, I made fabulous sides, Duncan chilled the wine, Ted set the table (paper plates, duh). When we were ready to eat, I fired up the grill. Threw literally hundreds of dollars worth of salmon on the grill for a quick sear. And then?

The entire grill lit on fire. Not like, one salmon filet. The entire freaking grill. Mind you, GRILLS HAVE PROPANE TANKS ATTACHED TO THEM. And propane tanks explode! And the ivy on the (very fancy, very much a rental) house was starting to singe and smoke thanks to the massive flames licking their way up the side of the house.

By the G.O.G, after three minutes of drunk business school kids frantically running around in circles, a fire extinguisher was located, the fire was extinguished, and all was not lost. The salmon… that was lost. But the house was safely returned to its owner the following morning. We ate tequila for dinner that night.

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Clean your damn grill

That’s the lesson here. Even if it’s been sitting there all winter unused, the old oil from last summer is still sitting in the bottom of it, waiting to catch on fire and ruin your next meal. Don’t ask me how to clean it — Google “how to clean XYZ grill brand” and get after it! Seriously. Clean your grill.

Next: Be VERY conservative with how much oil you use. Oil drips = grill flare-ups and fires. The method I’m going to teach you today is a great way to cut down on flare-ups.

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The only grill tools you need

IMO these are the only tools you need for grilling:

• Silicone tongs: I freaking hate those gigantic, unwieldy, stainless steel grill tongs. They are so unnecessary. I just use long silicone tongs, which can fit in a normal drawer easily and can also be used indoors in your nonstick skillets.

• Grill brush: I have tried many grill brushes and this is my current fave.

• Meat thermometer: I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: You do not have x-ray vision! You cannot cook perfectly cooked meat without a meat thermometer.

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So what are we cooking this week?

Y’all — the grill is the BEST for nights when you don’t feel like cooking! Literally just toss a bunch of meat and vegetables in oil and seasonings and throw it on the grill. It is the ULTIMATE tool for WTCWYDFLC-ers (lol, I really should have thought about how long this newsletter title is).

This week we are making 5-INGREDIENT PICKLE-BRINED GRILLED CHICKEN SANDWICHES. They are truly outrageous. It’s a riff on a recipe I’ve shared before, but it’s even better. The chicken marinates right in pickle brine, giving it a salty sweet tangy vibe that will blow people’s minds when you tell them. I made these sandwiches for George’s entire office this past Friday and they seriously couldn’t believe pickles were involved. Accompanying the pick-chick sandos is my ultimate summer side dish: grilled zucchini. I wanted to get this simple recipe to you ASAP this season so you could make it allll summer long.

Grilling season = entertaining season, so I’m gonna write this recipe a bit funnily… per person. Just figure out how many people you need to feed and buy your ingredients accordingly. Note: The chicken and zucchini are freaking delicious for days and days, so you should definitely make extra for lunches!

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In other news…

• I launched my GOOD MOOD FOOD meal plan this past week and today more than 300 of us are going to start the plan TOGETHER. If you love this newsletter, you will LOVE THIS PLAN. It provides a grocery list and interwoven recipes for a full week of wholesome eating designed to fuel your gut and brain. FYI, you don’t have to join the group effort to purchase the plan — lots of you DMed me to ask. We’re gonna start with tonight’s dinner and end with Friday’s lunch, but if that doesn’t work for you, you can snag the plan and start it WHENEVER.

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grilled pickle-brined chicken sandwiches and zucchini

Serves however many you want to feed

Cook time: 30 minutes inactive, 1 hour total

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs per person (there are usually 4 to 5 thighs in a 1 1/2 pound package)

• 1 large jar of bread-and-butter pickles (I love Bubbie’s brand if you can find them)

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise per person

• 1 zucchini or yellow squash per person

• Neutral cooking oil (such as avocado, grapeseed, or canola)

• Kosher salt and finely ground black pepper

• 1 bun per person (I prefer a potato bun if you can find)

• 1/4 cup shredded iceberg lettuce per person (buy it shredded, or thinly slice a head of iceberg)

• Anything acidic, such as balsamic vinegar or lemon juice

Place the chicken thighs in a large ziplock bag or bowl. Add enough pickle brine (aka just the liquid from the pickle jar) to cover the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, or marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. I highly suggest a longer marinade on this one if you have time!

To make the pickle mayo: Chop up a big handful of pickles and stir them into some mayo (about 2 tablespoons mayo per person). You want the pickle mayo to be thick and chunky. Season with a tiny pinch of salt and pepper. (You can make this as far as 2 days in advance!)

Cut the zucchini and/or yellow squash into planks. To do that: Cut the zucchini in half widthwise (like through the middle), set the zucchini halves so they’re standing up on their cut sides, then slice them into thin planks. Toss the planks in a bowl with just enough neutral cooking oil to lightly coat them (about 1/2 teaspoon per whole zucchini). Season with salt and pepper — about 1/8 teaspoon salt per whole zucchini, plus a pinch of pepper.

Preheat the grill to 450°F.

While it’s preheating, open the buns and grill them cut-side down with the lid open until they’re lightly toasted. Don’t take your eyes off of them! They burn quickly. Once toasted, place the buns on a platter.

When the grill is hot, clean it with your grill brush. (When your grill is dirty, it loses its nonstick coating, so your food will stick. It’s also just gross — and a hazard.)

Wad up a paper towel and soak it in a neutral cooking oil. It should be saturated but not dripping (so wring it out if you have to). Grab the (saturated-but-not-dripping!) paper towel with tongs and rub it all over the grill grates.

Next, grab the zucchini planks with your tongs and add them the grill. Grill them for 2 to 4 minutes per side, until almost melting-ly tender and charred. I like my zucchini to be incredibly soft — it’s so tasty this way. Transfer to a platter and drizzle immediately with balsamic vinegar or lemon juice. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.

Remove the chicken thighs from the brine, shaking them as dry as you can. Add the chicken to the grill and cook for 5 minutes per side, or until at least 165°F internally.

Notice we are not adding any oil directly onto the chicken! Oiling the grates instead of the chicken will reduce oil dripping down into the flames, which causes flare-ups.

Meanwhile, stir 1 tablespoon of pickle mayo into every 1/4 cup of iceberg lettuce. So, if you’re making sandwiches for 4 people, stir 4 tablespoons pickle mayo into 1 cup of lettuce. If needed, add the tiniest splash of pickle brine/juice to loosen it up and help you coat the lettuce.

Take the chicken off the grill and allow it to rest and cool down for 5 minutes.

When you’re ready to eat, smear the remaining pickle mayo on the tops and bottoms of the buns. Add the lettuce to the bottom bun, place a chicken thigh or two on top, and throw the lid on. DEVOUR IMMEDIATELY!

grilled pickle-brined chicken sandwiches and zucchini

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Notes:

• But I hate pickles, Caro: Do this instead: Mix 1/4 cup of salt into 3/4 cup of water that is as warm as your sink will go. Stir until the salt dissolves. Add 1/4 cup of ice to cool it down, then add the chicken and marinate for 30 minutes at room temp or up to 24 hours in the fridge. This is a basic brine! Next, instead of pickle mayo, you’re going to make a spicy mayo by stirring together 2 tablespoons of mayo and 2 teaspoons of your fave hot sauce per person. Season with salt.

• I don’t have a grill: Preheat the broiler to high. Place the zucchini on a foil-lined baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. Throw the chicken on a large foil-lined baking sheet and broil on the top rack for 6 to 7 minutes. Check in on the zucchini when you flip the chicken — it should be getting tender but won’t get a ton of color. Take the chicken out, then broil the buns for 30 seconds to 1 minute but SIT ON YOUR BUTT AND WATCH! Buns burn quickly. Return the zucchini to the TOP rack for a quick broil if needed to get a bit of color on it.

• Want to make a fancier grilled zucchini side dish? Add lots of chopped herbs like basil or cilantro, a sprinkle of cheese like feta, cotija, or Parmesan, and a sprinkle of toasted chopped nuts. This is seriously my favorite summer side dish!

• Whole30 it / I don’t do carbs: Use dill instead of bread-and-butter pickles if you want sugar-free. Omit the bun and don’t thinly slice your iceberg — instead use big pieces of lettuce as your “bun.”

• Vegetarian: OK this is a fun one — you’re going to make grilled veggie sandwiches! Make the zucchini and squash as directed (including the balsamic), and add one more veggie. Bell peppers, or fennel, or onions! Throw those on a bun with the spicy mayo from the “but I hate pickles” note above. Yum, right?

• Make ahead: Brine the chicken, make the mayo, and cut the zucchini planks up to 24 hours in advance. Just don’t toss the zucchini with salt until you’re ready to grill, or they’ll let off too much liquid and get limp.

• What to cook when you really don’t feel like cooking: Grab a rotisserie chicken. Slice it up. Throw some pickles on your sando since the chicken didn’t get the pickle marinade!

• Special ingredient: You all bought balsamic for last week’s recipe, so use that for the zucchini drizzle if you have it! Lemon juice works too.

Subs:

• Chicken thighs: You can use chicken breasts instead. For breasts, cut them in half to create two skinny planks. Grill them for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until 160°F internally, then let them rest for 5 minutes (they will continue cooking to reach 165°F, whereas thighs need to be cooked to 165°F because they are fattier and don’t continue cooking as much). See “vegetarian” note above for how to make a delicious grilled veggie sando.

• Bread-and-butter pickles: Got a jar of dill? Use those! You can also use olives or banana peppers if that’s what you’ve got. Or, see the “I hate pickles” note above for how to make a simple brine using just salt and water.

• Mayonnaise: Vegan mayo works. Hate mayo? You could butter the buns and throw pickles, shredded lettuce, and your preferred condiment on top.

• Buns: Use large lettuce leaves as a bun instead! No need to add shredded lettuce if you go this route.

• Zucchini or squash: Almost any veggie is delicious grilled. Eggplant and bell peppers are great subs for this since you can cut them into easy-to-flip planks.

• Shredded iceberg: Romaine or green leaf lettuce would work!

• Balsamic vinegar: Lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar… we’re looking for something acidic here.