Cheap Eats: Resource and Recipe - UPDATED

Quick - This week King Kullen supermarkets has on sale Perdue legs and thighs for $1 per pound. (Yes, I mean one dollar). Buy them now and freeze them for later! Seriously, how many barbecues will you host this summer? Even if you never host a barbecue, at least you'll have a nice supply of healthy meat to eat. Go on - you'll thank me later. Without extras like vegetables and starch, this dinner cost under $5 and feeds 4 WITH left-overs. And with a box of rice and some veggies, you'll still feed four for under $10. You can't go wrong with chicken. Think of the choices...fried chicken, lemon chicken, chicken with BBQ sauce, Arroz Con Pollo, Coq au Vin, etc., etc.

These pieces were supposed to have been barbecued tonight but because of time constraints that didn't happen - I got home too late and my husband, the resident griller, was even later so I had to use an alternate cooking method. I've posted that along with a Summer Fruit Salsa that I made to accompany the chicken. I made the salsa with fruit that was highly ripened - in fact, another day or so and it would be good as garbage. It was perfect for this! All together this was delicious - flavorful, tender, and together with the salsa it was awesome. The vanilla really came out in and paired so well with the summer fruit.

Honey Ginger Chicken
3 Tbsp vermouth
1 scallion, minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup honey
2 1/2 lb chicken legs and thighs

Combine all ingredients, except the chicken, and whisk well. Place chicken in resealable bag and pour mixture over legs and thighs. Refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours. Barbecue chicken about 20-25 minutes, rotating periodically and covering most of the time with BBQ top. Use remaining marinade to baste chicken often.

ALTERNATE COOKING METHOD
In a large heavy pot, over high heat, place the legs and thighs, skin side down, into the pot after it's heated about 3 minutes. Turn after 5-6 minutes and cook for another 5-6 minutes. Meanwhile, put the remaining marinade in a small sauce pot and boil for about 6 minutes and pour over the chicken once it's been turned onto the second side. Cover the large pot with the chicken and cook over medium heat about 20-25 minutes. Turn the chicken once or twice. When ready, remove the chicken from the pot and bring remaining liquid to a boil and allow it to continue boiling until it's reduced to about 1/2 cup. Use as a serving sauce.

Summer Fruit Salsa
In a medium bowl combine:

1 ripe white peach, with the skin, sliced thin
1 ripe mango, no skin, sliced thin
5-6 ripe strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 ripe pear, with or without skin!, sliced thin
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp. fresh cilantro

Gently mix all ingredients and serve with chicken or fish or over greens.