Grilling & Chilling Meal Prep #1
grilled chicken thighs with chimichurri, cauliflower picnic salad, sautéed zucchini & mushrooms, and crispy roasted potatoes for kids.
This week, we (mostly my husband) cleaned off the Blackstone flat top grill and re-seasoned it for grilling season.
I love cooking meat outside, because my kitchen is way less greasy. The capacity is crazy too. I made six lbs. of chicken, and tons of veg in 20 mins.
Following is a dinner that would be an excellent way to kick off grilling season with friends (if you have those) if not, it's the perfect meal prep meal (what we did). I made double of the cauliflower salad. It's going to be a challenge to eat it all, so I went ahead and halved that for y'all.
In this meal prep guide, you'll find the recipes for Grilled Chicken thighs, cauliflower salad, my version of chimichurri, and some simple sautéed veggies. Plus, roasted potatoes for the kids.
Each week, I'm going to be sharing a Family Style meal with recipes. These recipes are: seed oil free, made with real food, and work for keto, paleo, or low carb families.
I'll add something, "carby" for the kids like: fruit, sourdough, or potatoes—like I did in this meal.
A couple of my son's friends joined us for dinner, and the reviews speak for themselves…
"You're like Gordon Ramsey!"
"I think you bought these potatoes from the store, they are too good"
This is from a six year old’s perspective, which we all know is the most honest opinion.
Don't be scared of the amount of chopping. I really had to pump myself up to get started on it, but it only took about 20 mins. Remember, this is for ALOT of food. It's worth the prep work!
Okay, lets get started. P.S. Let me know in the comments what you're grilling this spring.
Ingredients List For the Entire Meal
Grilled Chicken Thighs:
- 6 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- Salt and pepper
Cauliflower Picnic Salad:
- 1 large head cauliflower, finely diced
- ½ large cucumber, diced
- ½ red bell pepper, finely diced
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped (sub 1 tsp dry dill)
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (or mayo)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Sautéed Veggies:
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 3 zucchini, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup diced onion
- 1½ tbsp butter (or avocado oil)
- 1 tbsp tamari
- Juice of ½ lime
Oven Roasted Potatoes:
- 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
- 2–3 tbsp avocado oil
- Salt and pepper
Chimichurri Sauce:
- 1 cup parsley, chopped
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 tbsp oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
- 1 cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Tools Needed
- Blackstone griddle, or large cast iron skillet
- Large mixing bowls
- Cutting board & chef’s knife
- Sheet pan for roasting potatoes
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Tongs, or spatula for flipping chicken
- Ice bath bowl (for blanching cauliflower)
Dinner and Meal Prep Directions (In Order of Prep)
Cauliflower Picnic Salad
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add chopped cauliflower and blanch for 3–4 minutes. Drain and transfer to an ice bath. Once cool, drain and pat dry.
note: you could skip this step if you LOVE raw cauliflower. I don’t. The blanching removes bitterness and makes for a pleasant not too crunchy bite.
2. In a large bowl, combine cauliflower, cucumber, red bell pepper, parsley, and dill.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt(or mayo), olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
4. Pour dressing over the salad and toss until well combined. Chill until ready to serve.
If you use mayo, and sub avocado oil for the butter on the veg. The whole meal is dairy-free too.
Chimichurri Sauce
1. On a large cutting board, finely chop parsley, cilantro, garlic, onion, and oregano.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
3. Stir chopped ingredients into the oil mixture. Let sit for 10–15 minutes before serving.
note: you can blend the ingredients as well. It will be more like a dressing, I prefer the rustic hand chopped method.
Oven Roasted Potatoes
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Toss diced potatoes with avocado oil, salt, and pepper directly on a baking sheet.
3. Roast for 30–40 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden and crisp. The more stir them (ideally 3-4 times) the more evenly browned they will be.
Grilled Chicken Thighs
1. In a large bowl, combine chicken thighs, lemon juice, avocado oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat.
2. Preheat the Blackstone grill or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Place chicken thighs on the grill **while it's still preheating** to help render the fat and build a golden-brown crust.
4. Cook for 6–7 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 165°F. Move to the cool side of the grill or remove from skillet and let rest.
note: Don’t have a griddle, or want a smaller batch?
Use a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Just cook 2 lbs. of thighs for one dinner—same method, same flavor, less prep.
Sautéed Veggies
1. On the hot side of the Blackstone, or in a skillet, melt butter. This is after you’ve ever moved the chicken over (Blackstone) or removed from the pan (Stove top).
2. Add thinly sliced mushrooms, zucchini, and onion( I had a little leftover from the one large onion). Sauté for 5–7 minutes until slightly browned but still with a bite.
3. Add tamari, stir to coat, turn off the heat and squeeze the lime jucie.
Prep Timeline
Early in the Day, or at least an hour before you’d like to eat dinner:
- Blanch and chop cauliflower
- Dice cucumber and red bell pepper
- Chop parsley and dill
- Mix dressing and toss salad
- Chop herbs, garlic, and onion for chimichurri
- Mix chimichurri and refrigerate.
- Dice potatoes and store in cold water
I did this while my baby was napping and the other kids were busy playing. I like to chop alone, in silence or with a podcast in the background.
30–45 Minutes Before Dinner:
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Toss potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper and put in the over to roast
- Toss chicken with lemon, oil, salt, and pepper
15–20 Minutes Before Dinner:
- Add chicken to griddle or skillet
- Cook 6–7 minutes per side
- Sauté mushrooms, zucchini, and onion in butter
- Add tamari and lime, stir, and turn off heat
Serve it Family Style:
-Preferably outside, on paper plates
- Chicken, cauliflower salad, roasted potatoes, sautéed veggies in the middle
- Chimichurri on everything
- Leftovers in the fridge
- Kitchen mostly clean
Leftovers Tip
The chicken is great chopped, and served cold (or, warm) on top of the cauliflower salad the next day. Add sliced avocado, a spoonful of cottage cheese, or drizzle on extra chimichurri for a quick high protein, low carb lunch. Veggies can be reheated in a skillet or eaten cold, depending on your mood.
Hell yeah, leftovers. I added cottage cheese.
Loveee this
Looking scrumdiddleyumptious!!!