Summertime Corn Slaw and Grilled Chicken

Tired of the same old side dishes at your BBQ?  Try this cool and fresh summertime corn slaw!  It's become a staple at my family gatherings and it always gets rave reviews.    This recipe was originally something my grandmother and mother made with Thanksgiving dinner.  

The tangy dressing and crispness of the vegetables taste so great with the traditional cornbread Southern dressing that is a must-have for me every holiday season.  But the slaw is so simple and fresh that it simply screams to be paired with BBQ or grilled meat of any type!  I get several requests to bring this to gatherings with friends and family alike.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!  

Oh, and since you asked......I have included my easy, basic, go-to marinade for chicken (and pork chops too)!  The marinade has only 2 ingredients!  Don't worry about this marinade being spicy hot because of the Cholula.  When the chicken hits the grill, the marinade transforms into wonderfully juicy grilled flavors that makes the meat sing!  

Summertime Corn Slaw

2 cans white kernel corn, drained

2 cans yellow corn, drained 

1 green bell pepper, chopped into small pieces

5 green onions, sliced 

3 Roma tomatoes, chopped

7 tbsp Miracle Whip Light

1/2 tsp white sugar

4 tbsp white vinegar

Fresh ground black pepper 

Kosher salt

In a large bowl, combine the drained corn and the chopped bell pepper, green onions (white parts and green parts) and chopped tomatoes.  

Next mix in the Miracle Whip, vinegar and sugar.  I like to use the Miracle Whip light

version because it has a nice tang that goes so well with this side dish.  

 

Stir well to combine all dressing ingredients and to evenly distribute the dressing throughout the vegetables and corn.  Grind in a few grinds of fresh ground pepper and some salt to taste and stir.  

 

This slaw really tastes best when made at least a few hours ahead of time so that it can sit in the sauce and the flavors can meld together with the fresh and delicious vegetables.

 

Stir the slaw occasionally while it sits in the fridge in order to help the dressing ingredients blend together.

 

Marinade for Juicy Grilled Chicken

 

4-6 chicken breasts (or boneless chicken thighs)

1 (16 oz) bottle, approximately, of Kraft Zesty Italian salad dressing

1/2 bottle (12 oz bottle) of Cholula

Place chicken is a dish or in a ziplock bag. Pour salad dressing over the chicken and then pour in the Cholula. Mix it around to combine the Cholula and the Italian dressing and marinate in the fridge for at least one hour....or up to 8 hours for more flavor. How simple is that?!

 

When you're ready to grill, place the chicken on a plate, discard the marinade and sprinkle each piece with salt and fresh black pepper. Grill on a preheated grill over medium high heat for about 6-7 minutes per side. I only grill my boneless chicken for about 12-15 minutes tops, depending on the thickness of the breast.

Note: this recipe feeds more people, but you could just make it using fewer chicken breasts for fewer people. Eyeball the Cholula and dressing mixture - using about 1 cup dressing to 1 tablespoon Cholula and making sure the chicken is covered with the marinade.