4th of July Menu: Celebrate Your Independence -- Grill Once, Eat Twice -- BBQ Chicken with Grilled Vegetables and BBQ Chicken Salad Recipes

Here's a favorite family recipe I've reworked from the past to give it a new twist -- grilled vegetables.  With lots of cookouts and entertaining planned for July 4th, I thought it would be nice to feature a recipe that creates such great leftovers for another meal.  Make the BBQ Chicken with Grilled Vegetables one day and serve the BBQ Chicken Salad for lunch or dinner the next.

Use any prepared or homemade barbecue sauce for these recipes. We like a smoky hot one. The grilled chicken recipe is easily multiplied if you need to serve crowds but still want leftovers for the salad.

BBQ Chicken with Grilled Vegetables
Serves 8 (or 4 with leftovers for BBQ Chicken Salad)

If you do not have an outdoor barbecue, the chicken can be broiled and the vegetables oven roasted instead.

2 cups olive oil, plus extra
1 cup lemon juice
½ tsp. black pepper,
½ tsp. salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup minced yellow onion
¼ cup prepared BBQ sauce, plus extra
7-8 pounds of chicken parts on the bone
1 small red onion
8 medium zucchinis
8 large tomatoes
4 red bell peppers

Mix 2 cups of olive oil, juice, pepper, salt, garlic, onion and ¼ cup of the BBQ sauce. Set about 1/3 cup aside and use the rest to marinate the chicken pieces for 20 minutes to an hour. Cut the red onion horizontally into slices about ½” thick. Halve zucchinis lengthwise, slice tomatoes in half. Core and seed bell peppers and slice in half. Brush cut surface of vegetables with olive oil.

Preheat gas or charcoal grill to medium high heat. Grill chicken and vegetables until done, turning occasionally. Baste chicken occasionally with reserved 1/3 cup of marinade. When the chicken is about cooked through, lower grill heat (or move chicken off to the side, away from coals) and brush with BBQ sauce. Flip and brush other side. Continue grilling the chicken until it is just cooked. (The chicken should feel firm to the touch but still have some resiliency.) Let rest for 10 minutes so juices are reabsorbed. (The chicken will keep cooking as it rests.) If making the BBQ Chicken Salad, reserve half the chicken and half the vegetables. Serve with additional BBQ sauce.

BBQ Chicken Salad
Serves 4

Do not assemble and mix with salad dressing until just before serving.  Try with all romaine lettuce for a crunchier salad.

1/2 cup oil olive
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2-3 Tbs. prepared BBQ sauce
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. hot sauce, or to taste
Grilled Vegetables (1/2 of the above recipe)
Grilled Chicken (1/2 of the above recipe)
1 lb. mixed greens
2 cups raw vegetables such as carrots, green onions, cucumbers, radishes, etc.

Whisk together oil, vinegar, BBQ sauce, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Taste.
Adjust seasonings as needed. Chop grilled vegetables into ½” pieces. Remove skin and bones and shred chicken. Tear salad greens into bite-sized pieces. Slice or chop raw vegetables as desired. Mix chicken, vegetables and greens in large bowl. Toss with dressing or serve with dressing on the side.
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About the photo:  Fireworks over San Francisco Bay

A version of this article first appeared in the j. weekly.