This week’s recipe comes from Regina Whyte of Seaforth, Ontario, who was the second-place winner of our 2009 Canada Day Recipe Contest.  This tasty Hawaiian Chicken dish is quick and easy to prepare, which makes it ideal for those busy weekday nights!  Serve it all year ‘round when you’re in the mood for a tropical flavour boost! If you have a quick and easy recipe you’d like to share with us, please leave us a comment.

It’s a CFC Canada Day tradition!  Every year we sponsor a BBQ on Major’s Hill Park where we serve up thousands of tasty chicken sandwiches and chicken Caesar salads to satisfy the appetites of the patriotic crowds. This year will be CFC’s 18^th year sponsoring this event and to zest things up a little, we’ll be serving up a sandwich with a taste of Ottawa’s popular Little Italy location, Preston Street.  Tender chicken breasts marinated in Italian dressing with a splash of lemon juice, Italian seasonings and a flavourful sauce all served up on a moist bun!  Sounds pretty good doesn’t it? Try it out for yourself by using the recipe link below.  But for the real deal, you’ll have to join us at the Great Canadian Barbecue on July 1^st at Major’s Hill Park. Preston Street Chicken Sandwich http://www.chicken.ca/DefaultSite/index.aspx?ArticleID=3909&lang=en-CA

Looking for a cool, healthy and quick meal to serve on a hot summer day?  Why not try pasta salad? A pasta salad is always a great crowd pleaser at barbecues, pot lucks and other gatherings.  Not only is it one of the simplest meals to make but the ingredient and flavour possibilities are only as limited as your imagination.  Choosing seasonal ingredients and fresh herbs and spices will really give your salad a boost.  Some of my favourite ingredients in pasta salad are cucumber, ripe diced tomatoes, black olives, chives, fresh basil and a dressing of lemon juice, garlic and olive oil, which makes for a perfect lunch especially if you are using whole grain pasta!  For a heartier meal, add a protein such as chicken to keep you fuelled up on a busy day. Need some ideas to get you started?  Check out these tasty pasta salad recipes that are sure to please your taste buds! Chicken and Pasta Salad Asian-style Spaghetti & Chicken Salad in Baked Wonton Cups

Over the last few years, Chicken Farmers of Canada has held a recipe contest with our chicken farmers as part of our Canada Day festivities. Last year’s winning recipes included wonderful Honey Lemon Chicken, Hawaiian Chicken and Chicken & Rice. Christine Warkentin from Alberta was our first place winner with her recipe for Honey Lemon Chicken. Christine and her family were flown to Ottawa for Canada Day to enjoy the festivities first hand! Our second place winner, Regina Whyte of Ontario, won an HBC gift card with her winning recipe for Hawaiian Chicken.   Nelly Baker was our third place winner, also received an HBC gift card for her Chicken & Rice recipe. With Canada Day fast approaching, we thought it would fitting to feature these winning recipes throughout the month of June, starting today with the 1^st place winning recipe for Honey Lemon Chicken. Stay tuned for our 2^nd and 3^rd place winning recipes!

Picnic time isn’t just for teddy bears, it’s for anyone who enjoys the great outdoors!  Whether you’re planning a romantic picnic with your partner or spending some quality time with your family, there are a few things you need to prepare in order to make your picnic enjoyable. The first thing you’ll need to do is prepare a check list.  Keep it simple but make sure you bring enough supplies to keep everyone clean, safe and comfortable.   Here’s a handy list to get you started. Supplies:

• A soft picnic blanket or tablecloth, cushions or lawn chairs – You’ll be spending a few hours outdoors, so make sure you have a comfortable place to sit.
• Utensils, plates, cups
• Napkins or paper towels for easy clean ups
• Bottle opener
• Umbrella or parasol – You may want to keep out of the sun or the rain
• Insect repellant – In Canada, we have two seasons: Winter and bug season
• Sun screen
• Sunglasses
• Antihistamines – whether you have allergies or not, it’s always a good idea to pack these for a long trip
• Hand sanitizer or moist towelettes for cleaning hands and surfaces
• Garbage bags – Not all picnic sites have garbage bins nearby. Don’t litter.
• Games – bring your favorite board game or a deck of cards.  If you’re the sporty type, a Frisbee is a must!
• Your favorite music!

Food Supplies:

• Food storage containers – keeping your foods separate help reduce the chance of cross- contamination
• Cooler fully stocked with ice or ice packs – if you don’t have any ice packs, fill some plastic bottles with water and freeze them overnight.

Food Handling Tips: Keep hot food hot and cold food cold! Proper care should be taken when packing food for your picnic.  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency offers some great tips on preventing foodborne illness while picnicking. Check out their handy tips here. http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/tipcon/picnice.shtml

Whether you’re watching your weight or just trying to eat a little healthier, salads always make a perfect main meal! Salad greens come in a variety of different flavours.  From peppery arugula and watercress to bitter radicchio and arugula, the key in preparing a great salad is to use fresh greens and herbs  that are in season.  Why not incorporate peppery or bitter greens with a milder taste such as red/green leaf lettuce or spinach and add fresh herbs like parsley, chervil or chives?  You’ll be sure to have a variety of flavours in each bite.  Top with fresh seasonal vegetables, lean grilled chicken and a light homemade dressing for a low-fat nutritious meal. Need some inspiration?  Check out these fabulous salad recipes from our recipe database. Warm Spinach, Navy Bean and Grilled Chicken Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Apple Cider Poached Chicken and Arugula Salad

Have a hankering for a taste of Italy? This dish will have you feeling as though you’re under the Tuscan sun! This soup has the perfect balance of light fresh flavours and hearty ingredients. Garlic and rosemary, a classic Tuscan pairing, will fill your kitchen with tempting aromatics, while the navy beans paired with chicken ensure this soup is a filling main course. Topped perfectly with crisp and tasty ricotta cheese toasts, all of the flavours in this recipe come directly from the fresh ingredients - no salt needed. Do you have a favourite low-sodium recipe? Leave a comment in our comments section and tell us about it!

Tuscan Vegetable & Chicken Soup with Ricotta Cheese Toasts

Every July 1, we set up on Parliament Hill in Ottawa with a row of barbecues and dozens of coolers full of chicken, and spend the day dishing out chicken to people on the Hill, celebrating this great country. This year is no different, but we wanted to bring you in on the action as well. So, we’re holding a little contest with a bit of a barbecue theme. To enter, all you need to do is head to this page, and give us your favourite BBQ sauce or spice rub recipe. We’ll randomly draw a winner from all those who enter, and the winner will receive a $500 gift certificate to Chapters for the ultimate cookbook shopping spree! But wait! There’s more! If you’re a blogger or a Twitter user, spread the word about the contest and if you refer the most people to the contest, you’ll also receive the grand prize. The deadline for entry is noon on July 1, 2010, and the full rules and regulations are here. We can’t wait to read (and try) your spice rub and BBQ sauce concoctions, so what are you waiting for? Enter now!

What differentiates a BBQ owner from a certified, honest-to-goodness grillmaster?  It’s not the $1000 grill, or the artisan hickory charcoal imported from the mythical forests of Shambala.  Rather it’s that personal blend of spice that gives meat a full flavour and a delcious crust – I’m speaking, of course, of the spice rub. A spice rub, simply, is any combination of ground spices that is to be rubbed on raw food before it is cooked – usually on a grill.  Some choose to leave their spice rubs on for hours before cooking, some right before cooking, and some incorporate herbs, garlic or oil to make a paste. Rubs vary from culture to culture, and some are very closely guarded secrets.  Here are a few tips for creating your own spice rub mixture.  First, and probably most important, never start a spice rub mixture from the pre-ground bottles of spice that you buy at a grocery store.  The way to get the best flavour is to buy your spices whole, toast them in a pan over medium-high heat until they smell amazing, and grind them in a coffee grinder - preferably one that you reserve specifically for spices, unless you like a hint of southwest flavour in your morning coffee. Salt and pepper are very important parts of a spice rub, both for the flavour and their ability to slightly tenderize and seal in juices, but don’t just go with the old standbys – challenge your palate and knowledge a little and try some herbs that you’re not used to.  Things like lemongrass, marjoram and allspice go well with chicken.  Check out some other spice rub recipes and hack them to make them your own – like this Coffee and Cocoa Grilled Chicken recipe. Getting the right spice combination takes a little experimentation, but once you find that combination of herbs and spices that would make the Colonel jealous, it’s a great way to put together a quick meal, and they make a great gift.

Tapas are small plate meals that originated in Spain, but have recently become very popular in North America.  The plates include everything from antipasto-style olives and dips, but also include a number dishes more suited for a main course like this one.  This recipe is perfect for a light lunch, part of a tapas dinner or for entertaining by the grill in the summer. http://www.chicken.ca/DefaultSite/index.aspx?ArticleID=3364&lang=en-CA