My kids often groan, ‘Dad, What’s for dinner?’ Sometimes I say something like ‘takeout Chinese’ or ‘frozen pizza’, but these responses without fail produce much theatrical sighing and eye-rolling. One recipe, however, always gains a good response. This tried and true recipe, grilled chicken, has been handed down through my family. I always make my grilled chicken a special way.

I only use fresh chicken breasts from Costco, and I use only the best homegrown herbs. First, I marinate the chicken in Wishbone Italian dressing. While the meat is soaking, I make the spice rub. I can’t give measurements, because years of practice make me more accurate than even the most exact measuring beaker. I use paprika, homegrown winter savory, sage, brown sugar, garlic powder, pepper, a little bit of salt, and the secret ingredient, chili powder. Call me weird, but the chili powder just gives it that extra kick that I can’t get even with red pepper flakes.

Then I rub the reddish-brown rub on the meat and let it sit. Now that the grill is fired up, I plop the chicken on the grill and bake with the cover off. Flipping the chicken halfway through, I bake for about 10 minutes to get the coating nice and crispy and infuse the spices into the meat. As a finishing touch, I usually drizzle lemon juice on top. I always serve with corn on the cob or carrots. This is much healthier than ribs or burgers. This recipe will certainly get your kids to actually look forward to their parent’s cooking.