We hardly ever sit down to a family dinner on Friday night. People tend to come and go at different times on the weekend, and they often want to eat and run, if you know what I mean…

But that doesn’t mean they don’t want something savory and delicious to eat while they are around, so I have learned to make dishes that can sit for awhile so folks can help themselves when they are ready.

Lest you judge me to be something of an overindulgent mother, let me assure you it is quite the opposite. Cooking and eating fresh food is a commitment worth making for yourself, and one that I hope my children will make for themselves when the time comes!

And the time is coming! Working Girl gets married this November! Her fiancé’s grandma is an awesome Texas lady who happens to enjoy making homemade treats as much as I do! She gifted Ellen with some of her wonderful pepper jelly over the holidays, and lucky for me it made its way into my pantry! (And into honey mustard gravy for pork chops and the soon-to-famous BBQ meatloaf from ScrambledHenFruit…)

Truth be told, I had to make these indoors on a grill pan… It’s just too darn cold to do it any other way… Luckily tender lettuces are showing up sporadically, and frozen corn makes the delicious topping possible even during a deep freeze!

Gather Up:
1 pound boneless chicken breasts
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup pepper jelly, or other hot jelly of your choosing
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Boston or Bibb lettuce leaves, washed and separated

For the Salsa Topping:
3 cups sweet corn, thawed
1 tablespoon canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 heirloom tomato, seeded and diced
1 small red onion, diced
¼ cup cilantro leaves, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Extra glaze for drizzling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Toss the sweet corn in a bowl with the canola oil and the salt and pepper. Spread evenly on the baking sheet and roast until barely browned, 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, combine the jelly, soy sauce, lime juice and ginger in a small saucepan. Slowly heat, allowing the flavors to blend.

Preheat a grill pan to medium high heat. Slice the chicken into several pieces of even size and thickness and brush generously with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken on the grill pan and cook until golden and cooked through. Brush with the jelly glaze during the last few minutes of cooking.

Remove the chicken to a cutting board and allow to rest, brushing again with glaze.

Move the roasted corn to a bowl and add the tomatoes, red onion, cilantro and lime juice and toss well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Shred or dice the chicken, tossing with a little additional glaze if desired.

Place chicken in lettuce leaves, top with corn salsa. Drizzle glaze to taste.