Eating local isn’t a trend. It’s a lifestyle — an extension of our ongoing mission to live mindfully — and we don’t see it slowing anytime soon. LA’s top farm-to-doorstep delivery service, Out of the Box Collective, has made it easy to support small, sustainable producers with their gorgeous boxes. We’re celebrating seven years of OTB in action with their limited-edition anniversary box, brimming with grill-season-ready recipes like the one below…
In 2010, Jennifer Piette founded Out of the Box Collective, a B-Corp certified farm-to-table home delivery service as an #OccupyYourFood initiative. She created it as a way to opt out of Big Food and to eat healthy, sustainably grown foods cooked with love: produce, pastured meats, jams, pickles, soups, kumquats, you name it.
After the initial dream of gathering together products from local farmers and food makers to produce curated boxes filled with organic produce, heirloom varieties and specialty favorites (like Sqirl Jam, Smart Simple Gourmet prepared foods, Bread Lounge Bread and many other wholesome vendors), we’re proud to report that this July marks our seventh year of delivering weekly omnivore, vegetarian, vegan and produce-only boxes to our customers in Southern California.These are everyday people who share our simple vision that our foods can retain their mouthwatering qualities (yes, our heirloom tomatoes!) when they’re produced and sourced on a small and sustainable scale.
Hundreds of meal plans later, our weekly boxes have featured recipes from legendary cooks and chefs like Amelia Saltsman, Anya Fernald, Anne Applebaum, Travis Lett and Carol Field. July’s Birthday Box is full of more that same goodness, including the grill-ready chicken recipe below…
What's in the box:
This week’s birthday box includes everything you need to make these delicious recipes: Chicken under a brick with grilled avocado, scallion and red onion; Korean flanken-style short ribs, steamed rice and cucumber salad; grilled beef patty with okra popcorn; tomatoes stuffed with rice, herbs and cheese; chickpeas and chard with poached eggs.
How to Order:
Order by Tuesday, July 25th at Out of the Box Collective for delivery July 30th and 31st.
CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK WITH GRILLED AVOCADO, SCALLION + RED ONION
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 2-3 lb chicken
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium red onion, sliced into 1/2″-thick rings
2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 bunch scallions, trimmed
1-2 ripe avocados, halved and pitted
flaky sea salt, (optional)
1 chile de arbol, crushed, (optional)
Directions:
Note: Don’t worry if you don’t have a brick! Anything heavy and heatproof will work, like a cast-iron skillet.
Prepare grill for high, indirect heat or, when you’re ready to cook, heat a grill pan or heavy skillet and set the oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken on work surface breast side down. Use kitchen shears or a good knife to carefully remove the backbone. Turn chicken skin side up. Using your palms, press firmly on breastbone to flatten breast. It is likely you will hear a crack. This means you’re doing it right.
Rub chicken with oil, season with salt and pepper. Tuck wings slightly under breast. Place chicken, skin side down over indirect heat on the grill and place a foil wrapped brick (or a cast iron pan) on top. If you’re doing this on the stove top, simply place the chicken skin side down in the pan, and place the brick or pan on top. Moderate the heat to be sure it isn’t too high or the chicken skin will burn. Cook this way until chicken skin is crisp and golden (on the grill about 20 minutes, in a pan about 10). Turn chicken to be skin side up and continue cooking (on the grill or, if on the stove top, place chicken in the oven) for 25-30 minutes longer, until the chicken is cooked through and a thermometer placed into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees.
Combine the onion and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil on a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Grill until softened and slightly charred in spots, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
Meanwhile combine scallions and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil on same baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Grill, turning often, until softened and slightly charred in spots, about 2 minutes. Transfer to plate with onion.
Rub cut sides of avocados with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Grill avocados, cut side down, until charred, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate with onions and scallions. Drizzle avocados with oil, season with sea salt and sprinkle with chile, if using. Serve with lime or lemon wedges for squeezing over avocados.
Adapted from Bon Appetit.
