Sandra Lee's Halloween Episode - a Doozie!!

Please tell me someone else watched Sandra Lee's Halloween Semi Homemade episode. Not only was there a record breaking number of costume changes but she even reprised Cher as a fortune-telling gypsy! I was nearly in tears. I even had to pause and rewind as she showed us cocktail stir sticks with feathers glued on them. Feathers? In a drink? Really?

For the record I have nothing against Sandra Lee and appreciate the fact that she pulled herself up by the bootstraps and made a fortune out of 'tablescapes' and recipes with canned pie filling but I normally don't watch her show or make her recipes.

Her Halloween episodes however are another story. They might very well be on my top ten list of things to look forward to in the calendar year. Anyone who saw her Halloween special with Tyler Florence knows what I'm talking about... She kept calling him honey and warning him not to burn himself as if he was ten years old versus an experienced chef and head of his own cooking empire... Oh Sandy.

Anyway the point to this ramble is that while I was falling out of my chair watching this year's episode she made a chicken marinade I actually thought sounded good. So I made it (with just a minor tweak here and there) and was blown away. Sandra Lee tricked me! She made a good recipe!

Sandra Lee's Poultry Marinade
*Marinade should hold up to 6 small chicken breast cutlets or 4 large.
* Slightly adapted from Sandra Lee
* You can read more on Sandy's Halloween Episode from this year at Food Network Humor.

Ingredients:
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons applewood rub (recommended: McCormick) (I subbed 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 heaping cup roughly chopped onion
1 1/2 tablespoons roughly chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl then carefully pour into a large ziploc bag. Add your chicken turning it over in the marinade to be sure it's well coated, seal and refrigerate overnight. Remove from marinade being sure to scrape off any clinging garlic or onion but do not 'dry' the chicken - you want a good bit of the wet marinade to stay on for flavor while they cook.

Drizzle the chicken lightly with olive oil, season lightly with salt and pepper and either grill over medium heat until cooked through or bake on a greased baking sheet at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes until cooked through.