What does Gwyneth Paltrow feed her family? Grilled Chicken with Peach BBQ Sauce!

When I saw the June 2011 issue of Bon Appetit magazine, actress Gwyneth Paltrow was smiling back at me as she twirled spaghetti on a fork.
   It is the only time I can remember seeing a person on the cover of the magazine since I started reading it every month about 10 years ago. The cover is usually always a picture of a delicious-looking dish.
   I didn’t take any offense to this tactic, just surprise. The magazine must have felt it was a way to sell issues. (Gwyneth in the kitchen - what does she make? I must buy that!)
   The story was about Paltrow’s life as an adventurous home cook who relies on a love of good food instiled in her by her late father, Bruce Paltrow. Her new cookbook, My Father's Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness, celebrates this love of food and family.
   The story also featured some of the summer-style recipes she has developed.
   I set my sights on a couple of them: Grilled Chicken with Peach BBQ Sauce (click for the recipe) and Peach Cooler.
   Last week, my husband and I tried the grilled chicken, and really enjoyed it.
   It was a simple, comforting recipe that produced tender grilled chicken.
   The sauce is a blended combination of peaches, ketchup, fresh lemon juice and garlic, and adobo sauce or soy sauce.
   The recipe’s introduction explains the version using soy sauce is the one Paltrow serves to her children, and the one with adobo is the one she shares with her husband, Chris Martin (lead singer of the band Coldplay.)
   I made the soy sauce version, as we don’t like our food too spicy. I think Paltrow’s right in saying it’s kid-friendly.
   So kid-friendly, in fact, my husband likened the sauce to baby food when I told him the ingredients included peaches and ketchup.
   But it’s not a babyish dish – it will please many, young and old.
   Chopped peaches, ketchup, lemon juice, garlic and adobo sauce or soy sauce are combined in a small saucepan and brought to a boil. The heat is reduced to low and the mixture is simmered for about 10 minutes, then the pan is taken off the heat and the sauce left to cool (I gave it about five minutes.) The sauce is puréed in a blender.
   Half the sauce is placed in a medium bowl, then boneless, skinless chicken breasts are added and tossed to coat. The chicken is left to marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes or in the fridge for up to eight hours.
   The other half of the sauce is covered and refrigerated.
   After marinating, the chicken is grilled until cooked through (don’t shake off marinade before grilling). The chicken is brushed on all sides with just a bit of the reserved sauce – you won’t come anywhere near to using all of it, and that’s good. You’ll see why in just a second.
   The chicken is grilled a bit more, then sliced crosswise.
   The slices are served with the last of the sauce. The approximately ¼ cup of sauce that was left after marinating and brushing was grilling is plenty to dip the chicken slices in.

My Father's Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness on amazon.ca