Here in Minnesota we seem to have skipped spring and headed straight into summer. Temps were in the 90s yesterday and weather forecasters are predicting more of the same today.
I officially kicked off the season with an impromptu al fresco dinner with my friend Lisa. She suggested we grill so I rolled my charcoal grill out of the garage, dusted it off and rummaged around my recipe collection until I found one in which I had all the ingredients on hand (not a simple task, mind you).
Lisa volunteered to do the grilling which was fine by me. She rounded up the charcoal while I got the chicken ready. The recipe was quite simple; just a rub made of garlic, dried herbs, bouillon and pepper, along with some olive oil and white wine. Because there were just two of us, I halved the recipe and made three chicken breasts instead of six (though I didn't decrease the garlic because I believe you can never have too much garlic). I popped the chicken in the fridge ran a few errands while it marinated.
Lisa prepped the grill and when the coals were ready, put the chicken on. I was nervous about how long to grill the chicken but Lisa seemed to know what she was doing. Once the breasts were nicely browned we cut one open to make sure it wasn’t pink in the center.
We added a simple salad (with Julie's dressing, of course) and a glass of refreshing Pinot Grigio and—ta da!—summer dining at its finest.
Grilled Chicken Breasts with Fresh Herbs
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
3/4 teaspoon chicken flavor instant bouillon
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 (about 1 3/4 pounds total) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup dry white wine
Combine garlic, rosemary, thyme, bouillon and pepper in small bowl.
Arrange chicken in 13 x 9-inch baking pan; rub with herb mixture. Drizzle with oil. Pour wine into bottom of pan; cover. Marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours.
Preheat grill or broiler.
Grill or broil chicken for about 6 minutes on each side or until no longer pink in center.