I just love grilling in the summer. Though I must confess, in the past I have gotten stuck in a grilling rut (chalk it up to inexperience). I often had my husband (the grill master, known as “Doc Burger” when he manned the grill back in his college dining center days) cook up chicken breasts, but they were always the same old chicken breasts, marinated in Italian dressing. Don’t get me wrong, those are great, but they get old after awhile.
So after I bought my first ever bottle of balsamic vinegar and came across this recipe, I knew it was meant to be. The first time I tried this recipe, I used bone-in chicken thighs as recommended by the original recipe. I wasn’t impressed. Perhaps it is due to my inexperience grilling bone-in chicken. Or maybe because I pull off the skin before I eat it? Whatever the reason, I was much happier when I used boneless skinless chicken breasts (if you have boneless skinless thighs available in your area, I am sure those would be great as well). This will definitely be one of my go-to chicken recipes from now on. Happy grilling!
Lemon, Rosemary, and Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Adapted from Emeril via Food Network
½ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, lightly chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
In a bowl, combine with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, rosemary, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.
Place the chicken breasts in a large resealable bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken breasts and turn to coat. Place the bag in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours. Note: if you are like me and don’t plan ahead, put your completely frozen chicken breasts in the marinade and leave the chicken out of the fridge to thaw and marinate.
Preheat the grill to medium low. Grill the chicken 8-10 minutes on each side, or until well done (I always check chicken with a meat thermometer just to be sure!)
Serves 4
Enjoy!
Amy