Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Chicken with Grilled Eggplant,Tomato, and Feta - My Life as a Mrs

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus marinade time)
Cook Time: 12-18 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes (plus marinade time)

Ingredients:

For the marinade:
4 chicken breasts
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons garlic powder
2 large cloves garlic
For the Chicken:
1 medium sized eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/2" thick rounds
2 tomatoes, slices into 1/2" thick rounds
olive oil
Salt & pepper
2 ounces crumbled feta
5 basil leaves, coarsely chopped
balsamic reduction (can buy this pre-made at the store or make your own by gently boiling down a bottle of balsamic vinegar until thick & syrupy)

Directions:

Add chicken to large ziplock bag and add all of the marinade ingredients. Seal bag and swish mixture around the chicken until its all combined and coated well. Allow chicken to marinade for at least 30 minutes (you could even do this the morning of and let it rest in the refrigerator until ready to use).
Heat grill to medium to medium high heat (around 375°-400° degrees). While it's pre-heating, prepare the eggplant and tomato rounds by brushing both sides generously with olive oil and sprinkling with a little salt & pepper.
Spray grill with non-stick spray and add the chicken and eggplant rounds (they take about the same amount of time). Cook them all for about 6-8 minutes on the first side, flip and then pierce largest chicken breast with a heat-safe oven thermometer (I have a digital one with a cord so that I can read the temp without opening the grill). Remove chicken when it reaches 165-167°F (SEE NOTE BELOW), place on a platter and cover with foil and allow to rest for 5-8 minutes.
While chicken is resting, remove the eggplant if it's looking good and done and add the tomato rounds to the grill. Be sure to spray the grill well as they will stick! Cook for 2-3 minutes per side (be careful when you turn them over... they are fragile!). Remove from grill.
To Serve: stack 1-2 rounds of eggplant on each piece of chicken (if it's a fat eggplant, one will do - but it it's a skinny little guy... you'll want two!) followed by 1-2 rounds of tomato (same rule applies). Add about 1/2 ounce of crumbled feta cheese, a little sprinkle of chopped basil, and lastly a generous drizzle of balsamic reduction. Serve with a side of couscous or a nice salad. TO. DIE. FOR.
NOTE: Many people fall into the trap of over-cooking the heck out of chicken and turning it into a dry tough piece of meat all because they are scared to death of getting salmonella (I was totally guilty of this at one point). However, I learned an awesome trick that changed this. Chicken is perfectly cooked (and SAFE to eat) when it hits a minimum temperature of 165°F. I usually pull it off the grill anywhere between 165°-168° and let it reast for 5 minutes covered with foil. Perfect every. time.

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