So, I had a ton of fresh basil lying around after last weekend's dinner party and I decided I'd be damned if I let another expensive package of herbs wilt to black in my produce drawer. (Please don't email me about buying a basil plant. I kill anything green that comes into this house and I have no control over it.) The Captain is not crazy about pesto, we just made a batch of Sunday Sauce, ditto Caprese salad, so I turned to the internet and found this nice recipe for Basil Garlic Chicken (second recipe in the second answer). Fairly idiot-proof? Yes, but sometimes that's just what you need.
The first part involved whizzing chopped garlic, salt, chopped basil, pepper, and EVOO in the food processor. Pause for a moment of reverence for the mini-bowl insert on my KitchenAid FoPro. Why dirty up the whole damn workbowl when you've got this cute little thing that fits inside and doesn't take up any extra space? Win!
I pressed the chicken breasts slightly to flatten them,
ignoring the instructions about patting the chicken dry and about ensuring you have an even thickness. Let me tell you why this was dumb. First of all, raw chicken is slippery and when you are trying to press it between two sheets of plastic wrap, it helps if it's not sliding all over the place. Secondly, if all your pieces are not all the same thickness, they will get done at different times and you'll have to transfer the thinner pieces from the grill(pan) to a plate while the others finish cooking, thereby dirtying an extra plate. Do you want to wash an extra dirty plate? Great, then come on over to my house, I've got a sink full of 'em.
Another attractive feature of this recipe is that it doesn't have to sit a spell; just dump in a bag, squish around, then grill immediately. I like my grill pan for this, because I can work on sides inside the kitchen and not run outside to flip the chicken every couple minutes. But, since basil one of the main ingredients, this is really more of a summer recipe and would work just fine on your outdoor grill, provided you have a chilled glass of Pinot Grigio to keep you company. The recipe says to grill just 3-5 minutes a side, but I like to cook each side twice to ensure doneness for the thicker pieces and also to make those neato criss-cross grill marks.
I served this with simple steamed brown rice and
broccoli. It tasted a little salty to me, but the Captain loved it and I found when combined with a mouthful of unseasoned rice, it balanced out OK. The portion size is perfectly appropriate and I should know this because I was still hungry after eating it and I have absolutely no willpower for proper portion control right now. Overall, a fairly healthy recipe that's tasty and easy. Try it and enjoy!
