Balsamic Grilled Chicken

This is one of my absolute favorite marinades of ALL TIME.  I got it in a recipe for “pan roasted flank steak*” back in 2004, and now I use it on nearly anything. (Note: It’s also the nastiest looking recipe sheet in my recipe box—covered in stains & splatters—so you KNOW it’s been used a LOT.)  Particularly grilled chicken.  The marinating ensures an amazingly juicy, flavorful piece of meat.  I have never tried this marinade on a fish—I think for most fish, the flavor of the marinade might outsing the flavor of the fish…but it might work with something like swordfish or shark (because we all totes have pieces of shark hanging out in our fridge, right?  Yeah…me neither.)

 

Ingredients:

Add the following items to a large ziploc bag (place the bag upright inside a bowl with the zip top rolled out for easier handling--

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp mustard (you can use regular ol’ yellow mustard if you like—I prefer to use Tabasco Spicy Brown mustard for an extra kick)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp cracked black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Next, add up to 4 chicken pieces (we go with chicken breasts or thighs, usually) to the bag.  Then, since you’ve been handling chicken, in the words of mah dear JoJo, “Wash yer d@mn hands."  THEN, roll up the top of the ziploc and zip ‘er shut, pushing most of the air out before closing completely.  The outside of the bag should be nice & clean, with all the ingredients trapped safely inside.  Now, roll the bag o’ chicken & goodness around so that the marinade coats all the pieces.  The place the bag back in the bowl & allow to marinate for at least one hour, but overnight is also totally acceptable.

 

Grillin’ Time:

Fire up your grill and let it get up to about medium heat.  Then use tongs to transfer the chicken from the bag to the bottom rack of your grill. (Chuck the marinade that remains in the bag, since it’s tainted with chicken juices.)

Use your handy-dandy meat thermometer and cook these until they reach an internal temp of at least 165F, flipping at least once during grilling.  Cook time will totally depend on your grill, so rely on your thermometer for doneness.

 

When everything’s up to temp, remove from grill & serve!  We had these with a salad & grilled brussels sprouts.  One chicken breast was about 8 oz, so we cut them in half for portion management.

 

 NutriFacts: (per 4 oz chicken breast piece)

Calories 147.1

  Total Fat 3.1 g

  Saturated Fat 0.6 g

  Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g

  Monounsaturated Fat 1.8 g

  Cholesterol 65.7 mg

  Sodium 288.8 mg

  Potassium 295.3 mg

  Total Carbohydrate 1.3 g

  Dietary Fiber 0.1 g

  Sugars 0.3 g

  Protein 26.3 g

* If you use this recipe for pan roasted steak, grill your steak in a large skillet, & once it’s cooked to your desired doneness, remove the steaks, then add 1 cup low sodium chicken broth to the pan, along with 1/2 medium onion, sliced in rings, and 4 oz of sliced mushrooms….saute over medium-low heat until veggies are cooked, and then add 1 tbsp flour to the pan & stir until it makes an awesome gravy.  Serve over the steaks.  This is also AWESOME on top of the chicken.