Herbed Balsamic Chicken

With a few more desperate attempts at using our great grilling weather before the cold sets in, I pulled this recipe from the depths of my Google Reader. It sounded fabulous... balsamic vinegar and Herbs de Provence? What's not to love?

This was very easy to throw together, but I didn't have high expectations because I seem to have trouble getting marinades to really stick to the meat and stay on for the grilling process. Needless to say, it's disappointing to feel like you are leaving all the good flavor behind in the bowl. When my husband pulled these off the grill I was ecstatic to see how great they looked! Definitely no loss of flavor here. This recipe really delivers - one bite and I was pouring over my menu to figure out when I could make it again. We loved it! I paired this chicken with simple grilled eggplant for a great dinner.

Herbed Balsamic Chicken
Source: Adapted from Bon Apétit, June 2009, seen on Cook Like a Champion

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
-In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
-Place chicken in a resealable bag and pour marinade on top. Refrigerate for at least two hours, turning the bag occasionally.
-Preheat a grill pan to medium-high heat and add chicken.
-Sprinkle with herbes de Provence, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
-Grill until chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes per side.


Simple Grilled Eggplant

1 medium eggplant
kosher salt
olive oil
pepper
garlic powder

Slice the top and bottom off of eggplant. Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place a layer of paper towels down on counter or cutting board. Lay eggplant slices on paper towel, generously salt both sides of eggplant. Cover with more papertowels, then another cutting board or cookie sheet. Place something heavy (book, etc) on top of the stack to weight it down. Let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse eggplant slices.

Spray both sides with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Lay slices on heated grill for about 10 minutes per side.