Recipe courtesy of Williams-Sonoma. Adapted from Williams-Sonoma “Entertaining”, by George Dolese (Oxmoor House, 2004).
When hosting a barbecue, it is generally a good idea to offer a choice of at least two different grilled meats, and you usually cannot go wrong making chicken one of them. Chicken breasts marinated in lemon and herbs are a nice contrast to barbecued ribs or other rich meats.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus shredded zest for garnish (optional)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, plus whole leaves and sprigs for garnish (optional)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, to taste
Preparation
- 1 Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry. In a large, shallow nonreactive dish, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, grated lemon zest and juice, the 2 tablespoons rosemary, the thyme, salt and pepper. Add the chicken breasts and turn to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 8 hours.
- 2 Prepare a medium-hot fire in a grill. Oil the grill rack and position it about 6 inches from the heat source.
- 3 Grill the chicken breasts, turning once, until firm to the touch and opaque throughout, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken breasts to a cutting board and cut on the diagonal against the grain into slices 1/2 inch thick, capturing any carving juices, if possible.
- 4 Arrange the chicken slices on a warmed serving platter and drizzle any carving juices over the top. Sprinkle with rosemary leaves and sprigs and shredded lemon zest.
- 5 Serves 8.
