For the tastiest, most tender chicken, I plan ahead for this party favorite and try to marinate the evening before cooking. Marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes, but for best results marinate for 2 to 24 hours.
SERVES 8
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, leaves removed from stem
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon fresh sage
6 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup macadamia nut oil or avocado oil
salt, to taste
¼ teaspoon pepper
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breast halves, about 2 pounds
PREPARATION:
1. Place rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic, lemon juice, and oil in a food processor and set on “chop” until all ingredients are finely minced. If you don’t have a food processor, you may chop all ingredients by hand.
2. Transfer mixture to a small mixing bowl and add salt and pepper. Mix well.
3. On a nonporous cutting board, tenderize chicken breasts by lightly pounding them with a meat tenderizer. Do not overpound and make them too thin.
4. Pour marinade mixture into a bowl or baking dish large enough to hold all the chicken. Add the chicken to the mixture, making sure that all chicken is coated with marinade.
5. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, up to 24 hours if possible. It will still taste great if you marinate for a shorter period, but the longer the better.
6. Heat grill to medium high.
7. Grill chicken until it is cooked through, turning every two minutes. Cooking time may vary, but is usually 3 to 4 minutes per side. You may use a meat thermometer to test that internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
NOTE: Pounding the chicken with a meat tenderizer will help tenderize and infuse the flavor.
NOTE: If you choose to use dried herbs, use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for each tablespoon of fresh herbs. However, this is one recipe that the flavor will be impacted by not using fresh herbs.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER SERVING: 148.2 calories, 13.8g protein, 1.6g carbohydrates, 0.2g fiber, 0.2g sugar, 9.7g fat, 1.2g saturated fat, 57.3mg cholesterol, 370.3mg sodium