Two of the most frequent questions readers and clients ask are: “Do you have an easy moist chicken breast recipe?” and “Can you suggest a different marinade for grilled chicken? I’m tired of my usual one.”
The first recipe speaks to chicken breasts that are perfect for family dinner but so moist and delicious it’s good for the next day on a salad or for company too.
The second recipe is for flavorful marinated grilled chicken with a complementary red grape jus to serve at the table with toasted Tuscan bread to sop up the juices. Bon appétit!
Baked Stuffed Chicken Breasts(Serves 4)4 chicken breast halves with skin and bones
1 large lemon, halved, for drizzling
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup dry vermouth or chicken stock for bakingSpinach And Pine Nut Filling:1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
3 medium shallots, minced
12 ounces fresh baby spinach or 1, 10-ounce box frozen spinach, defrosted and wrung dry
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of half a lemon or more to taste
2 tablespoons toasted pine nutsApple, Onion and Herb Stuffing:1 granny smith apple, washed, halved, cored, and cut into thin slices
1 large white onion, peeled, halved, and cut into thin slices
8 to 10 fresh herb leaves (mint, flat leaf parsley, fresh sage, thyme, basil, or rosemary)
Few drops extra virgin olive oilTo prepare: Make spinach filling ahead.
Refrigerate for two to three days, or freeze for up to two months.For spinach/pine nut filling:In a non-reactive skillet over moderate high heat, coat bottom with oil and butter.
Add shallots and sauté until beginning to soften.
Add spinach, stir and sauté over high heat until spinach is wilted.
Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.
Continue to cook until all the juices have evaporated.
Stir in pine nuts, taste and adjust the seasonings.
Cool to room temperature and refrigerate or freeze until ready to stuff the chicken.For apple, onion, and herb filling:Stuff two or three slices of apple, a slice of onion, and one or two leaves of your favorite herb under the skin, drizzle with a few drops of olive oil, and replace the skin.To stuff and bake chicken breasts:Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Lightly oil the bottom of an ovenproof baking serving dish that will accommodate the chicken in one layer. (Defrost stuffing if necessary.)
Rinse chicken with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides and drizzle with lemon juice.
With your fingers, gently loosen the skin from open side, but leaving it attached on two sides.
Stuff about one tablespoon of filling under the skin, cover with the skin, and flatten the top with your hand.
Place stuffed chicken skin side up in prepared baking dish.
Drizzle lemon juice and olive oil over chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Pour vermouth around the edges.
Bake at 425 degrees F until the skin is crisp and brown, about 15 minutes.
Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and continue cooking until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork in the thickest portion of the meat, about 10 minutes longer.
Transfer to plate and drizzle with accumulated pan juices.California-Tuscan Grilled Chicken With Red Grape Jus(Serves 4-6)3 large sprigs fresh rosemary, needles removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup good quality balsamic vinegar
2 generous tablespoons honey
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 whole chickens, about 3 to 4 pounds each, cut in half or quartered
Sprigs fresh rosemary for garnishFor Red Grape Jus:3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 shallots, minced
1 medium, carrot, peeled and minced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds seedless black or red grapes, halved
3/4 cup earthy fruity red wine, Zinfandel
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar aged in oak
1 loaf Tuscan rustic bread, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slicesTo prepare:Wash the chicken, pat dry with paper towels inside and out.
In a large bowl or shallow baking dish, whisk together rosemary, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, honey, one teaspoon salt and generous black pepper.
Add chicken to marinade, turn and massage to evenly coat on all sides.
Cover and refrigerate for at least four to five hours, but preferably overnight.Meanwhile, make the red grape jus:Working in a mini-food chopper, mince carrot, shallots, and garlic separately.
In a heavy saucepan over medium low heat, add oil, shallots and carrots, and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about three to four minutes.
Add garlic and cook for another minute, stirring often.
Add grapes, wine, and vinegar, partially cover the pan, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, taste, and adjust the seasonings.
Cover and set aside.
Reheat just before serving.To grill: Let chicken stand at room temperature about one hour before cooking.
Preheat grill until coals are white hot.
Oil the grid, remove chicken from the marinade, place skin side down over hottest area. Discard the marinade.
Cook chicken until the skin is brown and crispy, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Turn chicken over and cook about 10 minutes.
Move chicken to a cooler section of the grill.
Turn chicken skin side up, baste with grape jus, and continue cooking, covered, until the juices run clear when pierced in the thickest section of the chicken or until instant meat thermometer reads about 175 degrees F.
Meanwhile, toast the bread until golden brown and crisp.
Transfer chicken and toast to a large platter, garnish with rosemary sprigs, and pass hot grape jus at the table.
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