Grilled Lemon Chicken

Every time we make this recipe it makes me think of our cousins on Long Island

Our get togethers are usually a weekend long and always packed with great food & laughs

The first time we had this at Brian’s house, we actually stopped on the way home to buy all of the ingredients to make it again.  It’s that good.  And super simple!

The fresh lemon dressing is the perfect accompaniment to the juicy grilled chicken

And you can’t go wrong serving this Grilled Lemon Chicken with roasted veggies, fresh mozzarella and some crusty bread

Let’s get started!

We like to grill the veggies first because they can sit at room temperature while we cook the chicken

You can use whatever vegetables that you like to grill.  We’re using red & green peppers and onions

Drizzle the sliced onions with olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper

Grill the veggies on medium flame – about 400 degrees

Cook the onions for 5 mins, flip and cook 5 more minutes and remove to a sheet pan

Grill the peppers until they are charred and a bit softened and remove from heat

Once cooled enough to touch, peel the peppers, remove the seeds and slice into strips

Arrange on a platter with fresh mozzarella & basil or be creative and use what you’d like!

This part can be done way ahead of time and you can prep and grill the chicken when your guests arrive

Thinly slice 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Cover with plastic wrap or wax paper & gently pound out the chicken being careful not to tear apart

Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and Herbs de Provence and a drizzle of olive oil or spray with cooking spray

Herbs de Provence is a dried spice mixture that typically contains rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil etc. but if you don’t have this mixture, you can use any combination of the above that you have available

Before you grill the chicken, you’ll need to make the lemon dressing.  I call it a dressing instead of a marinade because you really don’t marinate this chicken ahead of time

You’ll need 5 lemons, zested and juiced, 1/3 cup olive oil, 4 garlic cloves, grated, 1/2 teaspoon each of kosher salt and black pepper, 1 tablespoon sugar and 5 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk well until the sugar is dissolved

Make sure your grill grates are well oiled and cook the chicken on medium heat for 2-4 minutes, then flip over and cook for another 2-4 minutes depending on thickness

Remove from grill and place into a serving pan.  Pour the luscious, lemony, garlicky dressing over then chicken (say that 5 times fast) and make sure each piece is coated

Serve up with some crusty bread, cheese, grilled veggies and some good company!

Enjoy!