Grilled Chicken Breast with Roasted Tomato Onion Sauce

I got another recipe from Melissa D'Arabian. Love her! The directions seem long, but really she is just thorough. It is easy to do. My kids each had three helpings of the chicken mixed with the sauce. I paired the chicken with salt potatoes. It worked perfectly to have the salty flavor and the sweet tomatoes with the grilled chicken!

Ingredients for sauce
Roasted Tomato and Onion Dipping Sauce:


5 Roma tomatoes, halved (about 1 pound)*
1 yellow or white onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 to 2 tablespoons water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

*Cook's Note: The tomatoes do not have to be "good" tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Place the halved tomatoes, onions, and garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Drizzle with half the olive oil and sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. Toss to coat well. Place the tomatoes cut-side down, and cook for 2 hours turning the tomatoes after 1 hour. After the second hour, remove the baking sheet, and set aside the unpeeled garlic. Place the rest of the vegetables and the pan juices in a food processor or blender. Add a tablespoon or two of water to the pan to scrape up any bits of flavor stuck onto the baking sheet and add to the food processor. Squeeze out the soft flesh of the roasted garlic into the food processor and add the remaining olive oil. Pulse the mixture until chunky, or puree until smooth, depending on desired consistency. Taste the sauce and season with salt, and pepper, if necessary.



For the grilled chicken;
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Directions

In a small bowl, mix the vegetable oil with the smashed garlic, using a fork to help release the garlic flavor into the oil. Season the garlic mixture with salt, and pepper, to taste. Let sit for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prep the chicken breasts. Rinse and dry the chicken thoroughly. Find the ridge along the side of the chicken breast, and carefully pull off the tender. Take each breast and pound gently to an even thickness. Do not pound too thin; the breast will not be completely uniform. If there is a skinny little triangular tip, go ahead and cut off and discard. Prep the tenders by slicing off any jagged edges. Liberally salt and pepper the chicken and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.
(I let mine marinate in the oil for about 1 hour before I cooked the chicken.)


Preheat the grill to hot.

Once the chicken has rested, brush liberally with the garlic-infused vegetable oil. Place the chicken breasts on the hot grill, with the thicker portion facing the hotter part of your grill (usually the back). Allow the chicken breasts to cook undisturbed until char marks are made, about 4 minutes. Flip the chicken, keeping the thick part of the chicken toward the hot part of the flame, and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the chicken reads 155 degrees F, about 3 more minutes. Place the chicken tenders on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes total, turning halfway through. Allow the grilled chicken to rest for 5 minutes, covered, before serving.

-I dumped the sauce over the chicken and served it. YUM!

Caprese-Style Stuffed Chicken Rolls

Another Rachel Ray recipe.  I'm not a huge fan, but the recipes I've made over the past few weeks have been very well-received in my house!

4 chicken cutlets (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup basil leaves
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)
2 tomatoes, cored and thinly sliced (I used a can of petite diced tomatoes)

Preheat a grill to medium. On a work surface, arrange the chicken cutlets in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Divide the basil among the cutlets in an even layer, then top each with some of the mozzarella and tomatoes. Roll up the cutlets and secure with toothpicks; brush the rolls with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper.


Arrange the chicken rolls on the cooking grate, cover and grill, turning occasionally, until deep golden-brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes; transfer to a work surface. Let stand for 5 minutes, then remove the toothpicks and thinly slice crosswise.

Panzanella

Make.  Eat.  Enjoy.  This is sometimes called "leftover salad" because you can add pretty much anything to it.  Sometimes I'll add hard-boiled eggs, chunks of mozzarella, tuna, pepperoni, salami or garbanzo beans, depending on if  it is going to be a side or main dish.  Measurements are up to you -- whatever looks good!


Tomatoes, cut into chunks (or use grape or cherry tomatoes cut in half)
Red onion, thinly sliced
Bell pepper, thinly sliced
Cucumber, seeded and quartered
Fresh parsley, chopped
Salad dressing, approximately 1/2 c. (go with vinegar/oil-based dressing -- I love Newman's Own Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette)
6 c. cubed Italian bread, toasted

Combine tomatoes, onion, and dressing, and allow to sit for 20 minutes.  Add peppers, cucumber, and parsley and let stand for another 15 minutes.  Just before serving, add bread cubes and toss to blend.