25 minute dinner: Grilled Rosemary Chicken with tossed salad
Have I mentioned my little obsession with fresh herbs? Or how I dream of having my own hobby farm/homestead one day so I can grow said herbs in a big garden? The recipe I want to share with you today makes me so antsy for that dream to become a reality! I’ll be sharing more with you all about the future ‘dream’ homestead in later posts. For now I sit in my little suburban home and blog my heart out. Anyway, one of the most delicious grilled chicken recipes out there, Grilled Rosemary Chicken with tossed salad greens is a recipe that I know I’ll be incorporating into my routine weeknight rotation of recipes, and I’d love to someday incorporate home grown elements fresh off the farm so I know where my food is coming from, and for self-reliance as well!
Have you ever grilled fruits before? Or in particular lemons? The natural fructose sugars caramelize and create more complex and delicious flavor compounds. Grilled lemons are the basis for this recipe. You’ll be creating a vinaigrette with the grilled lemon juice that will flavor both the chicken and the tossed salad. Freshly chopped rosemary, pressed garlic, Dijon, olive oil, salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar are added to the freshly grilled lemon juice. Once you’ve dried the chicken, generously brush both sides with the vinaigrette and grill to perfection. The rest gets tossed in with salad greens of your choice.
This recipe is excellent if you’re looking to keep things light both in terms of calories and cooking time. My family loved it, and I loved making it. It’s made so everyone gets a whole chicken breast, which might be more than the correct portion size, it just depends on the size of the chicken breast and how it’s been trimmed. I used chicken from a large freezer bag, and it included rib meat. For my greens I just bought a big one pound container of organic mixed salad greens. It’s just a bit more than what’s required for the recipe, so I saved what was left to add to smoothies I’ll make in the near future. This recipe was absolutely delicious, and if you’re not too worried about calorie pinching, serve with dinner rolls or cheesy bread sticks to round out the meal. Enjoy! And don’t forget to rate the recipe or comment below!
30 minute dinner: Grilled Rosemary Chicken with tossed salad
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Grilled caramelized Lemons provide the base for a fresh homemade rosemary garlic vinaigrette used to coat the chicken on the grill and dress the tossed salad. Amazingly flavored, calorie saving quick weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 lemons, halved
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 12 cups salad greens, about 1 pound
Instructions
- Preheat grill to about 350. Grill lemons cut side down over fire until deep brown and caramelized, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Combine about 3 tablespoons of squeezed lemon juice from the grilled lemons with the mustard, rosemary, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper and oil. Whisk until emulsified. Pour 1/3 cup in to a separate container and set aside.
- Pat chicken dry on both sides with paper towels. Brush chicken with remaining dressing. Place on grill and cook about 5 minutes per side or until center reaches 160 degrees. Remove from grill and tent with foil.
- Whisk 1/3 vinaigrette that was set aside earlier to re-combine and toss with salad greens. Serve with the chicken and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: American
I LOVE the idea of using grilled lemons for the marinade/dressing. Caramelization makes everything better! I’ve got to try this recipe.
Also, I share your dream about having a homestead with a huge garden! I’d have a few chickens, huge veggie/herb garden, and blackberry bushes! Sigh…someday.
Mmmmm blackberries! My dad is always talking about how he picked bushels full as a kid in Ohio. Sadly, living in the desert of NM at the moment makes growing anything difficult. I’ll have to make sure to include blackberries in my future garden! Hope you like the recipe :0) Thanks for the comment!