Parsley Mint Grilled Lemon Chicken with Summer Corn and Tomatoes…
I took the farm to grill challenge yesterday and came up with a great menu while walking through the farmer’s market. I wanted to find a way to use as many ingredients as I could from the market and be able to throw it all on the grill as a “one pan” meal. I was craving a crispy chicken skin so I decided it would be a chicken under the brick type of day.
I was inspired by the bounty of fresh herbs, sweet corn, and ripe heirloom tomatoes. Surrounding myself with ingredients at a market is one of my favorite ways to develop a recipe. Ideas start rolling as soon as I see the possibilities. There is also this wonderful earthy feeling that comes with shopping at a local farmer’s market instead of at the big one stop shop.
The recipe I came up with was quick to make, beautiful to look at, and a treat to eat. It is a keeper and I will be using it quite a bit on all my chef adventures!
I started by marinating the chicken in a fresh herb paste of mint and parsley. I grilled lemons with the chicken and cooked them all together in the oven for a few minutes so the chicken could catch some of that lemony goodness. I then made a hearty salad as the bed for the chicken with some grilled veggies, arugula, chickpeas, and radishes. The chicken became part of the pretty landscape of the salad and was served family style to my food happy family.
The only thing that the meal needed was a good hunk of baguette and an ice cold drink.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!
Grilled Chicken Under a Brick with Chicken with Lemons, Arugula, Mint, Corn, and Tomatoes
Serves 4
Chicken:
4 Chicken Breasts, skin on, boneless
5 Sprigs of Mint
10 Chives
1 Small bunch of Flat Leaf Parsley, leaves only
2 Cloves of Garlic, chopped
¼ Cup of Olive Oil
Chili Flakes (optional)
2 Lemons, sliced ½ inch in diameter
Sea Salt and Pepper, to taste
Salad
8 Handfuls of Baby Arugula
1 Cup of Chick Peas
3 Radishes, thinly sliced
1 Ear of Corn, grilled in the husk and then cut off the cob
20 Small Heirloom Tomatoes
5 Sprigs of Mint, leaves only
1 Lemon
¼ cup of Olive Oil
Sea Salt and Pepper, to taste
For the chicken:
1. Place the mint, parsley, garlic, and olive oil in a food processor and process until the herbs are finely cut. Add in the oil until it is combined.
2. Place some of the marinade on the bottom of the plate and put the chicken on top of it to marinate. Season the skin with salt and pepper. Leave the skin with out marinade to allow it to get crispy on the grill.
3. Heat the grill to medium high and place it skin side down with a weight on top of it like a cast iron pan or an aluminum foil covered brick. Grill for 5 minutes or until the skin is crispy. Turn the chicken over and grill for two more minutes without the weight.
4. Remove the almost cooked chicken from the grill and place it in the oven for another 5-7 minutes on top of the grilled lemon pieces for extra flavor.
Rub the cooked chicken with a small amount of the mint and parsley marinade.
5. While the chicken is grilling add the tomatoes, whole corn on the cob, and the sliced lemons to the grill. Cook the lemons and tomatoes for 2 minutes and turn them over for another minute. Remove them from the grill and set all but the lemon slices aside.
For the Salad:
1. Lay all of the ingredients out on a large platter.
2. Whisk the extra lemon, ¼ cup of olive oil, sea salt, and pepper in a bowl and drizzle it over the greens. Add the chicken with the Grilled lemons as a garnish.