With basil coming out of my ears, you know that I would have to post a basil-based recipe. And I bet you thought it might be a pesto recipe, huh? But nooooo.... I am going to give you a recipe for a super simple (and light!) basil marinade for your chicken! ;) This recipe is enough marinade for 2-4 servings. I used it for a large split chicken breast for my husband and I for dinner this week. There was still a decent amount of marinade left in the bag after I took the chicken out, so I could have marinated another breast with this same recipe.
What you will need:
A large handful of basil leaves (approx 20-25)
2 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt & pepper
One 1 1/2 lb split chicken breast
Quart sized food storage bag
(Pretty simple, right??)
First, do a rough chop on the basil leaves, and then the garlic. Toss them into a blender or food processor. Pour in the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Blend until nice and smooth. Pierce the chicken breast in several places on both sides and then place in the food storage bag. Pour the marinade in the blender over the chicken, zip close the bag, and massage marinade into the meat for a few minutes. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours. When done marinating, take the chicken out of the bag and shake off the excess. Then simply grill or bake. Cooking time will depend on how thick your chicken breast is and whether your chicken is bone-in or boneless.
This chicken breast was wonderfully flavorful and juicy. My husband and I just cut this split chicken breast in half and shared it. You could also use this recipe for any other cuts of chicken- boneless breasts, a whole cut-up chicken, chicken thighs. The marinade recipe could be easily doubled if needed.
