Grilled Lemon Chicken with Gremolata

Whose freezer doesn’t contain the ubiquitous chicken breasts? And who hasn’t gotten sick and tired of eating them? One trick is to marinate them for a few minutes in plain old lemon juice, then sear them on the outside to create a golden glaze. Don’t overcook them, and top them with a shot of this ancient Italian secret, gremolata. Nothing more than an ad-lib mixture of finely minced lemon (or orange) zest, parsley, and garlic; it will make that chicken fly.

• Dry the chicken on paper towels. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Dab with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside for up to 15 minutes. Stir the ingredients for the gremolata, and set aside.
• Preheat a ridged grill pan until smoking hot. Add the chicken, cooking just until golden grill marks begin to show, no more than 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and finish cooking on the second side, about 4 minutes total.
• To serve, place a chicken breast on a warmed dinner plate and top with a shot of gremolata
• Cooking Lesson Cooking Lesson Hidden assets in this recipe come by way of the gremolata. You’ll get nearly 40 percent of your daily requirement for vitamin C and 27 percent for iron just by munching on the lemon and parsley. Not to mention the health benefits from garlic. First, there’s the vampire factor. Eat this much garlic, and you’re safe from any Dracula. Second, your heart will pound all the more securely from the micronutrients found in garlic.