We love bold flavors around here. No bland and boring food is tolerated in this kitchen! Today’s chicken dish has certainly got some bold flavors in it! 3, to be exact. The first one is the balsamic vinegar used in the marinade. I use balsamic vinegar, literally, every day. It gives my daily lunch salad a kick. The vinegar’s complex taste enhances the simple ingredients like the lettuce & tomato in my salad and the chicken in this recipe.
The second bold flavor used in this recipe is herbes de Provence. This aromatic spice blend usually contains savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and lavender leaves. It is a robust mixture of herbs made popular in the southeastern region of France, where the herbs comprising the mixture grow in abundance.
The final hit of bold comes from blue cheese, a favorite of both Eric and I. There aren’t too many cheeses with a stronger flavor than the blues. Combining these 3 robust ingredients livens up this simple chicken dish!
Balsamic Chicken with Blue Cheese
Balsamic Chicken with Blue Cheese (adapted from bonappetit.com) Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts (2 breasts)- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- coarse salt & black pepper
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence, divided
- 2-ounce wedge blue cheese, cut into 4 slices
- 4 ounces baby kale
Preparation:
Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts, pound them to an even thickness and cut them into 2 equal pieces each, for a total of 4 pieces. Place the chicken in a large resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the vinegar, oil, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Add the marinade to the chicken and seal the bag. Refrigerate the chicken for 2 hours, turning the bag occasionally.
Add the marinade to the chicken in the bag.
Place the chicken and the marinade in a baking dish. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of the herbes de Provence, 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bake the chicken in a 350º oven for 25-30 minutes, turning the chicken halfway through and sprinkling the second side with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of herbes de Provence.
Bake the chicken after sprinkling it with the herbs.
After turning the chicken halfway through the cooking time, cook the baby kale. Wilt it by placing it in a sauté pan over medium-high heat with a little water. Cover the pan and steam the kale until it starts to wilt, about 4-7 minutes. When the chicken is done, transfer the pieces to individual plates, top each one with 1/4 of the wilted kale and a thin slice of blue cheese. Set the plates back in the warm oven for 5 minutes to melt the cheese, if desired. Serve immediately.
Lots of bold flavor here!
Alternate Grill Directions: The chicken can also be grilled, if desired. Here’s how: Wilt the kale as directed above and set it aside. After the chicken has marinated, set the grill to medium-high heat and brush the grill rack generously with oil. Arrange the chicken on the grill, sprinkle it with 1/2 teaspoon of the herbes de Provence, 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Grill the chicken for 4-6 minutes per side, sprinkling the pieces with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of herbes de Provence when it is flipped. Place some of the wilted kale on each piece of chicken along with a slice of cheese for the last minute of grilling. Remove the chicken from the grill and serve.
The bold flavors come through in this dish! ~Linda
Balsamic Chicken with Blue Cheese (adapted from bonappetit.com) Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast halves (2 breasts)
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- coarse kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence divided
- 2-ounce wedge blue cheese, cut into 4 slices
Preparation:
Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts, pound them to an even thickness and cut them into 2 equal pieces each, for a total of 4 pieces. Place the chicken in a large resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the vinegar, oil, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Add the marinade to the chicken and seal the bag. Refrigerate the chicken for 2 hours, turning the bag occasionally.
Place the chicken and the marinade in a baking dish. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of the herbes de Provence, 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bake the chicken in a 350º oven for 25-30 minutes, turning the chicken halfway through and sprinkling the second side with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of herbes de Provence.
After turning the chicken halfway through the cooking time, cook the baby kale. Wilt it by placing it in a sauté pan over medium-high heat with a little water. Cover the pan and steam the kale until it starts to wilt, about 4-7 minutes. When the chicken is done, transfer the pieces to individual plates, top each one with 1/4 of the wilted kale and a thin slice of blue cheese. Set the plates back in the warm oven for 5 minutes to melt the cheese, if desired. Serve immediately.
Alternate Grill Directions: The chicken can also be grilled, if desired. Here’s how: Wilt the kale as directed above and set it aside. After the chicken has marinated, set the grill to medium-high heat and brush the grill rack generously with oil. Arrange the chicken on the grill, sprinkle it with 1/2 teaspoon of the herbes de Provence, 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Grill the chicken for 4-6 minutes per side, sprinkling the pieces with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of herbes de Provence when it is flipped. Place some of the wilted kale on each piece of chicken along with a slice of cheese for the last minute of grilling. Remove the chicken from the grill and serve.