One of my favorite ways to whip up a healthy meal is grilling! The charred flavor you can get, the smell of the marinated chicken floats through the air and it just feels amazing. How do I incorporate the freshness of a summer night into a hearty, delicious meal? Marinate the chicken in a bright basil vinaigrette! This basil balsamic chicken is just the ticket
How To Make Basil Vinaigrette
It really is quite simple! You may be thinking, do basil and balsamic really go together? YES! The fresh and pungent sweet basil is perfection when paired with the tang of a balsamic vinegar. First, the basil vinaigrette.
How do you make a vinaigrette? My simple solution to making this vinaigrette is a blender cup! You could sit and whisk forever, but throw all of the ingredients in the cup and let the blender do it for you!
- Combine vinegar, oil, herbs, & spices in the blender cup
- Blend on high until it starts to become a little lighter in color. This will ensure that it has emulsified!
Then you can use this Basil Vinaigrette as a marinade or an amazing salad dressing. If you need to know how to make the best salads, head to this Peach Prosciutto Salad Blog!
Marinate The Chicken
Marinating chicken is one of the most simple ways to pack a lot of flavor into a little piece of protein! It requires very little effort which I love.
How long do you marinate chicken? It doesn't matter if it is chicken breast or thighs, my preference to get the most flavor is a minimum marinade time of 2-3 hours. However, you could freeze the chicken in the marinade in a Ziplock and save it for another day! If it's in the fridge, I would let it go overnight, then cook!
What is in a marinade? I like to load my marinades with plenty of acidity and spices! Think lemon juice, lime juice, and vinegars because these help tenderize the meat. Garlic powder is always a sure thing and a little bit of oil!
How to cook marinated chicken? This is totally up to you! The flavor has been locked in by the time you've taken to marinade. Some options include: grilling, baking, pan searing, and even air frying!
Ingredients For Marinated Thighs
- 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon pepper
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 4 cups spinach or mixed greens
- cherry tomatoes
- goat cheese
- cooked farro
- balsamic dressing
- balsamic reduction
Cooking Marinated Chicken Thighs
- In a blender cup combine fresh basil, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Blend on high for 30 seconds until thoroughly combined.
- In a mixing bowl add your chicken things and pour the marinade over.
- Set in the fridge for at least an hour
- Pre heat grill to 400 degrees and cook the chicken fro 7-8 minutes on each side until the internal temperature is 165.
- Serve with salad greens, goat cheese, and tomatoes tossed with your favorite balsamic dressing. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Basil Balsamic Marinated Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- blender and blender cup
- mixing bowl
- grill
- 1 grill pan
- 1 blender
- 1 glass mixing bowl or baking dish
Ingredients
- 6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tbsp lemon pepper
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 5 cups spinach or mixed greens
- 1 cup cooked farro
- ¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled
- 3 tablespoon balsamic dressing
- 1 drizzle balsamic reduction
Instructions
- In a blender cup combine fresh basil, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, lemon pepper, and garlic. Blend on high for 30 seconds until thoroughly combined.
- In a mixing bowl add your chicken things and pour the marinade over.
- Set in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Pre heat grill to 400 degrees (or grill pan over medium high heat) and cook the chicken fro 7-8 minutes on each side until the internal temperature is 165.
- Prep the salad by topping the greens with goat cheese, tomatoes, and farro tossed with your favorite balsamic dressing.
- Add the grilled chicken thighs to the middle of the salad and drizzle with balsamic reduction. Enjoy!
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