Grilled Balsamic Chicken Dinner

This grilled balsamic chicken dinner has everything going for it: juicy, tender grilled chicken flavored with fresh rosemary, sweet and silky peperonata, which can be made ahead of time, and extra crispy roasted potatoes. Plate the whole dinner on one large platter and serve family style!

For dessert, either my Plum Crumble or my Panna Cotta with Strawberry Rhubarb Compote would be an excellent choices.

The Game Plan:

• The Day Before you can make the peperonata. Just hold off adding the capers and red wine vinegar until just before serving. The flavors will be better that way. 
• Marinate the chicken 1-2 hours before guests arrive. But don’t go over 2 hours because the balsamic vinegar will make the chicken mushy if you marinate it any longer. Personally, I’ve found 1 1/2 hours to be the sweet spot.
• 45 minutes before serving dinner, roast the potatoes. After about 25 minutes, they should be knife tender, at this stage, turn down the heat from 350F (175C) to 300F (150C) this will keep them warm but also continue to crisp them up while you grill the chicken.
• Preheat your grill, then reheat the peperonata. Add the capers and vinegar, stir to combine, turn off the heat, and keep covered until ready to serve. The peperonata can be served slightly warm or at room temperature.
• Grill the chicken, then plate it all up on a large white platter and serve! 

Making the Peperonata

• I like to use three colors of peppers for a bright summery peperonata.
• Cut the peppers into 1/8 slices, so you have a chunky peperonata.
• A non-stick pan is best so the peppers and garlic don’t stick as they steam.
• You’ll also need to cover them, allowing them to cook for about 15 minutes to achieve their soft texture.
• But if you’re making this in advance, don’t take the cooking too far, as the reheating will also continue to soften them.
• The great thing about peperonata is that it is equally good served hot, cold, or at room temperature. For this dinner, I like to serve it between warm and room temperature. 

Creating Crispy Potatoes

• To create crispy roasted potatoes that hold their shape a few things need to happen.
• First, be sure to use a waxy potato like a Dutch Baby or a Yukon Gold, these potatoes will hold their shape much better than a starchy potato like a russet, those are better for making fluffy mashed potatoes. 
• Second, these potatoes love olive oil! Roast them tossed in a generous 3 tablespoons! And be sure your pan is greased with a hefty drizzle. This creates the perfect “shallow fry” environment for them to get nice and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.
• Roasting them at two temperatures also helps. I do 25 minutes at 350F (175C) to make sure they are done on the inside and then once they are knife-tender roast for another 15-20 minutes at 300F (155C) to continue setting the crispiness.
• Also make sure when cutting them, all the pieces are roughly the same size, this will ensure they will bake at the same rate.

Grilling the Chicken

• Grilling the chicken not only makes it cook quicker, I think it looks prettier on the plate too!
• By allowing the chicken to marinate at least 1 1/2 hours it will absorb the majority of the marinade and all that flavor will end up in your chicken.
• For any remaining marinade on the chicken tap off the exess to avoid flare ups on the grill.
• Pile the chicken, peperonata and potatoes on a large serving platter and serve family style.

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Grilled Balsamic Chicken Dinner

Yield: 4-6

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Additional Time: 1 minute

Total Time: 1 hour 17 minutes

This tender and juicy grilled balsamic chicken is a fantastic dinner idea for easy summer entertaining.

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Ingredients

For the Chicken:

• 4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, butterflied
• ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) balsamic vinegar
• 1 garlic glove, minced
• ½ tsp (2.5 ml) kosher salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh rosemary, minced
• 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary sprigs, for garnishing

For the Peperonata:

• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) Olive Oil
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
• 1 Orange Bell Pepper
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) water
• ½ tsp (2.5 ml) red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp (5 ml) capers, rinsed

For the Potatoes:

• 2 ½ pounds (1133 g) Dutch Baby, or Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• ½ tsp (2.5 ml) Herbs de Provence, or Italian Seasoning blend

Instructions

1. Make the peperonata a day ahead to lessen the prep on the day of your dinner.
2. Cut each side of the peppers off, you'll have 4 pieces, then cut each of those pieces in half vertically and you will have 8 slices per pepper. Set them aside.
3. Then, slice the garlic clove thinly and set it aside.
4. In a large non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil until hot. Add the peppers and saute until beginning to soften, about 3-4 minutes.
5. Then add the salt, pepper, garlic, and water. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Transfer to a container and refrigerate.
7. 2 hours before serving, marinate the chicken. In a Pyrex casserole dish, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and rosemary and set aside.
8. Butterfly each chicken breast by slicing the breast, at the thickest point, with a chef's knife in half vertically, opening it like a book, being careful not to slice it in two. Add the chicken to the marinade and toss it to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 and 1/2 hours before grilling.
9. 45 minutes before serving dinner, start on the potatoes.
10. Preheat the oven to 350F (175F). Grease a sheet pan with a good drizzle of olive oil and a pastry brush to spread.
11. Peel the potatoes and cut them into large 2-inch chunks. Toss them with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs de Provence.
12. Transfer the potatoes to the sheet pan and roast for 25 minutes.
13. Preheat your grill.
14. Meanwhile, reheat the peperonata, covered, until hot.
15. Then add the capers and red wine vinegar and stir to combine. Place the cover back on to keep warm, and turn off the heat.
16. Check your potatoes. If they are knife-tender, turn down the heat to 300F (150C) for 15-20 minutes.
17. Grill the chicken on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes each side.
18. Assemble the chicken on a large platter, garnish with rosemary, then add the peperonata in the center and then the potatoes.
19. Serve with chilled rose! Enjoy!

Notes

1. The peperonata can be served hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 6
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 760Total Fat: 50gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 29gCholesterol: 365mgSodium: 627mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 39g