Lemon-Herb Chicken Breasts

Lemon-Herb Chicken Breasts - from Williams Sonoma

When hosting a barbecue, it is generally a good idea to offer a choice of at least two different grilled meats, and you usually cannot go wrong making chicken one of them. Chicken breasts marinated in lemon and herbs are a nice contrast to barbecued ribs or other rich meats.
Ingredients:

3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus
shredded zest for garnish (optional)

2 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary, plus whole
leaves and sprigs for garnish (optional)

2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme

2 tsp. coarse salt

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions:

Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry. In a large, shallow nonreactive dish, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, grated lemon zest and juice, the 2 Tbs. rosemary, the thyme, salt and pepper. Add the chicken breasts and turn to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 8 hours.

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a grill. Oil the grill rack and position it about 6 inches from the heat source.

Grill the chicken breasts, turning once, until firm to the touch and opaque throughout, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken breasts to a cutting board and cut on the diagonal against the grain into slices 1/2 inch thick, capturing any carving juices, if possible.

Arrange the chicken slices on a warmed serving platter and drizzle any carving juices over the top. Sprinkle with rosemary leaves and sprigs and shredded lemon zest. Serves 8.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Entertaining, by George Dolese (Oxmoor House, 2004).