There are certain things I look forward to as the seasons change. Grilling is certainly on the top of my list when summer rolls around and this is definitely one of my favorite ways to marinade and grill boneless skinless chicken breasts. I do love a good barbecue sauce and it’s hard not to just succumb and pick out your favorite flavor off the shelf especially when you’re in a rush to get dinner on the table. But those jarred sauces are high in sugar, something I try to make a concise effort to minimize and only splurge on occasionally. Simply combining olive oil, garlic, cilantro, and parsley to make your own marinade makes this chicken light and fresh. No added sugar here. This is clean eating and you get all those awesome antioxidant benefits from the herbs. If you have 15 minutes to whip this up and throw it in your fridge to marinate, you’ll be so happy you gave this a try. When you serve it at a gathering your guests are not only going to want seconds but leave asking for the recipe.
Recipe for Cilantro Parsley Chicken
Ingredients:
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, and a little more if needed
2 garlic cloves
¾ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fresh cilantro, loosely packed and stemmed
2 cups fresh flat leaf parsley, loosely packed stemmed
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to ½ thickness
Directions:
Put olive oil, garlic, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper in a food processor. Chop on medium to well combined.
Add cilantro and flat leaf parsley. Pulse until the consistency of a coarse paste. With the food processor running, slowly pour in a little more olive oil through the feed tube if needed.
Put chicken in large Ziploc bag. Add the marinade. Seal. Rub to coat well. Refrigerate 2 hours.
Set chicken on counter to bring up to room temperature. Preheat grill to high heat to get the grates nice and hot then turn down to medium heat. Place chicken on grill and cook covered until you see it turning white on the bottom and up the sides, about 3-4 minutes. Flip and grill covered until you get good sear marks on the other side, about another 3 minutes.
Let rest 3-5 minutes before serving.
