50: Grilled Balsamic-Glazed Chicken / Broccoli Puree / Tomato Parsley "Confit"

Wow, this is post #50 on the food blog. I suppose I should write a mini recap of the last six months, which I will do in the next entry. For now I will share with you tonight’s dinner.

It’s the first time I’ve fired up the grill for a meal this year. I love this recipe because it’s made from ingredients I already had in my refrigerator. I marinated the chicken in balsamic, salt and pepper for a couple of hours, and the grill imparted a very subtle smokiness to the bittersweet profile of the balsamic. The broccoli puree came out heavenly, and I am really happy about that because I’ve wanted to make this puree for awhile now. The puree has some body to it because of the potatoes, and it comes out rather savory. I round out the meal with diced cherry tomatoes cooked in olive oil with parsley for a couple minutes. I think you’ll find the smoky chicken, flavorful puree and the bright acidity of the tomatoes perfect complements to each other.

We drank a South African chenin blanc with dinner tonight. Chenin blanc can be overly sweet in the US, but this particular chenin blanc – Secateurs from Swartland – is full bodied and finishes crisp on the palate after the typical fruit profile of a chenin blanc.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 chicken breasts

Balsamic vinegar

2 small red potatoes, peeled and diced

6 cherry tomatoes, halved and then halved once more

2 handfuls of broccoli florets, chopped

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 large spoonful of sour cream

1 tablespoon of minced parsley

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Boil potatoes until super tender, about 20 minutes. Also, steam your broccoli for 12 minutes to get it nice and tender.  Get your charcoal started, about 20 minutes until ready to cook. Drain both potatoes and broccoli. Mash potatoes with a fork and set aside.

Add chicken to grill and cook for about 15 minutes, turning once after 10 minutes. Occasionally brush leftover marinade on chicken. Meanwhile, add mashed potatoes, broccoli, sour cream, cheese, broth and salt and pepper to a food processor, about 30-45 seconds total. Taste the puree and add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a pot and keep warm on low heat.

Don’t start the tomatoes until about 5- minutes out from chicken being finished. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes, turn pan a couple times to coat the surface. Add tomatoes to pan, season with salt and pepper, and lower heat to medium. Add parsley after 2 minutes and stir, but reserve a couple pinches for garnish. Let tomatoes cook while you remove the chicken from the grill. Assemble your plate and garnish.

Enjoy!