Grilled Citrus Basil Chicken

Time for June's Improv Cooking Challenge! 

The theme for this month was lemon and lime. I was excited when I learned we were using these ingredients because I felt there was a lot of room to be creative! 

Initially,  I was thinking of doing a dessert or a spicy chicken in the crockpot using lemon lime soda for tacos, but I decided that grilling was mandatory because of the beautiful weather are starting to have.  I came up with a very simple marinade and added a bit of fresh basil and garlic. This chicken is absolutely delicious.  The flavors from the lemon, lime, basil and garlic are very prominent and very fresh. We also crumbled a little feta over the top of the chicken and it was perfect with the citrus flavors. I did not want this to be a sweet chicken, but if you wanted to add a little orange juice or agave for sweetness it would work nicely. I also highly recommend marinating as long as possible. I often see recipes that say to marinate 1-8 hours and I always go for the max. To me, longer marinating time = more flavor.  I think this would be delicious wish fish or pork as well. I can't wait to make it again! We served this with roasted potatoes with lemon, oregano and feta (recipe posting soon) and it was the perfect side to complement the chicken. 

If you want to join the fun of the Improv Cooking Challenge visit Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker for details! 

Next month's theme is berries and cream....I think I already know what I am going to make! 

Ingredients

1 1/4 lb chicken breasts (4 pieces)

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp lime zest

Juice of 2 lemons

Juice of 2 limes

1 Tbl apple cider vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbl fresh minced basil

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp black pepper
Not pictured: Crumbles feta, optional topping


Instructions

Mix all ingredients besides the chicken in a medium bowl. 

Place chicken in a large ziplock bag and pour in the marinade. Squeeze out the air and seal. Allow chicken to marinate in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Heat grill to medium heat. Remove chicken from the bag and discard excess marinade.  Grill chicken about 5-6 minutes per side.

Remove chicken from the grill and allow it to rest for a few minutes before serving.  

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