Sweet Onion and Herb Grilled Chicken

From Cooking Pleasures June/July 2008

A marinade made with lots of fresh herbs plus the juice of pureed onions lends summery flavor to these char-grilled chicken breasts. Basil and Italian parsley are easy to find at this time of year and partner well, but feel free to substitute any other herbs.

MARINADE
1 large sweet onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup lightly packed coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons minced garlic

CHICKEN
1 1/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1. Blend onion and 2 tablespoons water in blender until smooth, adding additional 1 tablespoon water if necessary. Strain through fine strainer into small bowl, pressing with spatula to extract juices; discard pulp. Return juice to blender, along with all remaining marinade ingredients; blend until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade; cover and refrigerate.

2. Pour remaining marinade in large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken, turning to coat. Refrigerate 6 to 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

3. Heat grill. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Grill, covered, over medium heat or coals 8 to 10 minutes or until no longer pink in center, turning once.

4. Sprinkle chicken with chopped basil; serve with reserved marinade.

6 servings

PER SERVING: 280 calories, 12.5 g total fat (3 g saturated fat), 37 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 105 mg cholesterol, 295 mg sodium, .5 g fiber