Flattened Chicken

Yesterday I made the decision as to what I would be cooking for dinner tonite. Whole Chicken flattened, marinated and grilled. Mmmmmm. First I removed the backbone so I could lay the chicken flat. Its easy to do, you dont need to be a chef with knife skills. Take your  Chef's knife or a santoku ( preferably sharp) and run it down the side of the back bone of the chicken. Do this to both sides. When you have it removed, put the chicken skin side up on a cuttng board and press down on the breast bone. You will most likely hear it crack. Now you can lay it into a casserole dish or baking pan to marinate.

Tuscan Marinade:

1/3  cup olive oil

2 tsp lemon zest ( 2 lemons )

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tbs minced garlic ( 3 cloves )

1 tbs minced fresh rosemary leaves ( about 3 stalks )

Fresh ground black pepper

sea salt or kosher salt

 Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with sea or kosher salt. Combine olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, with 2 tsps black pepper. Pour over chicken, turning chicken to coat both sides with marinade. Turn a couple of times while marinating. Marinade in refrigerator for minimum of 4 hours to overnite.

When grill is hot, place chicken skin side up on grill. Approximately 20-30  min each side, at a medium temperature, until chickens internal temperature reads 165 degrees. Remove from grill and let rest 5 minutes. cut into quarters. Serve wth some grilled lemon halves.

We are having some red quinoa salad with it. For those of you who dont know quinoa or have ever had it, it is a grain. It has more protein in it than any other grain. It is also higher in unsaturted fats and lower in carbohydrates than most grains and provides a balanced source of nutrients. Its flavor is delicate and a bit bland, it is compared to couscous.  Cooking the quinoa according to the box ( we use chicken or veggie stock to add more flavor ). Small diced red onion, cucumber and  halved heirloom grape tomatoes will be added to it along with some red wine vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil. sprinkle of salt and pepper and yummy!! Round off the meal with some steamed green beans! Healthy, satisfying and delicious! What more can you ask for? And remember.. Bite Me! (  had to go back to it )LOL