Basil Grilled Chicken With Tomato Basil Butter Recipes

GRILLED HERB-BUTTERMILK CHICKEN WITH TOMATO-BASIL BUTTER

Steps:

• Place one chicken breast inside a food storage bag or under plastic wrap and pound the thicker part of the breast with the flat side of a meat mallet or large skillet to flatten. The chicken will cook evenly when it is an even thickness.
• Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and transfer to a large resealable plastic bag.
• Add the chicken, making sure the marinade surrounds each piece, seal the bag and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours. Set the butter for the compound butter out on the counter to soften to room temp.
• When ready to grill, start with the tomatoes for the compound butter. Remove chicken from marinade and transfer to a platter while preparing the butter.
• Heat the grill to 400°F.
• Toss the tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of the oil to coat and place on skewers, or use a vegetable grill pan. If using a grill pan, place on the grill while preheating so it is hot when the tomatoes go on it.
• Grill the tomatoes until blistered and charred in places, about 8 minutes. Remove from grill and transfer to a cutting board. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and coarsely chop. Transfer to a mixing bowl and place in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes to cool.
• Combine with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, basil, and softened butter until well mixed. Spoon compound butter onto a piece of wax paper in a long, narrow shape, about 2 inches wide by 9 inches long.
• Carefully fold the wax paper over the butter to create a somewhat rounded cylinder shape. Gently place the butter on a flat surface in the freezer while grilling the chicken. (The butter will harden enough to slice and top the chicken.)
• Turn one side or one burner of the grill off to create an indirect heat zone (adjust the other burners to maintain the temperature around 400°F). Place the chicken on the indirect side and close the lid.
• Allow to cook for 4-6 minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 130°F. Move the chicken to directly over the heat to create grill marks and finish cooking, about 2 more minutes per side.
• Remove from grill when the internal temperature of the thickest part is between 153-155°F and tent loosely with foil to rest for 5 minutes.
• Remove the tomato-basil butter from the freezer (or from the fridge if it was made in advance). Slice into approximate 1 tablespoon-sized pieces and place one on top of each piece of chicken while the chicken is tented and resting;
• butter should melt over the chicken. If the butter is still not melted when the chicken is done resting, place in a warm oven for a couple of minutes until ready to serve.

GRILLED BASIL-MARINATED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Whisk together the oil, vinegar, basil, onion, salt, peppercorns, and garlic in a bowl. Transfer the marinade to a gallon-sized sealable plastic bag with the chicken and shake to combine. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours.
• When ready to cook, build a charcoal fire or preheat gas grill.
• Remove chicken from the marinade. Grill the chicken, turning once, until browned and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a platter and garnish with the basil sprigs.

GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH TOMATO-BASIL BUTTER

Steps:

• Brush grill rack with vegetable oil. Heat gas or charcoal grill. Sprinkle chicken with garlic-pepper blend.
• Place chicken on grill. Cover grill; cook over medium heat 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F).
• In small bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Serve chicken topped with butter mixture.