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Hello, foodies…

National Barbecue Month is rolling right along and we’re making our next recipe this Wednesday night on In the Kitchen with David: Grilled Chicken Breast with Pico de Gallo.

Here’s the written recipe for your convenience. If you’d like to print it, don’t forget you can do so easily by accessing it on my recipe page.

Grilled Chicken Breast with Pico de Gallo
Serves 4

This recipe is prepared with the Cook's Essentials® 7-Piece BBQ Grill Pan with Removable Plates (K42351).

Go to David's Recipe Item Page for the full list of items that David has used in his recipes.

Ingredients:

Pico de Gallo:

• 4 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped


• 1 small white onion, finely chopped


• 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, chopped


• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped


• 1-1/2 Tbsp lime juice


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1/2 tsp pepper

Chicken:

• 4 (5–6 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts


• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil


• 4 garlic cloves, minced


• 1-1/4 tsp salt


• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper


• Zest of 1 lemon

Preparation:

1. To prepare the pico de gallo, toss all the ingredients in a medium-size bowl until evenly combined. Place into an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.


2. To prepare the chicken, place the breasts between 2 pieces of wax paper. Use a meat mallet to pound them to a 3/4" thickness.


3. Place all the ingredients into a large zip-tight bag. Gently toss so the marinade evenly coats the chicken. Place in a bowl in the refrigerator and marinate at least 8 hours, or up to 12 hours.


4. Preheat the grill to high. Place the chicken breasts onto the hot grill and cook for 4–5 minutes until char marks appear. Flip the chicken and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the chicken reads 165°F, about 4–5 more minutes. Top each chicken breast with pico de gallo before serving.

Horizontal grill marks are good enough for me, but if you’ve ever wondered how you get those fancy crosshatch grill marks, it’s a matter of rotating the meat. Position it at a 45-degree angle (think of it as 1:00 on a clock), sear, then turn it 90 degrees (back to about 11:00). Flip and repeat.

Here’s my how to grill chicken video I mentioned above. Note that because the chicken in the recipe above is so thin, you can use high heat to cook it. Just be sure to follow the cooking times closely so you don’t overcook it.

I’ll see you Wednesday at 8pm ET…we’ve got four big hours together, foodies, so hold onto your hats!

Keep it flavorful!
—David