"Chillin' n' Grillin'"

It's summer time and my entire diet changes to a lighter fare. With all of the terrific produce, I eat a lot of salad: green salad, bean salad, cobb salads, and many others. I don't like heating up the kitchen with stews, or baked dishes as I save those for after the first frost. I could cook every meal on the grill during the summer. Today, I have decided to marinate some chicken breast for dinner. My favorite way to grill chicken is "Greek Style" based with lemon. We had lemon chicken at least once a week when I was a child and I have not tired of it yet. Especially in the summer, when grilled on an open fire, dining al fresco! Dining al fresco on the deck, enjoying a freshly grilled chicken, lamb, or souvlaki (Greek shish kabob), feta cheese, bread and salad, is the perfect ending to a summer day.

Greek Chicken

5 large chicken breast (I don't purchase boneless, skinless, chicken if I'm cooking it on the grill)

3 lemons, juiced

zest of two of the lemons

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

3 sprigs of lemon thyme (I grow it so, I have it handy)

(If you don't have lemon thyme, use regular thyme---it's still good!)

1 tablespoon Greek Oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

I prepare the chicken by washing it, and trimming off the small bones. With a fork, I pierce the chicken through the skin side several times to let the marinade really get in the meat. Set aside. In a medium bowl, pour in the lemon juice, olive oil, zest. thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Blend with a whisk until thoroughly blended. Put the chicken in a large "Zip lock" bag and pour on the marinade. Seal the air out of the bag and rub the marinade into the meat a little. Set bag in a large bowl (just in case it leaks a tad), put in the refrigerator for several hours. Preheat gas, charcoal grill, or broiler. Cook over medium heat until juices run clear.

Serve with rice, green beans, Greek salad, fresh country bread, and of course Greek olives.

This would be delicious with a tzatziki sauce too!

Enjoy! :)