So this dish turned out really well, and was dead easy to make! All ingredients were bought that day, which made for a very fresh meal! So the first thing to do is get the chicken ready. To do this you will need to trim the fat off of the breasts. (I dont usually do this, as it adds great flavour to the chicken, but this way of preparing uses a lot of different flavours and would be a pain to de-fat after it was cooked) So the marinade I like to use for this type of chicken includes, but is not limited to, red wine, soya sauce, extra virgin olive oil, pepper, garlic, and balsamic vinegar. As I never measure any ingredients, I could not tell you how much of each to use. The amount of each depends on tastes, and the amount of marinade needed. The only thing is not to use too much balsamic vinegar, as it does a really good job at overpowering everything. Wisk ingredients together and in a large bowl or plastic bag, completely emmerse the breasts in the marinade for at least two hours. While the chicken is marinating, you can cut up the veggies for the salad. The chicken is so full of flavour that the salad should be very simple, just to compliment the dish. The salad i choose to make is made up of tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. I find that if you cut the veggies a little bigger than one normally would, it gives the dish a kind of rustic feel. Maybe this is just me, but thats what I think. When the chicken is marinaded, put it on a foil lined baking pan, (with sides, not a baking sheet) and into a pre-heated to 375 degree oven. Cook the breast with the round side up for approx. 8 minutes, flip, repeat on the other side. When both sides have cooked for 6-8 minutes each, flip again, but then remove from heat. Place the breasts on a cutting board and drain most of the liquid from the baking pan. Cut the breasts in diagonal lines about 2/3 through the breast at about 1 inch spacing. Turn the breast and do the same thing, in turn, creating some x's on the top of the breast. This will open the breast up and allow for full flavouring. Once completed comes the fun part!! You could change the garnishes or the ingredients here, and please do, because chicked is such a blank slate when it comes to flavours. What I did was drizzled a small amount of lemon juice on the breast, followed by a slight sprinkling of pepper. Then the parmesan cheese (amount according to taste, I used a very small amount). Cover the top of the breast with hot salsa (again does not need to be hot, but I like it!!), and then top it all of with marble cheese. Place back on baking sheet and put back in the oven for approx. 12 minutes. When the chicken is fully cooked, it still has a wonderful moist texture. Chicken needs to cool for only a minute and then is ready to serve. Salad is topped with an oil-garlic dressing, and now it is time for the garlic bread. This method works for me, and was shown to me by my mother, so substitute the recipe your mother gave to you here. What I do, is melt butter in a sauce pan and mix with finely chopped garlic. When the garlic has heated for a couple of minutes in the melted butter, cut in half a large loaf of french or italian bread and cover both halves. Once covered, sprinkle parmesan cheese and marble cheese to cover the bread. Bake in oven at the same temperature as the chicken and it should be done in a few minutes. The garlic bread will immediately fill your kitchen with the most wonderful smell, but be carful because it will burn easily. Once everything is ready, plate and serve. ENJOY!!! Thanks for reading my completely random blog!
