Cassie’s Ruminations

Grilled Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

This recipe is inspired by one in one of my favorite new cookbooks: Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast: 250 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Any Time of Day (Everyday Food (Clarkson Potter)).

I modified it a little bit for what was feasible tonight – we’re improbably out of propane, so I just used a grill pan, and I didn’t bother to peel the roasted peppers. It turned out quite well, and we’ll definitely make this again! There was quite a bit too much sauce, so I think I’d halve that next time, but I have it written as I made it tonight below. In the meantime, I think I see some on scrambled eggs in my breakfast future.

The cookbook recommended garnishing with a few arugula leaves. Instead, I served this with a green salad of half romaine and half arugula with carrots and tomatoes. The flavors did complement nicely.

Grilled Chicken with Roasted Pepper Sauce
Serves 4

For the sauce:
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 red bell peppers, cut into eighths lengthwise, seeds and ribs removed
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp water
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

For the chicken:
4 boneless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Heat a grill pan over medium heat and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Place the garlic and pepper pieces in the pan and cook for about 20 minutes, turning a few times, until the garlic is soft and the peppers are turning tender and have a nice char.

Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins into a blender. Add the pepper pieces, vinegar, olive oil, water, salt, and pepper, and blend to form a smooth sauce. Add another tbsp of water if necessary.

Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until nicely browned, then flip. Cook for another 7-8 minutes. If the internal temperature of the thickest part is not at least 150 degrees F, move the grill pan to the oven and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until done. Serve with the sauce poured over the top.