Chicken Chimichurri Recipe

A few weeks ago, my Seriously Simple cookbook finally came from Amazon. Ryon has a copy of this book and it contains one of my FAVORITE all-time recipes, island-braised short ribs. I have been meaning to buy a copy for ages, but never really got around to it. Well, I finally did buy it, only to find that not all the recipes are good paleo - canola oil, corn starch, and sugar in recipes??? WHAT???

So, I had to do a thorough scanning of the book to really find what I could cook from it and what I would need to substitute. The entire desserts chapter should just be ripped out (I think there's ONE recipe for creme fraiche and berries...everything else is some variation of chocolate cake). However, I happened upon this tasty and super easy chicken recipe.

Chicken Breasts in Chimichurri Sauce
The sauce:
10 garlic cloves, peeled
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, stemmed
3/4 c olive oil
1/4 c white wine vinegar (or white balsamic vinegar...more expensive at the co-op)
1/4 c chicken broth (or water)
3/4 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Marinade:
3 Tb Chimichurri sauce (above)
2 Tb olive oil
3 chicken breasts

First, I made the sauce by pureeing the garlic in a food processor. Then I added in the parsley leaves and processed until finely chopped. Added in everything else and processed until it made this bright green sauce. I was amazed out how flavorful and spicy it was (do a taste test before proceeding...YUM!).

I took the 3 Tbs of the sauce and mixed it with the olive oil to make a marinade. Then I put the chicken breasts in a freezer bag and poured the marinade on top, shake well to coat and cover. Refrigerate for 2 hours (or up to 4 hours). Once that was all marinated, I oiled up my nonstick skillet and heated it up to medium heat. Grilled each chicken breast for 7-10 minutes on each side. It probably would have cooked through faster if I flattened the meat first. Next time!

I cut the chicken into little strips and then poured some more sauce on top. Great lunch to take to school with some asparagus!