Memorial Day is in less than a week, people! It’s time to pull those grills out and dust them off (that is of course for you northerners 😉 hah )!

We use our grill year round here in South Florida. However, for those of you with seasons other than Summer, Summer, Summer, and Summer… Memorial Day marks the “official” start of GRILLING SEASON!

As hubs has been sort of totally obsessed with grilling since he got his new grill (um we’ve had dinner off the grill like 5 nights in a row… I have this perpetual “char” taste in my mouth haha), I’ve had to get creative with putting new spins on the usual grilling suspects…

Take this chicken for instance:

Let’s face it, people easily get stuck in what I like to call a “chicken rut”. Seriously. We make the same old, same old all. the. time. Chicken can be dry, bland, and even worse… just plain BORING!

Ya’ll, this chicken is FAR from boring! It’s gots serious flavor and everything works so well together! The chicken marinated in balsamic-garlic mixture, grilled to a perfect 167°F (no sign of dry chicken here!). Top that with some perfectly chargrilled (almost buttery) eggplant and sweet tomato rounds, a little creamy crumbled feta, some fresh chopped basil to brighten it up, and my favorite… Balsamic Reduction! Call. it. a. day.

This dish is easy with it’s simple but tasty ingredients, and would you believe it… GUILT FREE. Hubs said it best, “This tastes like it should be really bad for you.”

Enough Said.

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Chicken with Grilled Eggplant,Tomato, and Feta

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus marinade time)

Cook Time: 12-18 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes (plus marinade time)

Ingredients:

For the marinade:
4 chicken breasts
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons garlic powder
2 large cloves garlic

For the Chicken:
1 medium sized eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/2" thick rounds
2 tomatoes, slices into 1/2" thick rounds
olive oil
Salt & pepper
2 ounces crumbled feta
5 basil leaves, coarsely chopped
balsamic reduction (can buy this pre-made at the store or make your own by gently boiling down a bottle of balsamic vinegar until thick & syrupy)

Directions:

Add chicken to large ziplock bag and add all of the marinade ingredients. Seal bag and swish mixture around the chicken until its all combined and coated well. Allow chicken to marinade for at least 30 minutes (you could even do this the morning of and let it rest in the refrigerator until ready to use).

Heat grill to medium to medium high heat (around 375°-400° degrees). While it's pre-heating, prepare the eggplant and tomato rounds by brushing both sides generously with olive oil and sprinkling with a little salt & pepper.

Spray grill with non-stick spray and add the chicken and eggplant rounds (they take about the same amount of time). Cook them all for about 6-8 minutes on the first side, flip and then pierce largest chicken breast with a heat-safe oven thermometer (I have a digital one with a cord so that I can read the temp without opening the grill). Remove chicken when it reaches 165-167°F (SEE NOTE BELOW), place on a platter and cover with foil and allow to rest for 5-8 minutes.

While chicken is resting, remove the eggplant if it's looking good and done and add the tomato rounds to the grill. Be sure to spray the grill well as they will stick! Cook for 2-3 minutes per side (be careful when you turn them over... they are fragile!). Remove from grill.

To Serve: stack 1-2 rounds of eggplant on each piece of chicken (if it's a fat eggplant, one will do - but it it's a skinny little guy... you'll want two!) followed by 1-2 rounds of tomato (same rule applies). Add about 1/2 ounce of crumbled feta cheese, a little sprinkle of chopped basil, and lastly a generous drizzle of balsamic reduction. Serve with a side of couscous or a nice salad. TO. DIE. FOR.

NOTE: Many people fall into the trap of over-cooking the heck out of chicken and turning it into a dry tough piece of meat all because they are scared to death of getting salmonella (I was totally guilty of this at one point). However, I learned an awesome trick that changed this. Chicken is perfectly cooked (and SAFE to eat) when it hits a minimum temperature of 165°F. I usually pull it off the grill anywhere between 165°-168° and let it reast for 5 minutes covered with foil. Perfect every. time.