Grilled Chicken and Salad; Perfect for summer!

With all this hot humid weather, a light dinner is perfect to enjoy on the patio with a nice glass of wine.  This is a really easy and fast recipe, and can be made any night of the week.  The only part that needs some prep is marinating the chicken.  I recommend doing it the night before, that way you don't have to worry about it in the morning before going to work.  The ingredients you will need are:

4 chicken breasts
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper
                      
                                                                                    belgian endive
                                                                                    mixed greens
                                                                                    cherry tomatoes
                                                                                    1/2 chopped onion
                                                                                    croutons

To marinate the chicken breasts, I just put them in a large ziplock bag and drizzle them with some olive oil (about 1/3 cup), balsamic vinegar (about 1/3 cup), salt and pepper.  Place in the fridge until ready to grill.

We have a gas grill here at home, although charcoal ones do lend for better taste.  You can use whatever grill you have at home (or even broil them in your oven if you don't have a grill).  I like to start out by letting the chicken sit for 5-6 minutes on one side to get good color before flipping over. Repeat on the other side.  After the chicken has been on the grill 5-6 minutes on each side, this is when I flip the chicken often.  The trick is to make sure your chicken is cooked throughout, without burning the outside or drying out the inside.  I usually close the top of the grill and let it get really hot inside for 4-5 minutes, and then flip.  Keep repeating until the chicken is done.  Typically chicken breast needs a good 30 minutes to cook thoroughly on the grill.  I also don't use the highest heat setting on the gas grill.  I keep it at about halfway so the flames don't get too high and char the chicken.

To make your salad, just chop all mixed greens and belgian endive and put in a large salad bowl.  I cut cherry tomatoes in half, and chop 1/2 an onion.  Add croutons if desired.  I like to use a balsamic vinegar dressing, and sometimes make it myself by combining olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and water.

Like I said, this is very easy, light, and perfect for a hot summer night! Enjoy!