Monday’s Grilled Chicken (and a very special barbecue)

My father was never happier than when he was stationed in front of a smoky barbecue carefully tending to chicken smoldering on the grill. I’m certainly my father’s daughter and I felt a very special joy last week as I attentively turned and repositioned hundreds of chicken wings and hotdogs on a sizzling grill that was big enough to feed an army. In fact, the Israeli army.

Monday’s Grilled Chicken (and a very special barbecue)

Last week I had the privilege of participating in a work mission to Israel. As part of our volunteer work, we barbecued for soldiers stationed on the border with Gaza. Our men in uniform fortified themselves with freshly prepared hot food that included steaks, hot dogs, and chicken wings, served with a side of Israeli salad (I chopped the tomatoes and my thumb), and mopped it all up with some fresh pita and the obligatory hummus and tahina. My heart swelled as the soldiers, in a sea of green army fatigues, lined up for dinner while lively music played in the background. These noble and brave young men continued to pour into the staging area on a brief reprieve from their critical responsibilities in Gaza, until the last chicken wing was eaten. At 7:00 p.m. sharp, our heroic soldiers climbed into their jeeps and returned to Gaza to continue their fight to keep Israel and all of the Jewish people safe.

Assemble your ingredients.

This recipe by Sina Mizrahi, published in her outstanding cookbook Good Food, is not called Monday’s Grilled Chicken for lack of a better name. It is the perfect chicken recipe for a Monday night, when the fridge has been cleared of all of your Shabbat leftovers but you’re not yet(?) feeling overly ambitious. Prepared in minutes from pantry ingredients but filled with zesty flavor, this chicken will soon become a regular item on your menu. It’s also delicious eaten at room temperature and I often serve it for lunch on Shabbat.

Combine the oil, lemon zest, and spices in a medium bowl. Add the chicken cutlets. Coat the cutlets in the marinade. Marinate the chicken cutlets at room temperature for 30 minutes or in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Heat a heavy grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the cutlets on one side until opaque, about 3 minutes. Flip the cutlets and grill on the second side until cooked through, about another 3 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Discard the remaining marinade.

Print Recipe

Monday's Grilled Chicken

Meat, Chicken and Fish

By Sina Mizrahi, Good Food – Serves: 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes + 30 minutes marinating – Cooking Time: 6 minutes X 2 batches – Total Time: 22 minutes + marinating time

Thinly sliced chicken breasts marinated in a zesty marinade made from simple pantry ingredients and grilled quickly for a satisfying meal packed with savory flavor.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon granulated onion
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground), or to taste
• 2 pounds thinly sliced chicken cutlets (10-12) cutlets

Instructions

1

Combine the oil, lemon zest, and spices in a medium bowl. Add the chicken cutlets. Coat the cutlets in the marinade. Marinate the chicken cutlets at room temperature for 30 minutes or in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

2

Heat a heavy grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the cutlets on one side until opaque, about 3 minutes. Flip the cutlets and grill on the second side until cooked through, about another 3 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Discard the remaining marinade.

Notes

Reproduced from "Good Food" by Sina Mizrahi with permission of the copyright holders, ArtScroll / Mesorah Publications, Ltd.