Rosemary Buttermilk Grilled Chicken

Moist, flavorful, easy to make and figure friendly- This recipe is a keeper.

I was inspired by a friend's facebook post, who wrote about making another friend's Buttermilk Rosemary Chicken.  I didn't think much about it at the time, but kept thinking back on it during the day since I had both chicken breasts and buttermilk in the fridge, and a nice pot of rosemary on my deck.  So I Googled those ingredients and up popped this classic Martha Stewart recipe.

I decided that maybe Martha missed a couple things in the original, so I took the liberties that I always do and changed it a bit, adding chives and garlic.  I would recommend the buttermilk marinade and making it your own by adding herbs that you have on hand, and even a little Tabasco to give it a kick.  

The finished chicken was moist, tangy and delicious.  I do have to say, since I am well aware there are lots of buttermilk-haters out there.... no one will be able to tell that the marinade is buttermilk.  I'm going to do this again with chicken thighs and even a pork tenderloin to see what happens. 

Do plan ahead and marinate the chicken the day before you want to grill it!  It makes a difference.  This was so easy, I might even recommend that you do this on a Sunday night and have a nice easy dinner for later during the work week.

Serves 4
Ingredients

4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp rosemary, stripped from the stems, and lightly chopped
1 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
Salt & Pepper 

In a Ziploc bag, add the chicken and all the rest of the ingredients. Mix it up by massaging the bag and place back in the fridge, marinating over night.

When you are ready to eat, fire up the grill to a nice hot temperature.  You can oil the grates so that your chicken doesn't stick, or spray the chicken directly with a little cooking spray, like Pam, before placing on the grill.  I know that sounds a bit crazy, but it worked like a champ!  Whatever you do, DO NOT spray the Pam on the hot grates- - fire hazard!

Once the chicken is on the grill, turn down the heat to a medium and grill on each side for 4-5 minutes, making sure not to over cook.  Serve at once! 

The leftovers of this dish, we sliced up and took for lunches with some salad.  So good and flavorful even a couple days later.