Ratatouille with Grilled Chicken
This is the first recipe I shared with a group of physicians in my in-home Teaching Kitchen. We prepped ingredients together, with some gathering around the stove, others around the grill, watching the chicken cook. Eventually we all sat, sharing wine, food, and conversation. “Breaking bread together” strengthens relationships.
Tweaked from cookscountry.com and Ina Garten’s Grilled Lemon Chicken
Ratatouille with Grilled Chicken
Marinade (brine) for boneless chicken:
Zest and juice from 2 lemons
1/4 cup good olive oil
2-3 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt
12 grinds of freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, trimmed
For ratatouille:
1 pound eggplant, unpeeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces mixed summer squash and zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
10 ounces grape tomatoes or 12 ounces cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, 1 inch dice
¼ (or more) cup extra-virgin olive oil
3- 4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt
20 grinds of freshly ground pepper
½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
¼ cup minced fresh basil
MARINATE CHICKEN: Whisk together the lemon juice and zest, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme. Pour over the chicken breasts in a nonreactive bowl. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.
RATATOUILLE: Use a heavyweight rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment to make the ratatouille. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss eggplant, squash, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes, red onion, garlic, oil, balsamic, salt, and pepper and fresh herbs together on the rimmed baking sheet and spread into even layer. Roast until vegetables are slightly softened and charred in spots, about 40 total minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
GRILL CHICKEN: Heat a charcoal grill. Drain chicken and season with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken breasts for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until just cooked through. (Alternatively push vegetables to one side of the tray after 15 minutes and arrange chicken on the now-empty side of sheet). After the chicken has cooked on the grill or in the oven, cover with foil and let it rest for 5 minutes and then cut into 1/2 inch thick slices for serving.
ASSEMBLE: Stir vegetables and any pan juices until juices are almost completely absorbed, about 1 minute. Stir in olives (optional) and basil and top with chicken.
Serve with pasta or polenta.
