Peach Caprese Chicken

 As a parent I try to get creative with our dinners, especially with my picky eaters. We are at the peak of toddler food resistance - ugga bugga. One Thursday night, I tried to get creative with chicken and combine two foods my girls love - cheese and peaches. Hence - Chicken Caprese Peach. We had the peaches on hand from our produce box. Christopher and I thought it was delicious, but the girls picked at it and ate only small pieces. Oh well! The only thing I would add next time is fresh basil. Mine just wasn't ready yet!

I did make a homemade balsamic drizzle. Christopher's parents brought us back a sampler pack of balsamic vinegars and one of them was a dark cherry one. So I used that to make a homemade balsamic glaze - it paired really well with the flavors of the chicken, mozzarella and peaches. You can use a pre-made one, non-flavored one to your taste. 

Peach Caprese Chicken

1 cup balsamic vinegar (if you are going to make the homemade balsamic glaze)
4 thin boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced into 8 pieces (I love the pre-cut type from Aldi - less prep work!)
3 medium peaches, pitted and sliced
I wish I also had fresh basil

The chicken: Get the grill on to medium-high heat. Take the thin sliced chicken breasts and drizzle the olive oil over the breasts. Then sprinkle each with the salt and pepper. Cook the chicken breasts on each side for about 4 minutes for thin sliced - don't over cook!

The balsamic glaze: Pour the cup of balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and heat it to a boil on your stovetop. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10-12 minutes - keep an eye on it! The consistency should be thick enough to coat a spoon and more "syrupy". I actually wasn't paying attention, so mine got a little too thick, so I added just a spoonful of water to thin out. 

Once the chicken and glaze is ready, it is time to plate these beauties. Place the grilled chicken on your plate, top each breast with two slices of mozzarella, peach slices and then drizzle the balsamic glaze over the topped chicken. Then I would have loved to add some sliced fresh basil too. 

Enjoy!

Honey Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken

 Jumping back in, I thought I would share a recipe I made recently that was super easy and a crowd pleaser with the family. Although I think my girls just liked helping Mommy pick the basil and sprinkle it over the chicken. Anyways - we used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but breasts would work too for this recipe. As a side, I sliced up this HUGE zucchini we received in our produce box and some leftover yellow potatoes we had with a 1/2 yellow onion. 

Honey Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon (I used the same lemon)
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp minced garlic or 2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper and whatever other seasoning you like (I used a couple shakes of Montreal Steak Seasoning)
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (thin sliced chicken breasts would work too)
1/4 cupish basil, thinly sliced (tips for slicing/cutting below)

Mix together the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, honey, salt and pepper, any other seasonings you like. Separate 2 tablespoons to baste the chicken with while grilling. Take the rest of the marinade and mix/rub all over the chicken thighs. Make sure the chicken thighs are completely folded out and the marinade gets all over the chicken. Let the chicken marinate for about an hour (at least 30 minutes). 

While the chicken in marinating, I cut up the 3 potatoes, 1/2 onion and sliced up the zucchini. I tossed the cut veggies in a little basting oil (I love Wegman's Basting Oil) and a little salt and pepper. 

When ready to grill, we cooked the thighs on medium heat for about 6 minutes each side. We also used the saved 2 tbsp of marinade to baste the chicken. Next to the chicken on the grilled, we grilled the veggies on a grill pan for about 20 minutes total. One thing to note about the veggies - some veggies, like zucchini, will cook faster than others, like the potatoes. Start the starchier ones first if possible so you do not over or under cook your veggies. 

When ready to plate, sprinkle the sliced fresh basil over the top of your grilled chicken. And Enjoy!

Tip for slicing fresh basil:

I stack the basil flat on top of each other and roll into a small "stick". Then I use scissors and cut the stick into small "discs". I did not take a picture of doing this, so I grabbed one from Google. I think this is much easier than trying to slice each leaf or use a knife. 

Back from a Long Hiatus

Good Evening - I am excited to be back. It has been a long time since I posted on my blog page. Truthfully I lost the inspiration. Then came babies, toddlers, job promotions, pandemic, etc. But now I am feeling the urge to take back up posting. I had some friends bring up "what happened to your blog?" and "I enjoyed reading about your recipes", so I figured I would start sharing again. 

On the cusp of Summer time here in Buffalo and all the local produce is starting to hit the CSAs and farmers markets. So looking forward to all the local produce. We switched up CSAs this year and I am looking forward to trying something different. We have our first pick up this week! I am hoping for some nice lettuces. 

At the start of the pandemic, we started to order produce boxes from a local farmer and we have really enjoyed those as well. I like the weekly produce box option because it is flexible and you do not have commit to purchasing a whole season. Similar to a CSA, you get what is available each week - not all is local or home grown, but the produce quality is still very nice. 

I will try to come up with some recipes using the seasonal produce we receive either in our CSA or produce box. 

Enjoy the beautiful Summer weather!

Elle