Other than a nice soak in a lemony marinade, this chicken and pepper dish requires only a handful of ingredients, little skill and a small commitment of time by the fire. The result is colorful and gorgeous and flavorful and very healthful to boot.
Serve with rice or any grains you are into at the moment. It’s a nice way to get both you and your grill reacquainted.
Grilled Provencal Chicken and Peppers
This recipe takes about 7 hours (including 6 hours of marinating time) to prepare and serves 6.
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 red bell peppers
2 yellow bell peppers
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup chopped black olives, like kalamata
2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce, or to taste
Kosher or coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Fresh thyme sprigs to serve
Trim chicken breasts and use a large sharp knife to cut them into three pieces, about 2 inches wide each. If chicken breasts are very thick, cut each of the pieces in half horizontally, so you have two thinner, small cutlets from each piece. Cut the bell peppers into 2-inch pieces, and discard the stem and seeds.
In a large container or zipper top bag, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, shallots, thyme, black olives, sriracha, and salt and pepper. Add chicken and peppers, making sure marinade coats all ingredients. Cover and marinate for 6 to 12 hours in the refrigerator.
Bring chicken and peppers to room temperature while you heat the grill to medium high. Remove chicken and peppers from marinade; discard the marinade. Grill chicken and peppers for 4 or 5 minutes on each side, until nicely browned and cooked through.
Serve hot or at room temperature, with the thyme sprigs tucked in.