Chicken Bryan

Saturday we had another birthday celebration with Val. Her birthday actually fell on Saturday and so we celebrated her that day. I can't remember the last time we actually celebrated on someone's actual day. The menu was Cream of Wheat Cereal served with frozen (thawed) strawberries, sliced bananas, a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkling of brown sugar for breakfast. This has been a family favorite for quite a few years now.

Lunch was a copycat recipe of Chili's Sweet Corn Soup served with a salad. Fruit Salad with Limoncello and some chocolate chip cookies rounded out lunch.

The tradition in our house is that the birthday person also gets to pick the activities for the day in addition to the menu and Val chose to make a craft project that she had seen on Pinterest. This involved a trip to Hobby Lobby to gather supplies and then the girls crafted while I started dinner prep.

Dinner was a version of Carrabba's Chicken Bryan which came out great and I served a creamy orzo and green beans with shallots as the sides. Barefoot Contessa's Mocha Icebox Cake was the dessert chosen and was fabulous as always.



Chicken Bryan
Adapted from All Recipes.com

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Grill seasoning
Oil and vinegar grill baste (I used Balsamic and olive oil)
6 ounces goat cheese
Lemon Butter Sauce (recipe follows)
Pinch basil leaves (medium chop)
6 sun dried tomato halves (julienned in 1/4 inch pieces)

Lemon Butter Sauce
8 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon onion, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons white wine
2 lemons, juiced
White pepper to taste
Kosher salt to taste

Cut the goat cheese lengthwise into 6 slices and shape it into a flat disc so it will cover a large amount of the chicken; set aside at room temperature. Season and baste all sides of the chicken and place on a hot grill. Cook on the grill, basting several times. When chicken is almost finished (internal temperature of 165 degrees), place the goat cheese on top of the chicken and let it soften as the chicken finishes cooking.

While chicken is finishing, place warm lemon butter, sun dried tomatoes, and basil sauce on top of the chicken. Be sure to cover the goat cheese. The best way to do this is to make the lemon butter sauce first and hold it on low heat while cooking the rest of the recipe.

Lemon Butter Sauce:
In a saute pan, place 1 tablespoon butter and saute onions and garlic until softened. Add white wine and lemon juice, simmer approximately 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat to reduce by 90%. Let cool slightly. A little at a time, add remaining butter, stirring constantly, until butter melts and mixture emulsifies. Do not let the butter get too hot or it will separate. Season to taste.

My rating: