Balsamic Chicken & Grilled Ratatouille

 

If you’re anything like me, you go to the farmers market in the summer and end up going a little overboard. Everything looks mouth watering, you get caught up in the excitement and “impulse buy” everything that’s not on your list. Besides spending more money than you ever imagined, you end up with a fridge packed with produce wondering where you'll find the time to cook everything before it goes bad! Not you? Just me? This recipe is a perfect way to use excess produce. I used squash, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes and eggplant, but you could really add anything - okra or green beans could work well.

The chicken marinade is delicious. Greek yogurt just does something to chicken, I never marinate chicken without it! I also like that it does the job quickly, no need to marinate it overnight or even 8-12 hours. I usually just let it hang out for 2-4 hours and it adds the perfect touch of flavor.

I usually serve the veggies and chicken on top of polenta - a fancy word for grits. If you’re not familiar with polenta, it’s a very quick cooking side dish. Here’s what I do:

3/4 cup quick cooking polenta

3 cups whole milk

1/2 cups (or more) frozen corn kernels

3-4 Tablespoons parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Boil the milk and add the polenta while whisking. It’ll thicken up in 1-3 minutes… its that quick! Then I add the corn, cheese, salt and pepper. Done! If you refrigerate it, it will thicken up. Simply reheat in the microwave and add milk, if needed, to thin out.

Balsamic Chicken & Grilled Ratatouille

Balsamic Chicken & Grilled Ratatouille

Yield: 6
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 50 Min

Ingredients

Chicken
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon honey 
  • 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence 
  • 1 teaspoon salt 
  • pepper to taste
Ratatouille
  • 2 medium yellow squash, halved
  • 2 medium zucchini, halved
  • 2 small eggplants, sliced lengthwise about 1/2-inch thick
  • 2 bell peppers, cut into chucks (I cut each into three large pieces)
  • 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes (halved)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup chopped basil
  • 1/4 cup chopped oregano
  • 4-5 green onions, chopped 
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. For the chicken, mix all the ingredients in a large gallon-sized zip lock bag.  Shake the bag to combine.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.  
  2. When it's time, preheat the grill to medium-high heat and cook until the temperature reads 165 degrees.  Flip them often so they don't burn. The honey and vinegar can make them burn easily, so avoid high heat.
  3. For the veggies, combine the yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant and peppers in a large bowl or platter.  Toss them in 1 Tablespoon olive oil and 1 Tablespoon vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.  
  4. When the chicken is finished, crank up the heat to high and place the veggies directly on the grill.  Depending on how high your grill is, this could take a while or not long at all (mine took 5 minutes - our grill temperature read about 650).  Flip the veggies after they have a nice char-look to them and cook for a remaining 3-5 minutes, depending on how crisp or tender you like them. 
  5. Once the grilling is finished, transfer the veggies to a cutting board and chop them all into bite-sized pieces and place them in a large bowl.
  6. To the bowl, add the cherry tomatoes, garlic, herbs, remaining olive oil and vinegar and season to taste. 
  7. Serve over pasta or polenta.