Grilled Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar

Ingredients

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 T dried parsley
• 1 T dried shallots or onion
• 1 T Spike seasoning
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper

Directions

1. If you’d like, crush the dried parsley, dried shallots or onions, Spike seasoning, thyme, garlic powder, and black pepper with a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder.
2. Stir the balsamic vinegar, Dijon, olive oil, and blended seasonings together to form the marinade.
3. Cut away any fat or tendons from the chicken breasts, and trim the underside as needed so the pieces are nearly even in thickness. Make shallow crosswise cuts along each breast to encourage more even cooking and help the marinade cling.
4. Arrange the chicken flat in a Ziploc bag or a container with a tight-fitting lid. Pour in the marinade, seal, and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or longer. If the chicken needs to sit all day, that’s fine.
5. When it’s time to grill, remove the chicken from the refrigerator, set it in a colander in the sink so extra marinade can drip off, and leave it out while the grill heats.
6. Brush oil on the grill, using a crumpled paper towel dipped in oil if you like, or coat it with non-stick grilling spray. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high; your hand should only be able to stay over the heat for a few seconds.
7. Once the grill is hot, place the chicken on the grates at a diagonal with the top side facing down. Cook until grill marks begin to appear, about 3 minutes.
8. When those marks show up, turn each piece so it angles the opposite way across the grates, then cook for a few more minutes.
9. After the grill marks look the way you want, flip the chicken and continue cooking until it is browned on both sides and feels firm, though not hard, when pressed. This will probably take only a few minutes longer on the second side unless the breasts are especially thick. Cooking time depends on thickness and grill heat, so take the chicken off when it feels firm under your finger.
10. You can also make this in a ridged stove-top grill pan or on a George Foreman Grill with good results.