Grilled Chicken Recipe with Lemon, Capers, and Oregano

I've been having grilled chicken week here at Kalyn's Kitchen, because after all, May is National Barbecue Month in the U.S. For my readers who aren't native English speakers, the word barbecue is used as a verb and a noun both, so National Barbecue Month means "national time to cook something on the grill." Hope you're grilling something where you are!

I started on Monday with how to make juicy grilled chicken breasts that are perfect every time, and promised a grilled recipe every day for three days. We've had Grilled Fusion Chicken and Grilled Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar, so now it 's time for a brand new chicken recipe. Inspiration for the recipe came from a book called 2001 Chicken Recipes, a cookbook that's now so old you can get it on Amazon.com for only a few dollars. It's the type of book I use for ideas, but nearly always change the recipes to suit my own need for intense flavors.

This time, what I added was caper juice and capers to give the chicken a little more personality. Both are strong ingredients, so if you're not sure how much you like them, you might want to reduce the amounts. Caper juice is salty, so don't add extra salt. I loved the way this turned out, and it was different enough from my other grilled chicken marinades to be a keeper for me.

I've written about capers several times for Weekend Herb Blogging and Lydia has done a great job writing about capers at the Perfect Pantry, but I'm still finding out new things about this interesting plant. Did you know the caper bush is related to the cabbage family? And did you realize capers have some medical uses? However, most often these unripened flower buds are used in cooking to add flavor to salads, dressing, sauces, vegetables, and meat dishes. This may seem like a rather ordinary recipe for Weekend Herb Blogging, but I promise, this would make a great dish for a Mother's Day barbecue, and the capers really turn on the flavor here. The recipe also has dried oregano, which I'm learning is something that cooks in Greece keep by the stove and sprinkle into nearly everything they make.

This is my post for Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by PatL from Up a Creek Without a PatL this week. Pat generously agreed to host on Mother's Day so that someone who's a mother wouldn't get that day, which I thought was such a nice statement about what kind of person she is. 

Grilled Chicken with Lemon, Capers, and Oregano (Makes 4 servings, recipe adapted from 2001 Chicken Recipes.)

Ingredients:
4 boneless-skinless chicken breasts, trimmed

Marinade Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1 tsp. garlic puree (or crushed fresh garlic)
1/2 T caper juice
2 T finely chopped capers (or use less if you're not wild about capers)
fresh ground black pepper to taste

(Click for step-by-step photos of how to make juicy and perfect grilled chicken breasts.)

Instructions:

Trim all fat and tendons from chicken breasts and trim underneath side if needed so chicken pieces are all the same thickness. I like to make small slits crosswise along each chicken breast to help the marinade penetrate.

Use a chef's knife to finely chop capers. Crush the oregano with a rolling pin or meat mallet. Mix together olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic puree, caper juice, chopped capers, and black pepper. (You could also put all the marinade ingredients in a blender and process them rather than chopping the capers and crushing the oregano.)

Lay chicken flat in a large Ziploc bag and pour marinade over. Let chicken marinate in the refrigerator a minimum of two hours, but preferably 4-6 hours or longer.

Preheat gas or charcoal grill to medium-high. (You can only hold your hand there for a few seconds at that temperature.) Grill chicken top side down first, rotating after 4-5 minutes if you're wanting those criss-cross grill marks. (Use a spray bottle of water if flames shoot up from the oil in the marinade when you first put chicken on the grill.) Cook until chicken is well browned on both sides and firm, but not hard to the touch, probably not over 15-20 minutes total cooking time. (Actual cooking time will vary depending on chicken temperature, how hot your grill is, and how thick the chicken pieces are, so remove it from the heat when the chicken feels firm when pressed with your finger.) Serve hot.

This chicken could also be cooked in a stove-top grill pan with ridges or a George Foreman Grill with good results.

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South Beach Suggestions:

This would make a great main course for any phase of the South Beach Diet. If you're serving this for a Mother's Day barbecue, how about Pasta Salad with Italian Sausage, Zucchini, Red Peppers, and Olives on the side, along with some Grilled Zucchini or Grilled Mushrooms.

Yes, I Really Do Like Capers:
Chicken Picatta with Fried Capers
Grilled Tuna with Cherry Tomato Salsa
Chicken with Roasted Lemons, Green Olives, and Capers
Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Lemon and Capers
Sliced Tomato, Olive, and Goat Cheese Salad with Onion-Caper Vinaigrette