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Brined & grilled chicken breast sandwich with salsa verde

  • 6 large chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
  • 1 gallon water
  • ½ cup salt
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup fresh rosemary leaves, roughly chopped
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Vegetable oil
  • Focaccia-type bread cut into 6 portions and split to have top and bottom halves
  • 6 large lettuce leaves, washed and dried
  • Salsa Verde (see recipe included below)

Fill a large plastic container with the water. Add the salt and the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the minced garlic, the rosemary and the pepper. Place the chicken breasts into the brining liquid and then cover and place the container into a refrigerator. Brine chicken for at least 3 hours, or over night.

Place some paper towels onto a baking sheet covered with foil. Remove chicken from brining liquid and place on paper towels. Allow them to drain and come to room temperature at least 30 minutes.

Prepare a grill to medium high heat. Pat chicken dry with additional paper towels if necessary. Next, discard paper towels and brush chicken with a light coating of vegetable oil. Grill on prepared grill for 6 to 7 minutes on the first side, then turn breasts over and grill on second side until they are fully cooked. Remove finished chicken breasts to a platter. Grill bread if desired.

Place a chicken breast onto one half of each bread portion. Top with a generous amount of Salsa Verde and a lettuce leaf. Serve hot. Makes 6 large sandwiches.

Salsa Verde

  • 1 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, packed
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, or to taste
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 cup green olives, drained and pitted
  • 2 tbsp. capers, drained
  • 1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup green onions, thinly sliced
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Place the parsley leaves and olive oil into the bowl of a food processor. Process until the parsley is finely chopped. Add the garlic and lemon juice and process until nearly pureed. Add the green olives, capers, thyme and green onions and pulse until they are roughly chopped. Remove salsa verde to a serving bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sauce can be made thinner with the addition of more olive oil. Makes approximately 1 cup salsa verde.