Grilled Chicken Breasts with Pesto and Rosemary

    

    
This may have been the best chicken I've ever tasted in my life.  The fact that it came in a Kmart parking lot surrounded by a bunch of rednecks on their way to a NASCAR race shouldn't surprise.  Some of the best recipes come from grilling, and quality tailgating just requires imagination.  For a recent race day, I went with recipes from Mario Battali's Italian Grill cookbook.  Like most Italian recipes, the emphasis is on the ingredients, not fancy preparation or cooking technique.  The actual recipe calls for guniea hens, but let's be serious.  We're just trying to make good food and grilling more interesting, not be total tools.  So, I substituted boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Similarly, I bought the recipe's pesto pre-made.  I've made plenty of pesto in my days, but this was another way to save time and hassle.  Besides, as a marinade and grilling sauce subjected to 500 degree F heat, I don't know that the freshest basil and most authentic cold pressed olive oil were really needed.  The sublime nature of this dish came from the mere fact that it uses pesto in the first place.  Pesto for me is one of those sauces I could take a bath in, get coated all over and eat my fill, but I digress.  Marinating the chicken overnight in the pesto-based marinade took this recipe to an incredible place.  Even more wonderful was a prep time running about 2 minutes.  So, try this recipe.  I promise it will be one of your favorites.  Serves 4.
     
Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 cup basil pesto
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
     
Directions:
In a bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, pesto, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  Mix well.  In a large ziplock or bowl, combine the chicken breasts and marinade.  Ensure the chicken is completely covered with marinade.  Seal or cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight preferably.  
Remove the breasts and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Place on a hot grill and cover.  Cook 5 minutes on each side.  If the chicken is charred before the inside is cooked, move off of direct heat but keep in the covered grill to continue roasting.  Remove when the chicken is just cooked through.  Transfer to a platter and serve.