Grilled chicken with fresh tomato tarragon sauce, aka fast food

 

My version of fast food (aside from my browser having a path beaten to Pizza Luce's site), is something simple to fix that still tastes like you bothered to cook, like you didn't allow the world to defeat you. So I feel like I've snatched a moral victory over a bad day when I still manage to try a new recipe and not resort to the usual random acts of food. It means I've concentrated on what matters to me, and a decent supper can do a lot to improve a mood.

If I'm looking for quick inspiration, I haul out one of my Bon Appetit back issues for whatever month we're in and I'm apt to find something at least seasonal and serviceable. This recipe comes from chef Keith Luce, then at Spruce in Chicago. It dates from 1997, back when BA had both the 30-minute meal feature and the too busy to cook segment, and didn't have deplorable design and typography.

Bonus point for this recipe: It lets you pound things. Very therapeutic.

Grilled chicken breasts with tomato-tarragon sauce
Adapted from Bon Appetit, Sept. 1997

Ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon, divided

2 ½ tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 cloves garlic,chopped, divided

1 large tomato, chopped

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Method

Combine 1½ tablespoons tarragon, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 chopped garlic cloves in a shallow dish. 

Pound chicken breasts between waxed paper to a ½-inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper. Place in oil mixture. Turn to coat and let rest 10 minutes while you heat up the grill. 

Combine remaining ½ tablespoon tarragon, 1 clove chopped garlic, ½ tablespoon olive oil, tomato and vinegar in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Grill chicken breasts on medium high heat for about 4 minutes a side or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Spoon sauce around chicken breasts.

Rating: Perfectly fine fast food. The chicken is quite tasty and the sauce isn't bad. But if you've ever had a version of this that used roasted red peppers instead of fresh tomato, you'll find yourself missing that smoky element. Next time.

And remember, as Murphy Brown's character once told an aspiring student: "Don't let the buttheads win."