Rosmarinus Officinalis

I have a slight obsession with herbs. Basil, Thyme, Cilantro and Rosemary are my favorites to cook with. I use these herbs fresh and dried. For dinner last night I made a family favorite, Balsamic Rosemary Chicken. I almost always have dried Rosemary in the house but when I checked my spice cabinet I realized I was out! I couldn't believe it! So I asked my wonderful husband if he could stop at the grocery store on his way home from work for Rosemary and he so nicely obliged. Instead of buying dried Rosemary he surprised me with fresh! I love, love, love the smell of fresh Rosemary! If you have never smelled it you will probably be quite surprised with how strong the scent is. The second you open the package (or however it may come) you are hit with a woodsy smell that just reeks of comfort for me. Rule of thumb is that dried herbs are stronger than fresh so even if the fresh Rosemary smells strong to you don't be afraid! It is a perfect combination with chicken!!!
 
These are my ingredients for this dish:

• Boneless Chicken Tenderloins
• Rosemary (dried or fresh or combined)
• Balsamic Vinegar 
• Olive Oil
• 2 small Garlic Cloves or 1 large (not pictured, chopped

I place the chicken in a dish or resealable freezer bag to marinate it. I sprinkle it on both sides with salt, pepper and rosemary and then drizzle olive oil and about 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar over it. I put the chicken in the refrigerator to let the flavors marry. I have made this dish last minute and have not let the chicken marinate too long and it still tastes wonderful but if you can let it marinate for an hour or so. I also do not measure my ingredients so just remember that you can add flavor but you cannot take it away!!!

When I am ready to cook I pre-heat a pan on the stove top and add the chicken and marinade along with the garlic. I like to add more Balsamic as it cooks because it will cook down and we eat this with brown rice and like to have the extra sauce to put on top.

Cook the chicken for a few minutes on one side then flip over and finish baking on the other side. This tends to cook quick so keep an eye on it, you do not want to dry your chicken out! The Balsamic Vinegar may smell stringent at first but it cooks down into a sweet, syrupy sauce that is just to die for!!!! The garlic also soaks up the vinegar flavor and you will not believe just how sweet it also becomes! Some may be afraid to cook with garlic but not me! I may smell like garlic, who knows. I guess there are worse things to smell like!!! I stay at home though so maybe no one but my sons smell the garlic on me and since they most likely smell like garlic too the smells cancel each other out!

 Aside from brown rice, which I make right out of a box, my vegetable for this dinner was yellow squash and zucchini. I roasted them in the oven but you can also make them on the stove top or on the grill!

Here are my beautiful vegetables! I absolutely love fresh vegetables! I really should have a garden but I have yet to embrace my green thumb. I am actually not sure I have a green thumb! Every year I say I am going to start a garden and every year passes by! There are fresh farm stands and the farmer's market in my area so I can take advantage of what they have to offer plus my favorite grocery store, Harris Teeter,  keeps a supply of locally grown fruits and vegetables in their store.

 


I cut my veggies and placed them on a foil lined baking sheet, then sprinkled them with salt, pepper, chopped garlic (there it is again!), and olive oil. I baked them at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes or until they were to my liking. I don't even set the timer most of the time, I just keep an eye on them and flip them once while they are baking. 

 


At last my dinner was done! This literally cooks in less than 15 minutes!!! It does take longer with the marinating but this is one dinner that is big on flavor and short on time!!!!!! I put the chicken on top of the rice and drizzle all that sauce on top of it! To me the smell and flavor just make me smile!!! It's as if I have been embraced by comfort!!!!! Yum! Yum!