Buttermilk-Rosemary Chicken

Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs. I have two rosemary plants in my herb garden. I usually dig them up in the fall and bring them inside. This past winter they dried out and died when I was away so I'm starting from scratch with new rosemary plants. Somewhere (I can't remember where) I read about marinating chicken in buttermilk. Buttermilk is actually the milky liquid left over after churning butter. It is slightly sour, like yogurt, which gives it its meat tenderizing properties. I use Katie's Buttermilk- fresh, organic buttermilk made in Maine. Adding fresh rosemary enhances the flavor of the buttermilk marinade. This chicken is amazingly moist and tender, it carmelizes nicely on the grill, and the rosemary adds a nice essence. It's so easy to prepare and looks so elegant when sliced and arranged on a plate with a rosemary garnish. It's great on salads or any dishes that call for sliced chicken.

Buttermilk-Rosemary Chicken

3 plump boneless chicken breasts, trimmed
1 cup of buttermilk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tablespoon of minced fresh rosemary

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together and place in a zip lock bag or marinating pan.
2. Poke several holes through the chicken breasts and place in marinade. Turn chicken to cover with marinade. Marinade for at least 5 hours or overnight.
3. Precook marinated chicken in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Finish cooking over hot coals on the grill until chicken is nicely browned and cooked through (about 10 minutes in each side). Brush with additional buttermilk as you grill the chicken to give it a nice carmelized color.
4. Remove from grill and let set for about 10 minutes. The slice chicken on the bias and arrange on plate. Optional: Garnish with sprig of rosemary. Sprinkle more fresh, minced rosemary on chicken slices.