I like to grill chicken because it’s fast, and by simply changing the sauce or marinade it doesn’t feel like you’re eating chicken…again…  One of my family’s favorite recipes is Raspberry Pork Chops.  The original recipe was Raspberry Lamb Chops, but lamb can be expensive, and you can get lower fat cuts of pork.  The sauce has a mellow, earthy flavor.  I was considering it for our meal plan this week, until I ran across something new.

Grilled Chicken with Tart Onion Raspberry Sauce  is an adaptation of a member submitted recipe.  The original calls for raspberry vinegar – not something that is in my pantry, and not something that is likely to BE in my pantry.  Apple cider vinegar, however, substitutes quite nicely.  Also, it called for bone-in chicken, and that, too had to go.  I don’t like fussing with the tapered shape of a bone-in breast because the thin end gets dried out before the thick part is even close to done.    I find that pounding chicken into an even thickness allows it to cook quickly, evenly, and not become dry.  It doesn’t take any time at all to pound – I just do it in a large zip-top bag.  Additionally, my boys just don’t like bones in their meat.

The recipe isn’t complicated; the hardest part is caramelizing the onions without burning them, and all that really takes  is patience and a very low heat.

The chicken was flattened, seasoned, and hanging out waiting to be grilled.  It sat on the counter for about 30 minutes, which is safe, and taking off the chill, again, ensures even cooking.   Chicken breast can dry out really quickly because there is so little fat, and letting the salt penetrate like this is my lazy way of brining.

Once the onions were soft and brown I plopped in the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer away.  The sauce is tart – you may want to add the vinegar by teaspoons so that you can control the taste.

I decided, at this point, to make a pot of rice and some steamed green beans to round out the meal.  Rice, being a neutral flavor, is a nice choice to soak up a flavorful sauce, and green beans just because I wanted some color.  More on my theory of meal creation involving taste, texture and color some other day…

Sadly, my crew was starving, so you’ll have to imagine a plate of chicken glazed with a garnet colored raspberry sauce, a pile of bright, crisp tender green beans, and a mound of fluffy white rice.  Better yet, add these to your meal plan and see for yourself!

This meal was so low in calories and fat that some people felt no guilt at all finishing the cheesecake that I made for July 4th.  No picture of that, either…