This is a “good, but…” recipe meaning that it was something that I enjoyed, but had some issues that made me not want to pursue more recipe testing and tweaking to become something that I turn into a recipe that I use on a regular basis. However, due to its flavor or other variables, it is a recipe that I want to keep around for later experimentation. The main issue that I have with this recipe at the time is just the marination step. I like the flavor of the chicken and it tastes great sliced on a plain salad with possibly only some parmesan cheese grated on top, and you get the flavor of a ceasar dressing without having to add any additional dressing. The marination step can also be done in the morning in under 20 minutes so the chicken is ready for dinner. However, I like to have dinner options that do not require pre-preparation and in this case it is easier to just treat the chicken with some salt for 30 minutes before grilling and add dressing as desired to get mostly the same flavors.
If I pick up this recipe again in the future, I will probably test the following:
- How the length of marination affects the flavor, (e.g. try 30 minutes, 2 hours, and 12 hours).
- If there are ways to capture the same general flavors with a reduced or no marination time.
Timings
The timings given are tough to describe as it depends on the type of grilling equipment used and the fact that a long marination time is suggested. For this recipe, I tend to use an electric “press” grill where both sides of the chicken are cooked at the same time. That takes about 5 minutes to get up to temperature then just 4 minutes of cooking. If a charcoal, gas, or pellet grill is used, those have their own warm-up and cooking times, which are going to be longer.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes (marinate) + grilling time (varies)
Marinade: 8 – 12 hours
Total: 10 minutes (disregarding marinade and using an electric, “two-sided” grill)
Ingredients
- 3 anchovies
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
- 1/2t kosher salt
- 1/2t pepper
- 2T lemon juice
- 1T parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 egg yolk
- 2t dijon mustard
- 2t finishing olive oil
- 1/2t sugar
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Steps
- Combine anchovies, garlic, salt, and pepper to a bowl large enough to hold the chicken, and mash with the back of a fork until a paste is formed. A small food processor may also be used.
- Add the lemon, parmesan, egg, dijon, oil, and sugar to the bowl and whisk until combined well.
- Add the chicken to the bowl and use your hands to expose all sides of the chicken to the marinade, making sure to get into all nooks and crannies.
- Scape the contents of the bowl into a zip top bag, and seal pushing out as much air as possible. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
- Grill on your grilling implement of choice about 4 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F / 74°C. I set my electric grill to 450°F / 232°C.