I’m going to be honest with you, I’ve made this recipe twice now. The first time, things didn’t turn out so well. Now the second time around, well, let’s just say I redeemed myself so much that it will be making a regular appearance in our household. Here’s where I goofed up first time. I didn’t have a food processor. The paste was no where near paste consistency and didn’t do well on the grill. I had a few other recipes and concoctions I wanted to make that called for a food processor so I finally gave in and bought one. So worth it! If you don’t have one, consider it an investment in your cooking skills. The recipe honestly won’t turn out right unless you have something to bring your spices to a paste.
Anyways, here’s how to whip up this infamous Carrabba’s dish:
You will need:
1⁄2 cup fresh basil leaf
1⁄4 cup garlic clove
1⁄3 cup fresh mint leaves
1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
3⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1⁄4 teaspoon dried oregano
3⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
3 lbs chicken breasts
Place the basil, garlic, mint, salt, pepper, and oregano in your food processor until mixture turns into a paste.
Place the paste into a mason jar with the olive oil, lemon juice, and vinegar.
Place in the refrigerator until you are ready to marinate your chicken. I made my paste the night before serving and let it chill the entire day.
When you are ready to marinate, bring the paste to room temperature. The spices will have settled in the olive oil so be sure to shake it up!
Lightly coat the chicken breasts with paste on both sides, add salt and pepper to taste and place on hot grill. Don’t use all the paste! We will be adding more later!
Cook until thoroughly cooked and add remaining paste for added flavor!
You won’t even be able to tell if wasn’t served up in the restaurant!
Happy cooking!
