An Epicurean Expert with Chicken

I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend for those in the US. Long weekends are fun aren't they? You live it up all the days or in my case, veg out and spend time with good company. It was a good weekend excuse to take advantage of the grill before the weather starts to become cooler. I didn't get to use ol' Georgie as much this summer. I wish I did more.  But I was not going to let this weekend deter me from it. So grill I did.

A little over a week ago I received a package. The wonderful folks over at Girard's Dressing were kind enough to send me one of their Epicurean Expert Kit.  As you may remember I've had the opportunity to try out a few of their dressings before. And I enjoyed them quite a bit. You can read about them HERE. The Epicurean Expert. Kind of sounds like I'm part of a club. :-D

In the kit:
Cotton Twill Full-Length Embroidered Apron with Pockets
Eco-Friendly Bamboo Wooden Utensil Kit
100% Cotton Tote Bag
Stainless Steel Soap
Stainless Steel Recipe Card Holder
Girard's Salad dressing Recipe Booklet.

Sample dresssings:
Light Champagne
Olde Venice Italian
White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Greek Feta Vinaigrette

sporting the apron

I'm still kind of figuring out how you use the steel soap.  Didn't even know such a thing existed. I was happy to see the bamboo utensils in there because that means I don't have to use my barbecue tongs anymore to mix my salads. I'll definitely be putting to good use the recipe holder. That way I won't be ruining my recipe cards.

Since this past weekend was Labor Day in the US, it was a perfect time to crack open the dressings. I originally was going to make the recipe below earlier in the week, but my plans got thrown out of whack.  I used the White Balsamic Vinaigrette as a marinade to some chicken tenders and boneless thighs. You wouldn't necessarily think to use a vinaigrette or dressing as such, but you'd be surprised it's very useful than just coating pieces of leafy greens. It brings a nice flavor to your choice of meat without the hassle of taking a bunch of ingredients from the pantry. Just pop the bottle open, pour over and marinate.

The vinaigrette has a nice citrus hint to it and gives the chicken a lovely subtle flavor into the juices. It was delicious! Grilled to a tender and juicy consistency. I had also made a little bit of salad (romaine, avocado, orange cherry tomatoes, and bell pepper) and used the Light Champagne, which is a light version of their regular Champagne dressing. It also has a nice light flavor. It paired really well with the White Balsamic marinated chicken. Combine the two together you've got yourself a lovely chicken salad. It's definitely a method worth trying. 

Special thanks again to the folks at Girard's Salad Dressing



Disclaimer: I received these products to review for free. 

White Balsamic Grilled Chicken
1/2 lb Chicken Tenders
1/2 lb Boneless Chicken Thai
1 c Girard's White Balsamic Vinaigrette
salt and pepper

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.

In a deep enough dish, place chicken pieces and pour over the White Balsamic Vinaigrette. Coat all sides of the raw meat and let it marinate in the dressing for at least half an hour to two hours.

Prepare your grill. When your grill is ready, cook the chicken tenders both side 3-5 minutes on each side until full cooked through. For the chicken thigh, grill them for 5-8 minutes on each side until full cooked through.

Let the cooked pieces rest on a plate for 2-3 minutes to let the juices redistribute.