I’m going to do the opposite of most food blogs, because I hate scrolling through chatter to get to the recipe. Here is the recipe….below will be some chatter if you are interested.

RECIPE

*Makes 4 medium skewers

• 1 large or 2 small chicken breasts
• 1 stem of thyme
• 1 stem of rosemary
• 6 tarragon leaves
• 1 stem of oregano
• 3 -5 cloves of garlic (depending on preference
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1

Take the herbs off their stems. You can do this using a little herb tool, or just pinch the leaves and slide your fingers along the stem. The thyme can go directly as-is into the bowl. The rest of the herbs, you will want to chop into smaller pieces closer in size to the thyme leaves. Place all the herbs in the bowl.

STEP 2

Crush the garlic into the bowl. Make sure to crush it over the bowl so that any juices that come out drip into the bowl with the herbs.

Step 3

Add a few tablespoons of olive oil. You will want enough that all the herbs come together and will coat the chicken.

STEP 4

Add a few splashes of balsamic vinegar to the mix. Again, this amount will be based on preference. I live enough to balance the olive oil and give an extra kick of tang.

Step 5

Add a pinch or two of sea salt. Stir the mixture so that everything is blended well and mixing flavours.

Step 6

Slice your chicken into long strips. If you are using a large chicken breast, slice it in half so that the strips will not be too thick. Add your strips to the mixture and give it a good stir, making sure to fully coat all the pieces. I like to put it into a container with a lid so that I can flip it, shake it and money make it…;)

The joy of this marinade is that the chicken is going to cook with the herbs on it, so it will pack a flavourful punch without letting it sit. I still prefer to let everything soak in for at least an hour, but it is just as good if you move to the next step without letting it marinate for a bit.

STEP 7

Thread your strips of chicken onto your skewers. I like this method better than chunks of chicken for this recipe as I am not adding any veggies to the skewers. I find the strips are easier to get a nice uniform cook and they don’t swivel around while cooking. You do you though and if you prefer the chunks, go for it!

STEP 8

Place those delicious sticks of meat on your BBQ. While I cook them, I will often grill up some naan or pita bread as a side.

STEP 9

ENJOY! Grab whatever sides you want with it and hunker down with a deliciously fresh and light meal. I love this with a salad, naan/pita and tzatziki. During the summer, this is a go-to marinade for chicken and pork.

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THE CHATTER PART

So I don’t have a lot of chatter for this, just that if you have a herb garden, I encourage you to experiment with different herbs. I have done this with basil, sage, dill, etc. I like playing with the different mixtures of herbs to see what sort of flavour profile I can make. So far, I have not had any that didn’t turn out.

This recipe is a big part of why I wanted to have an abundance of herbs this year. Usually I only have one little herb planter and I find that I have to hold back in trimming because I don’t want to kill my plants with my over-eagerness for a delicious meal. So this year, Kurt and I have done 4 herb planters, plus spread basil and dill within the garden beds. This will make it easier for me to trim from the different areas without stressing any of the plants out. And hopefully, we will be enjoying this marinade much more often this summer.

The other area that I love to throw fresh herbs in, is when I am roasting my garden veggies either in the oven or on the BBQ. A similar marinade, minus the vinegar, makes for a delicious plate of roasted vegetables. I think that is one of the best parts of growing your own food, is getting to walk through the garden to see what is ready and enjoy that for dinner. No pre-planning really, just whatever your garden is ready to give you at that moment.

As our garden continues to grow with our development of the yard, we are planting more and more variety that offers more options throughout the whole summer. Already we have been enjoying not only our herbs, but some beautiful golden beets. Another few days and we will have some zucchinis. Our cauliflower, carrots and celery is just around the corner as well. With the heatwave we are having, our peppers and tomatoes will be ready within the next week. Lots of little peppers and tomatoes started, they just need to get a little bigger and a little more colour on the tomatoes.

It is going to be a delicious summer. If I remember, I will share more of my garden concoctions on here…but I usually don’t think to take pictures until I have already devoured the plate.