From Over-Done to Under-Done in 2 Nights Flat

Tonight:

Grilled Chicken breasts with a Whiskey marinade
1/2 Cup Bourbon
1/4 Cup Ketchup
2 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

I wasn't actually planning on cooking tonight. There were still two burgers left from Saturday, but I had to stop by the store to pick up a few odds and ends, and decided that I really didn't feel like eating red meat for the third night in a row, so I picked up some Chicken Breasts. Of course, I neglected to actually pick up other ingredients. Brilliant planning, there. Once I got home, I started flipping through my Bible looking for a marinade I could do without having to go back to the store, and lo and behold, I happened across the one above. I did, however, have to make a couple of substitutions. I didn't have any Bourbon, so I used Jack Black. I was also missing white wine vinegar, which I initially thought was a deal-breaker, but I suspected that I could substitute Apple cider vinegar instead. Not willing to trust my dinner to a fleeting whim, I turned to Google, and was surprised to find that my instinct was right. Mustn't let this go to my head. The hot sauce, I omitted entirely, and yet again, I had to substitute the fresh garlic with dried.

From the moment I announced my intention until almost before I put the chicken on the grill, Zhi kept asking me, "Are you sure that's a marinade for chicken?" I have to admit, I was a bit concerned about it myself, as it seemed a little too flavorful for chicken, but who am I to question the almighty? After marinading the Chicken for an hour, I fired up the grill, being careful to not turn the gas on too high and put the chicken on. I grilled the breasts at 400 for 10 minutes, and took them off as soon as the timer dinged. When I turned them at the 5 minute mark, I thought to myself, "Maybe I should actually leave them on for a couple more minutes and let them cook for 12 instead of 10."

That was a good point, self. I should listen to you. Once the timer dinged, however, rigid obedience to the temporal overlord overrode instinct(...German.) and I pulled everything off of the grill. The marinade smelled really good, and so did the chicken when they came off of the grill. Sadly, the marinade didn't impart nearly as much flavor as I would have liked, but that's sort of what happens when you only let things marinate for an hour. The chicken was also not quite done all the way through, which was a little embarrassing, especially because if had I let it stay on the grill for a couple more minutes, it would have been fine. ;) Oh well, another learning experience, I guess.