Mustard, Lemon, and Coriander Grilled Chicken Breasts with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette

Trim chicken breasts to remove visible fat and tendons, and make them close to the same thickness. (You can pound them a bit if you don't want to trim, but I don't mind trimming because I save the scraps to make homemade chicken stock.)

Whisk together Dijon mustard, lemon juice, ground coriander, and olive oil to make a marinade for the chicken.

Let chicken marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator (or as long as all day, if you're at work.)

To make criss-cross grill marks, first lay the chicken on the diagonal in the preheated pan and cook until you can see marks when you lift the chicken (about 2-3 minutes.)

Then turn the chicken 45 degrees so it's going on a diagonal the other way on the pan or grill grates . Cook until the second set of grill marks appear.

Turn chicken over and cook until it feels firm (but not hard) to the touch, about 4-5 minutes more. If you have an instant-read meat thermometer, chicken should be cooked to 165F/75C.

Let the cooked chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting it; this will raise the internal temperature a little more. (You might want to cover it with foil to keep it hot if you're resting for 10 minutes.)

While the chicken rests, wash and dry the basil leaves, cut into thin strips and then finely chop. Whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil, then stir in the chopped basil and season vinaigrette with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Cut chicken slightly on the diagonal and serve with the lemon-basil vinaigrette drizzled over.

Mustard, Lemon, and Coriander Grilled Chicken Breasts with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette
(Makes 2 servings, but can easily be doubled or tripled, recipe adapted from Fine Cooking.)

1 T Dijon mustard
1 tsp. ground coriander
3 T + 2 T olive oil (plus more for oiling grill or grill pan)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 T + 2 T lemon juice
2 T finely chopped fresh basil (or use another fresh herb, or thinly sliced green onions)

Whisk together the Dijon mustard, ground coriander, 1 T lemon juice, and 3 T olive oil to make a marinade for the chicken. Trim visible fat and tendons from chicken breasts and trim them slightly so they're close to the same thickness if needed. (You can also pound the breasts slightly to make them the same thickness.) Season chicken with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Put chicken in Ziploc bag or plastic container with a lid, pour in marinade, and let chicken marinate in the fridge for several hours or even all day.

When you're ready to cook the chicken, remove it from the fridge, discard marinade and let chicken come to room temperature while you preheat grill or grill pan. Brush or rub the grill pan or outdoor grill grates with olive oil or non-stick grill spray, then preheat grill pan or grill to medium high. (You can only hold your hand over it for a few seconds at that temperature.)

For criss-cross grill marks, lay chicken pieces on a diagonal across the grill ridges or grates and cook until grill marks start to appear, about 2-3 minutes, then rotate chicken 45 degress so it's on a diagonal going the other way and cook 2-3 minutes more, until you see the second set of grill marks. (I lift up the edge of the chicken and check to see if the marks are starting to show.)

When you have good grill marks on the first side, turn chicken over and grill until chicken is cooked through and feels firm, but not hard, to the touch, about 4-5 minutes more. (You may want to turn down the temperature slightly when you turn it over.) If you have an instant-read meat thermometer, chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165F/75C.

Remove chicken to a clean cutting board and let it rest 5-10 minutes, covering with foil if desired. While chicken rests, wash and dry basil, then cut into thin strips and finely chop. Whisk together 2 T olive oil and 2 T lemon juice, stir in chopped basil, and season vinaigrette with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

To serve, cut chicken pieces on a slight angle to make slices, arrange cut pieces on a serving plate, and serve with lemon-basil vinaigrette drizzled over the chicken.

South Beach Suggestions:
Everything about this recipe is perfect for any phase of the South Beach Diet, or any other type of low-glycemic eating plan. This would taste great with something like Cucumber, Onion, and Parsley Salad with Feta or Greek Salad with Marinated Onions and Oregano for phase one. For phase two or three, you could add something like Basil and Parmesan Rice with Pine Nuts or Farro with Mushrooms, Thyme, and Balsamic Vinegar.