Rosemary-Lemon Chicken with Smashed Garlic

Every once in a while I find myself having a couple of chicken breasts in the fridge thawed, about to expire, and having no clue what to do with them because I'm bored with the idea of plain sauteed chicken.  I found myself in just such a predicament, and did a little web surfing.  I found a few similar recipes of which I had all of the ingredients, melded them together and voila.  Here is my version, and it turned out terrific!  This recipe serves two people and could be doubled if more servings are needed, but depending on the size of the grill pan, it may then need to be cooked in more than one batch.

Rosemary-Lemon Chicken with Smashed Garlic 

1 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon of dried rosemary leaves, crushed with mortar and pestle

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/8 teaspoon of black pepper

2 chicken breast halves

6 cloves of garlic, smashed with flat part of knife edge and skins removed

1 Tablespoon of grape seed oil 

(Note: the only reason I use grape seed oil instead of olive oil is because my understanding is it has a higher smoke point.  Given the sensitivity of my smoke detector I use this oil)

1) Combine first six ingredients in a zip lock bag and let sit for two hours at room temperature. Shake up a few times during marinating process.

2) Crush the garlic with a knife blade, and remove skins.

3) Heat one tablespoon of grape seed oil in a grill pan on medium-high heat.  Add chicken breasts and garlic and use a heavy pan or iron grill top to press down on the chicken.  Grill for 9 minutes.  Watch small pieces of garlic, keeping them to the edge of the pan so they don't burn.

4) Flip chicken and garlic and grill for another 9 minutes or until juices run clear.

Note: this makes for a great low carb dish for phase 1 of the South Beach plan.