By Carrian Cheney of Oh, Sweet Basil

I’m always such a fan of summer here in Utah. The snow and wind that takes up eight months of the year gets pretty old, even if I do love cozy sweaters and boots. Then summer hits and I feel like everything becomes magical. It means sleeping in a little later, exploring fun parks, and having summer adventures as a family. But most of all, I love the food. I love how fresh and easy everything is. I can’t emphasize enough that fresh is best.

One thing our family loves to do during summer is hit a local vegetable stand and pick out a few favorites, then create a new grilling recipe together. Today I’m sharing my husband’s creation— and one of his favorite summer grilling recipes for chicken. (It’s amazing on steak as well!) It’s super easy (Who wants to be indoors cooking during summer?) and yields enough for about three meals. I store the rest in a jar and use it later as salad dressing or more marinade.

Just add all the ingredients into your Blendtec and let it fly until smooth. Then pour a little over your meat to marinade for as little as 30 minutes or throughout the entire day if you’re thinking ahead. Grill up your meat and add a final drizzle, reserving the unused marinade in a jar in the fridge. We love to serve this with a big pasta salad, rice, or even just grilled corn and fruit. It’s summer grilling at its tastiest!  

Ingredients

1 bunch cilantro, stems cut off
3 cloves of garlic, minced
9 limes, juiced
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup rice vinegar
⅓ cup sugar
¾ tsp salt
½ cup canola oil
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (unless you like extra spicy)
2 chicken breasts, sliced long
Skewers, soaked in water for 15–20 minutes

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to your Blendtec and blend until smooth.
2. Pour ¾ cup into a sealable bag with the chicken, seal, and refrigerate for 30 minutes, up to 8 hours.
3. About 15 minutes before cooking, place the skewers in water (unless you have metal skewers) and allow to soak while you prep the grill. Heat the grill with the lid closed to high heat.
4. Remove the chicken from the fridge and weave back and forth on the skewers.
5. Turn the grill to medium heat and add the chicken, rotating every few minutes to grill each side, for a total of 8 minutes or until cooked through.
6. Remove to a plate and lightly cover with foil to rest for 5 minutes. Serve with a little additional dressing and salad of choice.