Blue Cheese Balsamic Grilled Chicken

Mr. S and I are always in search of new and creative ways to cook boneless skinless chicken breasts.  Before that fateful day when I came into his life, Mr. S. much preferred chicken thighs or legs...but he's been a good sport, indulging me and my hatred of dark meat chicken.  So, I am constantly looking recipes that make these sometimes dry and tasteless chicken pieces into something tasty.  This recipe is both TASTY and EASY!

Ingredients

• 3 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (5 to 6 ounces each)
• 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons McCormick Gourmet Herbes de Provence
• 1 3-to 4-ounce wedge blue cheese, cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch 6 slices

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, 1 tsp herbes de Provence. salt, pepper in small bowl.  Pour into resealable plastic bag.  Pound chicken breasts with a mallet until about 1/2 inch thick (here are directions on how to pound chicken breasts if you are not already familiar: http://www.wikihow.com/Pound-Chicken-Into-Cutlets).  Add to chicken; seal bag. Chill 2-3 hours, turning bag occasionally.

 Chicken can be cooked on an out door grill or on a grill pan.  We cooked ours inside since there was a huge thunderstorm going on at the time.  Heat grill pan to medium high.  Place chicken in grill pan and sprinkle with remaining herbs de Provence and a little salt and pepper (to taste).  Cook 4-5 minutes per side.  Chicken will be nearly cooked, but still slightly undercooked.

To finish them off, place chicken breasts on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Top with blue cheese slices and bake for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and chicken registers 160 with meat thermometer.  (melting of cheese can also be done outside on the BBQ if desired).

Serve immediately!  We served it with a green salad with blue cheese and strawberry balsamic vinaigrette.

Adapted from Epicurious