Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken with Poblano Spinach Vinaigrette

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Wow the name of this recipe is super long but I promise it isn't complicated!  I love grilled chicken.  We have it once a week during the summer months.  It is so flavorful and easy and my whole family loves it!  I came across this recipe in an ad for Kashi in my Real Simple magazine a while back.  It doesn't use any Kashi ingredients so I thought it was kind of random but it looked good enough to give it a try.  It was so delicious and fresh tasting!  I think we will be enjoying this one all year round. 

GRILLED CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN WITH POBLANO SPINACH VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients:

Chicken Marinade:

4 TB extra virgin olive oil

4 limes, juiced (about 2 TB)

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 TB fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 tsp kosher salt

pinch black pepper

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Vinaigrette:

1 medium poblano pepper, roasted

1 C baby spinach, steamed for 2 minutes and squeezed to remove excess liquid

1 garlic clove, minced

1 small shallot, minced

1/2 C cilantro, minced

2 limes, juiced

1 heaping TB Dijon mustard

pinch kosher salt

pinch black pepper

Directions:

1.  Place chicken breasts between 2 layers of plastic wrap or in a sealed ziploc bag.  Using a meat mallet or heavy cast iron skillet, pound the breasts out until they are evenly about 1/2 inch thick. 

2. To make marinade: Whisk together olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, salt, and pepper.  Pour into container, add chicken, and put in fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

3. To make vinaigrette: Preheat oven to 375 F.  Lightly coat poblano pepper with olive oil.  Place in oven safe dish and bake in oven until its skin is covered by dark brown and black spots.  (About 25 minutes).  Remove from oven and let pepper cool.  Then, remove stem, skin and seeds.  Add pepper and all vinaigrette ingredients in to a blender or food processor; puree until smooth. 

4. To make dish: Heat grill pan or grill to medium high heat, add chicken.  Grill for approximately 6 minutes on once side, 4 minutes on the other, until chicken is cooked through. 

5. Place chicken on serving plate and drizzle with a few TB of the vinaigrette.  Serve with extra vinaigrette on the side.  Garnish with cilantro and lime slices if desired. 

* You can also roast the poblano pepper over an open flame on your gas cook top if desired.  Just hold it over the flame using tongs turning it over until the skin is all black and brown.  No oil necessary for this method.