In Texas, November is still late summer

This weekend, we grilled chicken breasts with a new marinade that I wanted to share with everyone, even if your weather makes grilling more a labor of love than an excuse to luxuriate in a beautiful afternoon. (This sentiment isn't meant to sound mean spirited, but if it encourages anyone to visit us, so much the better.)

Here is the recipe that I made for the meal, which we think turned out pretty well:

Citrus Tarragon Marinade

INGREDIENTS

1 ¼ cups plain yogurt
¼ cups vegetable (canola) oil
¼ cups tarragon vinegar
juice of 2 large lemons

1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, broken into pieces
2-4 cloves garlic, pressed

1 ½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground (or more to taste)

DIRECTIONS

After mixing the ingredients, place 4-5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts in a sealable bag with 2/3 of the marinade. Reserve the remainder for the grilling.

After as many as 3 hours marinating (but no longer), remove the chicken breasts and cook them over a hot charcoal fire. The marinade may stick to the grill, so brushing oil over it before cooking may prevent problems. Turn after the breasts show a nice char, and watch to ensure that they remain moist. (Remember, too, that they will continue to cook for a few minutes after they are removed from the heat.) Brush on some of the reserved marinade, and allow the added moisture to cook and crust before adding more to the other side, and cooking for a few minutes. I prefer heating this final stage only until the surface is a little goopy, not until the added marinade is cooked fully dry.

Serve with herbed long-grain rice, such as basmati.

The result is a lemony and fragrant accent to the chicken, which gains the advantages of its savory surface from the charcoal, and a nice moisture from the marinade. The real secret is the tarragon vinegar, which is magical. I'd recommend it for any kitchen.

(Gwennie gets photo credit for this image.)