Balsamic Goat Cheese Chicken

This meal is deceptively fancy. Especially if you pronounce it with a pretentiously faux French accent... ras'berreeee de la goa' chees, de chi'can. Ok, or maybe that's just me. Anyways, what I was trying to say, is that this is easier to prepare than it might sound. Really. A perfect weeknight meal, in other words. Or tonight, in my case, a perfect, "I really just need to hurry up and get back to my Grey's Anatomy marathon!" meal. Because that's the kind of important stuff I've done with my life today. Don't judge me.

Ingredients:

1 Chicken breast

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

a handful of raspberries (try subbing blackberries, or even pomegranate arils)

Green onions

Black pepper

Red lettuce greens

2 spoonfuls of goat cheese

Cucumber

Clover sprouts (optional)

(serves: 1)

Start by getting your chicken on the grill. I used a countertop George Foreman, but you could certainly use a real grill if you have one. I don't. While you're at it, you may as well go ahead and grill a few extras to cut up for salads and such. Just saying. If you use a G.F. grill, don't forget to spray it down with a little cooking spray first. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with freshly cracked black pepper as you turn it.

Wash and tear your lettuce greens, arrange on one half of the plate for your side salad.

Get your balsamic vinaigrette going. Turn the stovetop up to medium high, pour in your vinegar, and throw in a good sized handful of raspberries. (7-8 for one person, obviously a little more if you're doubling or quadrupling the recipe). Grind a few dashes of black pepper in, and let it go for a few minutes until it starts to bubble and thicken. Add a handful of thinly sliced green onions, and let thicken for 2 minutes more. Take off the stove once it has thickened to your desired consistency. There's not a science to this, its more of a touch-and-go art. This sauce is quite sharp and tangy, which is exactly how I like it, but if you'd like to sweeten it up a little bit, just add a teaspoon or two of brown sugar to the vinegar at the beginning.

While you wait for your chicken to finish grilling, top your salad with a handful of raspberries, a few thinly sliced cucumbers, a dollop of clover sprouts, a few green onion slices, and a sprinkle of goat cheese.

Take your chicken off the grill, and admire those perfectly charred grill marks.

Spoon the raspberry-balsamic vinegar over the chicken, then add a small dollop of goat cheese on top. The cool, creaminess of the goat cheese will nicely balance out the tart, tanginess of the sauce. Finish both the salad and the chicken off with a final grating of black pepper. Voila. Back to Grey's. Just like that.