Tuscan Marinated Chicken

So a few days ago, I was listening to my trusty Sirius Radio. More specifically, I was listening to Sandy Gluck on the Martha Stewart Channel. That day, the guest was Clodagh McKenna, author of Homemade: Irresistible Homemade Recipes for Every Occasion, which shows how simple recipes really can be. I checked her out on her website, http://www.clodaghmckenna.com/and decided to use the basic idea that she mentioned on Sirius that morning, for Tuscan Marinated Chicken. My amounts are different than hers though... She used 2 whole cups of olive oil for her marinade, and I just couldn't bring myself to use that much...

I thought that this was a super simple recipe, but with a combination that I maybe wouldn't have thought to use together. But now it's in my head, and I hope you take the idea along with you too. So here's my adapted version.

You'll need:

1 Ziploc Freezer Bag, for marinating
2-3 lbs of cut up chicken pieces, preferably bone-in and skin-on
1/2 cup or so of olive oil
1/4-1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 finely chopped fresh red chili, or 1/2 to 1 tsp crushed chili flakes, however much you like
4-5 cloves of garlic (yep!)
2 tbsp fresh, chopped rosemary, or 1-2 tsp dried
S & P to taste

So first of all, I chopped up all that wonderful garlic

Then I decided to be super organized and put everything into little bowls so I could just dump it all in!

I happened to use chicken legs this time 'round. Rinse the pieces off, and put them into the bag, along with all of your spices.

Then add in the oil and vinegar, and slosh it around until it looks mixed enough. Let it sit for a few hours or overnight.

I am a fan of the Charcoal BBQ... There's not much like it. A word on bbq chicken legs. They are smokin' so make sure you put them on the cooler part of the grill, and if using charcoal, close up the vents and the lid. So heat it up, or use a gas grill, or you could even preheat the oven to about 375 ° F or so...

Usually our BBQ takes about 20 minutes to cook chicken legs. I'd double that time for the oven, but if your unsure, always stick a knife into the center, and push gently to see the juices run. If there's no red or pink, you should be good to go. Just keep in mind that the skin does get quite dark in this case from the balsamic vinegar.

Serve, and enjoy!!! I know I did!

Happy Barbequing!