Photo and Recipe courtesy: My Recipe.com

Ingredients

  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 1/2 pounds boned, skinned chicken breast halves, rinsed
  • 1 pound zucchini
  • 2 red bell peppers (12 oz. total)
  • 2 portabella mushroom caps (7 oz. total)
  • 1 red onion (12 oz.)
  • 1 package (1 lb.) dried penne pasta
  • 1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • Salt and fresh-ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup slivered fresh basil leaves

Preparation

  • 1. In a bowl, whisk together 2/3 cup olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, mustard, and garlic. Reserve 1/2 cup marinade for basting vegetables; pour remaining into a 1-gallon zip-lock plastic bag. Cut chicken lengthwise into 1-inch-wide strips and add to bag. Seal bag and turn to coat. Chill about 45 minutes.
  • 2. Meanwhile, rinse zucchini, bell peppers, and mushroom caps. Slice zucchini lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Stem and seed bell peppers; quarter lengthwise. Peel onion and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Brush vegetables with reserved marinade.
  • 3. Cooking in batches if necessary, lay vegetables and chicken (discard marinade) on a barbecue grill over a solid bed of hot coals or high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds); close lid on gas grill. Cook, turning once, until vegetables are slightly charred and chicken is no longer pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), 6 to 10 minutes total. Let cool a few minutes. Chop vegetables and chicken into 1-inch pieces.
  • 4. Meanwhile, in a 6- to 8-quart pan over high heat, bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Add pasta, stir, and cook, uncovered, until barely tender to bite, 9 to 13 minutes. Drain.
  • 5. In a large bowl, mix pasta with remaining 1/3 cup olive oil, parmesan cheese, half the chopped vegetables and chicken, and salt and pepper to taste. Top with remaining vegetables and chicken. Garnish with sliced basil.

Lea Black, North Tustin, CA, Sunset
SEPTEMBER 2005