Buttermilk Ranch Chicken

As soon as the warm weather hits, a large majority of our meals revolve around the grill.  Chicken, steak, burgers, veggies, pizza, naan bread - grilled food is one of my favorite things.  My husband has no interest in cooking, but the grill is his domain.  He has a particular way of setting up the briquettes, a fancy spatula/flipper thing that he requested I purchase for him, and he prefers to do the seasoning himself.  I happily play the role of "assistant", running to and fro from kitchen to patio with anything he needs.  We've got a system and I think we make a pretty darn good team.  I SO appreciate his willingness to man the grill because while I am thankful for the warmth of a fire and love the flavor it lends to my food, I'm a total whimp when it comes to flames.  I didn't even use a match until I was probably 20 years old (I was forced to learn how by my, at the time, 7 year old brother-in-law) and I haven't used one since - they're scary!  But let's get back to the subject, shall we?  Grilled food...

Here is a recipe for an incredibly moist and abundantly flavorful grilled chicken.  You can marinate the chicken overnight if you wish, but I've found that giving it a couple of hours is just fine.  My husband raved that this is quite possibly the best chicken marinade we've ever attempted.  Eat it hot off the grill or chill it and chop it up as an addition to a salad.  Mmmmm....mmmmm.....good!!

Buttermilk Ranch Chicken

1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. dried mustard
1 T. fresh chives, diced
1/2 tsp. dried dill
Salt and pepper
4 chicken breasts

1. Combine all marinade ingredients.  In a shallow dish or a large ziplock bag, pour the marinade over the chicken breasts.  Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours (or overnight).

2. Grill the chicken until cooked through (about 5-7 minutes per side).  Transfer to a plate and devour.