The Tribune

By MELISSA D'ARABIAN

Associated Press

Boneless skinless chicken breasts are a convenient go-to for so many cooks, from paleo-followers to budget-shoppers to busy moms. The mild flavour makes it incredibly versatile, so it's easy to slip this cut of chicken into almost any recipe or flavour profile. It's one of the leanest cuts of meat available, with a quarter pound boasting 34 grammes of protein, and only four grammes of fat.

The challenge with such low fat is, of course, keeping the meat tender and juicy. Even a minute or two extra of cook time can take dinner from succulent to stringy and tough. Grilling breasts brings extra risk, since cooking temperatures are high, narrowing the timing window, so it's even more important to get it just right. A few tips will help tremendously here.

The biggest challenge is getting the inside meat to cook before the outside meat gets tough, so the best move you can make is to use smaller chicken cutlets. Organic or free-range chicken breasts solve this problem completely, or if you have larger conventional cutlets, trim them in half or thirds before cooking. Next, avoid cooking the meat when it's super cold, by allowing it to sit at room temperature for a half hour before grilling. And heat the grill only to medium high, or if using charcoal, avoid putting breasts on the hottest part of the grill. Chicken breast meat is usually done a minute or two before I suspect it will be, so I always rely on an inexpensive meat thermometer, so I'm sure to remove the chicken right at 160 degrees, and let it rest for five minutes to keep the meat at maximum juiciness.

This recipe for Chicken Breast Provencal is inspired by ingredients typical of the region of Provence in the south of France, but easily found in a well-stocked American supermarket. Rose wine is the secret behind the simple marinade that imparts a lightly sweet flavor, but if you have a floral white wine at home, it will do the trick nicely, too. Olives -- try to grab a handful of interesting ones at the salad bar --and roasted red peppers from a jar add Mediterranean color, and a tiny bit of balsamic syrup brings a bit of welcomed acidity. Your family will enjoy this dish because of its flavours, while you'll know how healthy it actually is.