Grilled Chicken Breasts with Sausage Gravy

I find most chicken recipes to be incredibly bland. I find this to be especially true when it comes to chicken breasts. Yes, they are healthy and yes, they are protein. But they are just slightly above cardboard when it comes to tickling my tastebuds.

So to make them tolerable for my palate, I like to grill them over lump hardwood charcoal. Charcoal is always a star when it comes to adding flavor. But still, they are not flavorful enough. Yet there is a very simple way to send grilled chicken breasts to the very top of the flavor chart...and that's thanks to breakfast sausage.

Oh gravy, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Serve this breakfast sausage gravy over your grilled chicken breasts and you will be hailed as one of the greatest culinary gods to ever walk the earth. You can ratchet that status up even more by adding some warm, fresh baked biscuits to each serving plate. Thou shalt dip.

INGREDIENTS

For the Gravy

1 pound pork breakfast sausage

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2-1/2 cups half-and-half

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

For the Chicken

4, boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Kosher salt and black pepper

DIRECTIONS

For the Gravy

1. In a large cast iron skillet over high heat, cook sausage until crumbly and well-browned (about 10 minutes).
2. Stir in flour and cook, stirring frequently until pan drippings have absorbed flour (about 5 minutes).
3. Gradually stir in half-and-half. Let mixture come to a slow simmer and cook, stirring frequently until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
4. Add spices, stir and keep warm.

For the Chicken

1. Prepare grill for direct cooking over high heat.
2. Season breasts with salt and pepper on both sides.
3. Cook chicken breasts directly over hot coals for 4 minutes. Flip breasts and cook for 4 minutes more.
4. Remove breasts from grill and tent them with foil, letting them rest for 5 minutes.
5. Plate chicken breasts and pour sausage gravy over each. Then serve.

Wine pairing: A big, fruity Merlot. If you're really lucky, it will be a bottle of Columbia Crest H3 Merlot.