Captain's Syrian Chicken

As most of you know I am a great cook. In the firehouse you either become a great cook, or you do the dishes. So I learned to cook. And in the firehouse, at least my fire house, we don't use recipes, when you cook, you have to feel it. And when it comes together, it is a beautiful thing. Sometimes it even frightens me, like tonight, when I make my Syrian Chicken. So, if you want to impress, or just excite your pallet, check this out. I got the idea from a friend of Omar's who owns a pizza restaurant in Hamden. It is the Syrian version of Chicken Slovakia.

Use chicken breasts or boneless thighs. Butterfly the breasts or thighs so they have uniform thickness of about 1/2 ". (butterfly means to cut the breast or thigh almost all the way through, so it opens up, like a butterfly) Create a marinade by combining lemon juice, olive oil, fresh mint leaves and a pinch of kosher salt. (you can use dried mint leaves if you can't find fresh ones) You can chop the leaves and mix together or you can put all the ingredients into a blender and blend till the mint leaves get chopped up. Pour half the marinade in a baking dish or large bowl (use glass not metal) Take 2 large rosemary branches, break or cut into skewers that are a little bit shorter than your baking dish. Place the rosemary skewers in the bottom of the dish. Add the chicken, cover with the rest of the marinade, and let sit for a while - at least as long as it takes to warm up the grill. (you can prepare this ahead of time and put it in the fridge)

The best way to cook this is Brazilian Style.. slow. Place the chicken on the upper rack or shelf, place the rosemary branches on top of the chicken, close the lid and let cook for about 5 minutes. Open the lid and check - if the chicken has firmed up and started to brown it is time to turn. Place the rosemary branches back into the marinated, flip the chicken, then mop some marinate over the chicken with the branches. Dip them one more time in the marinade, put them on top of the chicken, spoon some marinade on top and close the grill. Cook for another 5-7 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken and the temperature of the grill. If you have an older grill that heats unevenly move the chicken around so it cooks even. Serve as a sandwich, over a salad, with rice or pasta, or if you want to push the envelope, get some flat bread or pita, heat it on the grill while the chicken is cooking, top it with some grilled peppers (red and yellow), and a little olive oil. When the chicken is done, slice it thinly, add it to the pita and top it with a little feta cheese. Move the pita to the top shelf, close the grill, and let is bake until the feta cheese starts to melt. Enjoy.