Grilled Herb Chicken with Rosemary Caramelized Onions

Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally so you end up with two thinner breasts. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet (or other container). Squeeze the juice from the lemon over them and sprinkle with the seasoning, generous pinches of salt and pepper and half of the oil. (I used avocado for this.) Using your hands, rub the mixture on the chicken so it is well-coated. Cover and chill for 15-20 minutes or until ready to grill.

Heat a deep saute pan to medium-high heat and add the remaining half of the cooking oil. (Ghee or bacon drippings are good choices, but you can use avocado or coconut oil.) Add onions to the pan and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, put the whole sprig of rosemary into the pan (or dried, if you’re using it), cover, and let it cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When they become golden brown and are really soft they’re done, but you can continue cooking them until they turn a true caramel color. You can speed this up a bit by removing the lid from the pan and turning the heat up to medium-high for the last 5-8 minutes or so. Remove the rosemary stem and discard.

While the onions are cooking, preheat your BBQ grill or grill pan to medium-high. Grill the chicken, flipping once, until grill marks form and chicken is cooked through. Don’t over cook them or they’ll be super dry! A full thickness chicken breast typically takes about 5 minutes per side so this should take less. The chicken should feel somewhat firm to the touch and juices should be running clear. Remove from the grill and cover until onions are done.

When onions are done, remove them from the pan. If you’re using the pecans, throw them into the pan after you take the onions out and let them toast, while stirring, for 2-3 minutes.

Serve the onions over the chicken and sprinkle with pecans and chopped fresh rosemary.