I am a child of the seventies. About the time when my entertainment education was unfolding there was a movie released called “Herbie” the Love Bug. Herbie was all sorts of fun and crazy, as far as personified cars go. He had a mischievous demeanor and naughty sense of humor. 
Somewhere between the first and fourth installment of this zany Disney franchise offspring, the “Punch Buggy” game was birthed in the back of station wagons all across America. The gist of the game was simple; spot any Volkswagen Bug “Herbie” and punch the other person occupying the back seat with you before they have the chance to spot it. I think there were points, or maybe not, but depending on the relationship with your sibling or cousin or whoever was back there with you, you most often ended up with significant bruising along the line of your biceps. It was fun, I think.
Several months ago I had a stash of left-over herbs in the fridge. (Wait, scratch that!) I had several bunches of cilantro, rosemary and parsley. (Better!) I decided I would make an “herby” chicken recipe from scratch and throw it on the grill. The result was fantastic. The first bite was a “Punch Buggy” punch of flavors to the mouth that were diverse and lingering, not unlike the many bruises left by my sister Cynthia in 1979.
Thus was born, “Paleo Punch Buggy Grilled Chicken.”
THE BREASTS – Boneless breasts of chicken are a sensitive and finicky lot. They need to be handled gingerly because they dry out if you look at them wrong. They should also be cooked from room temperature so do not pull your chicken out of the fridge and slap it immediately on the grill unless you want cilantro-flavored, pressed, sawdust patties.
MARINATING – I have found that marinating times are an art. Some marinades are effective after just a few minutes and some need hours to get the task done. For chicken, in general, I believe the longer you let it marinade the more flexibility it gives you on the grill. Paleo Punch Buggy Chicken is best if allowed to marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours. However, I have also been rushed for time and did pretty well by a massaging the chicken in the marinade for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature before setting it on the grill.
COOK TIME – Here is a little tip. Published cooked temperature for poultry is 165 degrees. If you get salmonella from undercooked chicken I will deny ever having written this, but may I make a suggestion? Let your central temp get to 155, pull the chicken and wrap it in foil with a nice big air bubble in the top sealed foil. (Think little foil chicken tent.). This allows the chicken to “steam-cook” the last few degrees to complete perfection!
Cook temperatures for grilling chicken
[yumprint-recipe id=’3′]Paleo Punch Buggy chicken is easy and fast. The flavor profile is fantastic and pairs with just about anything. You might even want to try a salad with my Spicy Orange Dressing as a good complementary dish.
Let me know how your Paleo Punch Buggy Grilled Chicken turns out! Please leave comments at WELLFITandFED.
And in case you are wondering. Here are the actual rules to the PUNCH BUGGY GAME!
If you like this recipe, you should try these!
CITRUS CARNITAS ~ A PALEO TWIST ON AN OLD FAVORITE
