Sublime! The smoky flavors of the plank & cheese meld perfectly with the rosemary and balsamic. It does require a little advance prep, but it’s so worth it! Ten to fifteen minutes to whip up the marinade in the morning, and an hour to cook the kamut before dinner. While it’s cooking, there’s plenty of time to do all the rest with some time left over to check your mail.

I’ve been on a bit of a plank kick this week. Last month it was sheet pan suppers. I wonder what the next one will be? One thing’s for sure, it will involve lots of fresh produce. My garden is a little behind this year, but it’s starting to produce. We’ve had some green beans & herbs (I used them here), and cukes & lettuce. The chard is looking happy, there are tomatoes on the vine (still green), and some peppers coming along. And for what I don’t have in my own garden yet, there are great farmstands around. I can’t wait for gazpacho! 

You’ll find a printer-friendly version of the recipe at the bottom of this page.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp loosely packed fresh rosemary

1 tsp loosely packed fresh thyme

5 chicken thighs

alder plank(s) to fit your chicken (I get mine at Outdoor Gourmet.com)

½ cup kamut

1 cup fresh green beans

1/2 cup chopped Vidalia or other sweet onions

1 ounce grated smoked swiss cheese (Mine’s from Oscar’s Smokehouse in Warrensburg, NY. Their smoked meats & cheeses are amazing.)

Preparation:

1.) Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, & pepper.

2.) Process the garlic, rosemary, & thyme in your Mini-Mate or food processor, or mince with a chef’s knife. Whisk into the olive oil mixture.

3.) Set 1 Tbsp of the mixture aside, & refrigerate. Place the rest of the mixture in a baking dish; add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover, and pop in the fridge to marinate for an hour or more.

4.) Lightly toast the kamut in a dry saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. This only takes a few minutes. The grains jump around & make popping sounds. Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about an hour or until the grains are tender. Check the water level every 10 minutes or so, adding more as needed. Remove from heat, and keep warm.

5.) While the kamut cooks, set your plank soaking in water in a shallow pan, weighted down with something heavy so that the top of the plank stays under water. Only soak it for about 20 minutes, as the chicken cooks pretty fast and you want the plank to have enough time to smoke.

6.) Preheat your grill. Once it’s hot, place the chicken on the plank & the plank on the grill. Close cover, reduce heat to medium, and grill for about 15 minutes or until done. Discard any remaining marinade.

7.) While chicken cooks, snap or cut green beans into ~1″ pieces. When the chicken is just about done, stir the beans into the kamut, replace lid, & let it sit for a few minutes while you retrieve the chicken from the grill. The residual heat from the kamut will cook the beans just right. Drain any excess liquid.

8.) Stir the remaining vinegar mixture and the onions into the kamut. Divide between 2 plates, place the cooked chicken on the bed of kamut and beans, and top with the grated cheese.