Irish Chicken-from Dutch Oven to the Grill

My original idea with Irish Food Week was to post this amazing one pot chicken dish I found in a cookbook I bought the first time I went to Ireland. Then, the weather changed in Minnesota. It has been so beautiful this week that all I could think about was grilling. When I arrived home this evening, I had to reinvent this dish so I could grill ! Here is the result!

A lot of Irish cooking is in one pot, which is handy for clean up. Just think of the grill as the pot for this dish, there was very little clean up here as well. I wanted to use all the same flavors in this dish, but also incorporate the spring grill flavor...Hello Spring!

Irish Chicken on the Grill

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 large leeks
4 Yukon gold potatoes
1 cup chicken stock
8 ounces goat cheese, divided
Fresh thyme
Fresh tarragon
Poultry seasoning
Salt
Pepper
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil

For the sauce:
Heat up the chicken stock, half of the goat cheese, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon in a small saucepan, just until goat cheese is melted. In a separate bowl, stir together the remaining goat cheese with 1 tablespoon each thyme and chopped tarragon, and save to the end of your preparation.

To prepare chicken:
Season liberally with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper, and set aside.

To prepare potatoes:

Dice into squares about 1/4 inch in size. Double layer a large square of aluminum foil, and put potatoes on it. Drizzle with olive oil. Remove thyme leaves from stems, and sprinkle over potatoes, add salt and pepper. Add another double layer of foil over the top and seal the edges.

To prepare the leeks:
Cut off the dark green tops, and slice the leeks vertically. Rinse with water to remove any dirt, and drizzle liberally with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Get a large square of aluminum foil ready for when you are grilling.

Fire up your grill, and let it get very hot. Place potato packet on the grate, and let them start to cook, turning frequently, about 40 minutes before you want to eat. 15 minutes in, place leeks on the grate. Let them char for 3 minutes on each side, them remove them to the piece of foil. Seal in the foil packet and place back on the grill, over indirect heat. Put chicken breasts on the grill and shut the cover. Grill chicken breasts approximately 8 minutes per side, until thoroughly cooked. Let these rest while you prepare your plate.

To plate:
Place the leeks on the plate, cut side up, and spread a liberal amount of the herbed goat cheese down the middle. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Beside this, make a small mound of the diced potatoes, and drizzle with the goat cheese sauce. Slice chicken diagonally, place over the potatoes and drizzle with more sauce. Serve with your favorite beverage.