Beer Marinated Chicken with Aged Cheddar

A few weeks ago Tim and I went to a series of classes on wine and cheese at our local Hy Vee store.  Not only were these classes informative, they were FREE!  It was fun, informative and great to taste different wines and cheeses together.  We purchased several varieties of cheese, most to enjoy with wine and crackers.  We did purchase an 8 year aged cheddar with the intention of cooking with it  Of course we know it works beautifully stuffed inside a burger.  Curious what else aged cheddar might pair well with, I searched the internet and found this recipe for grilled chicken breasts.

The recipe calls for splitting the breasts in half and stuffing them with the cheese.  I left ours whole and towards the end of the grilling time, made slits in the side of them and added the cheese.  The beer and and the aged cheddar pair together nicely making this a delicious dish for a summer barbeque. 

Beer Marinated Chicken with Aged Cheddar
Recipe Courtesy of Dairy Goodness

4 chicken breasts

1/2 cup (125 ml) light beer

1/4 cup (60 ml) unsweetened apple juice

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tbsp (15 ml) chopped fresh rosemary or

1 tsp (5 ml) dried rosemary

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

4 oz (120 g) Canadian Aged Cheddar, thinly sliced

Instructions

Cut the chicken breasts in half to make them less thick.
Place chicken in a bowl and add beer, apple juice, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper to taste. Marinate at least 30 minutes or several hours if time allows.
Preheat grill to medium.
Remove chicken from marinade and drain, then cook on grill with lid closed 5–7 minutes each side, depending on thickness of chicken.
Re-form chicken breasts by pairing up both halves after placing a quarter of the cheese between the halves. Close grill lid and allow cheese to melt for 2–3 minutes before removing from grill.

I am linking this to On The Menu Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday.