Ok, real quick. Bryan is a city in Texas where the Carrabba clan settled from Italy. This is one of my favorite dishes from my favorite restaurant.

CHICKEN BRYAN
MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Bryan is a place, not a person. It is the community where the ancestors of the Carrabba family settled and became cotton farmers after they arrived from Sicily. In honor of our Texan hometown, we’ve used some our favorite ingredients to create a signature dish that has become a fan favorite.

4 boneless and skinless chicken breast halves, 7 to 8 ounces each
1 1/2 teaspoons Grill Seasoning
3 tablespoons Grill Baste or olive oil
4 ounces rindless goat cheese log, cut into 8 (1/4-inch) rounds
Lemon Butter Sauce
4 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish

1. Prepare an outdoor grill for direct cooking over medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, using a flat meat pounder, lightly pound each chicken half to an even thickness of about 1/2 inch. Cut each breast half in half crosswise to make a total of 8 chicken breast pieces. Season with the grill seasoning. Let stand at room temperature while the grill heats.
3. Brush the grill grate clean. Lightly oil the grate. Brush the chicken on both sides with the grill baste. Cook, with the lid closed as much as possible, turning after 5 minutes,until the chicken is nicely browned and feels firm when the top is pressed with a finger, about 10 minutes total. During the last minute, top each piece with a goat cheese round. Transfer to a platter and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.
4. Stir the lemon butter sauce in a small saucepan over very low heat with a heatproof spatula just until warm and smooth, but not hot and melted, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and basil.
5. Place 2 chicken pieces on each serving plate. Spoon equal amounts of the sauce over each serving, sprinkle with basil, and serve hot.

BROILED CHICKEN BRYAN Broil the chicken in a preheated broiler with the rack adjusted about 8 inchesfrom the source of heat. Cook, turning occasionally, until firm when pressed with a finger, about 10 minutes. Add the goat cheese about 1 minute before the chicken is done.
TIP
Boneless chicken breast is too thin to test correctly with a thermometer, so the “touch test” works best. The more well done the meat, the firmer its texture.

GRILL SEASONING
MAKES ABOUT 1/2 CUP

Why use salt and pepper when you can use this zesty blend of herbs and spices? A sprinkle of this seasoning on meat, chicken,and seafood really makes the food sing. It will keep in a cool, dark cupboard indefinitely, but you will use it up too quickly for it to go stale.

1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated onion
1 1/2 teaspoons dry oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Transfer to an airtight container. (The seasoning can be stored in a cool, dark place indefinitely.)

TIP
Granulated garlic and granulated onion are gritty and not pulverized like their powdered versions. They are easy to find at supermarkets and online.

GRILL BASTE
MAKES ABOUT 1 1/4 CUPS

Shhhh. Here’s another secret ingredient that gives our food its special flavor. Instead of using plain oil for brushing on food before grilling, we use this basting mixture. You cansubstitute olive oil for the butter if necessary. Or use this and sit back and gather the compliments.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, stir well, and cook without browning for 1 minute. Whisk in the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, and sugar. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the parsley and cook, whisking often, until lightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Let cool. The baste will separate. Whisk well before using. (The grill baste can be made up to 1 week ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.)

LEMON BUTTER SAUCE
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP

We have many “secret ingredients” at Carrabba’s. But it is our lemon butter sauce that gives some of our most popular dishes a wonderful creaminess and mild tang. A variation on the classic beurre blanc (“white butter” in French), there is a trick to its success. Cook it over the very lowest heat so the butter can soften into a beautiful sauce. Once you get the hang of it, you will love making this sauce as much as you’ll love eating it.

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, divided
2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine, such as Cavit Pinot Grigio
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a nonreactive medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 3 minutes.
2. Reduce the heat to its very lowest setting. A few pieces at a time, whisk in the butter, letting the first addition melt before adding more butter. Be sure that the butter is softening into an emulsified sauce, and not melting. With practice, you will be able to increase the heat a bit to speed the softening. It should take you about 3 minutes to add all of the butter and “build” the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
3. The sauce can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Remember, it will be reheated in each recipe. Be sure to heat the sauce over very low heat when reheating, or it will separate. (That is, it will look like melted butter and not an emulsified sauce.) If this happens, remember it will still taste the same!