Grilled Chicken with Cowboy Onions

If you are like me, you stock up on meats when they are on sale. This week, it was the proverbial boneless, skinless chicken breast. For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while will know that I more often than not buy bone-in chicken and then debone as needed. Since I have a large volume of chicken on hand, I am challenged to make more than just the typical chicken sandwich for dinner. My inspiration for this recipe come from a few sources. One, a chicken dish I often get at a large, chain restaurant, but their version is covered in bacon and cheese. Second, onion tangles made on this week's episode of "The Pioneer Woman," one of my favorite cooking shows and my inspiration for beginning to blog. By combining parts of both of these inspiration, this recipe was born. If you really want to take this recipe to the next level, you could fully combine the two by adding bacon and cheddar to the chicken, however, I really do not think it is necessary.
A note of warning, you may want to double the Cowboy Onions for the recipe. My husband and I found ourselves eating them up like an appetizer before they even made it to the plate. Let's just say that they are reminiscent of a flowering onion some people might enjoy.

Ingredients:
FOR THE COWBOY ONIONS
1/2 Cup Buttermilk
1/2 Large Yellow Onion, cut into thin rings
1/3 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Vegetable Oil (for frying)
FOR THE CHICKEN
2 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1. Place the thinly sliced onion rings in a shallow dish and cover with buttermilk. Set aside.
2. Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create a total of 4 chicken breast portions. This will assist the meat in cooking more evenly, and, let's be honest, most chicken breasts are too big for one serving.
3. In a small dish, combine the dry seasoning mix for the chicken. Sprinkle half of the seasoning over the first side of the chicken.
4. Heat a grill pan over medium heat. When hot, place the chicken in the pan, seasoned side down. Sprinkle the remaining seasoning over the top of the chicken. Grill for 7 minutes or until golden on the first side. Flip the chicken and cook for another 7 minutes or until cooked through. I like to place a few tablespoons of water onto the pan and cover with a lid for the last few minutes to steam the meat throughout. I have found this helps the meat to remain moist and any drippings on the bottom are released and brown the meat.
5. While the chicken cooks, heat a quarter-inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. As the oil heats, combine the flour and seasonings in a shallow dish.
6. You will now begin frying the onions in batches. Gather some of the onions out of the buttermilk and dredge in the seasoned flour. When the rings are covered, gently shake them to remove excess flour and place in the preheated oil. You will need to keep an eye on the pan. If they are cooking too fast, reduce the heat to medium. The onions will fry in approximately 3 batches. Each batch should take 2-3 minutes. Remove when golden and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain.
7. When the chicken is cooked, top with the cowboy onions and serve with your choice of sides.