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Jun 27, 2017
WINE WITH…Grilled Chicken with Minty Cucumber – Avocado Salsa
This is a perfect summer dish. First of all, it’s delicious, but it also is relatively inexpensive and simple to make, and by scaling the ingredients up or down a bit it can feed a crowd or a single person.
We used fresh thyme from our garden for the chicken, but rosemary, marjoram and/or sage would also work. Serve it with potato salad or a simple vegetable.
Grilled Chicken With Minty Cucumber-Avocado Salsa
Almost everything can be prepared ahead by seasoning and marinating the chicken several hours or up to a day before grilling them. For the salsa, all the ingredients except the avocado can be assembled a couple of hours before serving.
2-4 servings
For the Chicken:
4 bone-in/ skin-on chicken thighs
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2-3 garlic cloves, coarsely minced
zest and juice from ½ lemon
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
Trim excess fat from the chicken thighs if necessary. Combine the thyme, garlic and lemon zest, and season with salt and pepper. Place one fourth of this mixture under the skin of each of the chicken breasts. Arrange the breasts skin side down in dish or shallow bowl just large enough to hold them, and squeeze the lemon juice over everything. Drizzle it all with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Turn the breasts over so they are skin side down and season them generously with salt and pepper. Spoon a little of the oil over them, then cover the dish tightly with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to grill the chicken.
For the Salsa:
2 cups diced, peeled cucumbers (preferably Kirby or Japanese)
3 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
½ fresh lime
salt and pepper
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into large dice
Combine all ingredients (if you are making the salsa ahead of time, add the avocado and a little more salt and pepper about 30 minutes before serving).
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A bit of a paradox when it comes to selecting a wine, this dish can work equally well with a hearty white or a light-bodied red. The grilled chicken definitely favors the latter, while the salsa prefers the former. So what to do? Don’t worry. On a warm summer evening, either will be fine. If going for red, though, don’t serve it too warm. A little chill (say 30 minutes in the fridge) will help it, especially if you are eating outdoors.
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Selection
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Approx. Price
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Comments
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Joseph Drouhin, Morgon
(France) “Hospices de Belleville”
2014
(Imported by Dreyfus Ashby
& Co.)
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$21
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A soft, gentle Beaujolais,
lacking the muscle sometimes found in red wines from Morgon, but making up
for that with finesse and grace.
The perfect weight to complement this dish, it definitely benefited
from a slight chill.
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Rodney Strong, Russian
River Valley Sonoma County (California) Pinot Noir
2014
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$25
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This wine surprised
us. Previous vintages have been
sweeter and heavier, but this one was much more gentle. It paired beautifully with the crisp,
charred chicken, but at the same time did not overpower the fresh-tasting
salsa.
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Tablas Creek, Adelaida District Paso Robles (California)
“Esprit Blanc de Tablas” 2014
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$45
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The best white match we
found (and the most expensive wine we tried, regardless of color), this
Rhône-styled blend combines Roussanne. Grenache and Picpoul to yield a drink
that is hearty but at the same time fresh and vibrant. It paired equally well
with the chicken and the salsa.
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Tenuta La Badiola, Maremma
Toscana (Italy) “6 42˚ Il Canapone” 2013
(Imported by Wines U)
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$20
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A blend of six separate
grape varieties grown in Maremma at the 42nd parallel (thus the
odd name), this medium-bodied wine offers an intriguing mix of flavors that
meshed especially well with the grilled chicken. A characteristic Tuscan dustiness in the finish made it
especially compelling
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Terras Gauda, Rías Baixas (Spain) “O Rosal”
2015
(Imported by Baron
Franncois Ltd.)
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$20
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A blend of 70% Albarino,
20% Caiño and 10% Loureira, with a bouquet reminiscent of summer stone fruits
and a slightly honeyed character on the palate, this wine worked wonderfully
with the salsa. Though it didn’t
pair quite as well with the chicken, the combination of its different flavors made for a very pleasing m
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