WINE WITH…Grilled Chicken with Minty Cucumber – Avocado Salsa

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).

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.