Ah, yes. Old Man Winter refuses surrender to the warmth of spring and snow is upon us again. There is no denying the beauty of the city dressed in it’s white coat, but my mind can’t help but wander to warmer thoughts. Surely, I’d trade in the white coat for white capped waves and breezy wafts at the blink of an eye. Summertime has never sounded so sweet. And in the spirit of warmer days ahead we travel to the land of salsa and spice.
They say opposites attract; this recipe, my friends, is no exception. The spice from the chicken balances wondrously with the sweetness of the pineapple salsa. Not to mention, the salsa is so simple and the flavor is divine. This is an effortless dinner with very little cleanup (my sous chef surely pointed this out!) and absolutely perfect for a hurried weeknight dish. But, of course, delicious enough so it doesn’t feel like it. Marinate the chicken the night before – you could even make the salsa the night before if you are in a time crunch for dinner the next day. A-bada-bing. A-bada-bam. Et voila!
Chipotle Grilled Chicken with Pineapple Salsa
- 3 chicken breasts, cleaned
- Chipotle marinade
- 2 cups fresh pineapple, diced (you could always substitute mango, too)
- 1/2 cup red pepper, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 1 lime, juiced
- Salt and pepper
This recipe is meant to be easy. As such, you could make your own marinade, or opt for the expeditious route as my sous chef and I did. We used McCormick’s Chipotle Marinade.
The night before clean the chicken and slice in half, long ways (it makes for less grilling time). In a large ziploc bag combine the chicken with the marinade. Be sure to let the marinade reach all the nooks and crannies of the chicken.
Alright. Now for dinner. Heat your grill to 400 degrees. In the meantime, we’ll need to slice and dice all of our goodies for the salsa. Let’s start with the pineapple.
And move on to the cilantro, red onion, red pepper and jalapeno.
Add your lime juice, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.
Then, throw the chicken breasts on the grill for roughly 4-5 minutes per side basting occasionally (it won’t take long because they are sliced in half). Be sure to get those beautiful grill marks! Remove from heat. Plate with our gorgeous salsa and enjoy!
Our wine choice for this bright, fresh dinner? The 2012 King Estate Pinot Gris. A beautiful Oregon pinot gris that’s fruit forward with floral notes. A perfect touch of honey at the end that makes this white so well-rounded. With that, cheers!
