There’s so much more to a great barbecue dinner than tossing chicken on the grill. Luckily, it’s really easy to create the perfect grilled chicken dinner this summer by pairing it with the right fresh ingredients. With her Cucumber Avocado Chicken recipe, Elizabeth Jordan Flight highlights the greatest grilling combo for all.
On a hot summer day, there’s nothing like grilling up some juicy barbecue chicken. A little bit of crispiness, tender meat and smoky, spicy flavor make this a backyard patio staple, but there’s much more to this dish than just chicken: the other ingredients you combine can help to enhance the overall flavor of your meal.
The more you grill, the more you understand the importance of flavor pairings. You need to incorporate fresh ingredients that complement the flavors of your grilled meat, BBQ sauces and spices for a complete dinner experience.
One of the greatest grilling combos you’ll ever taste is the perfect pairing of cucumber and avocado with grilled chicken breast in Elizabeth Jordan Flight’s Cucumber Avocado Chicken recipe.
Like most grilled meats, Elizabeth’s grilled chicken breast has a powerful smoky flavor from the light charring of the skin spiced with chipotle, onion, garlic and paprika. Beneath all that flavor is a tender juiciness that chicken has when grilled to perfection. With such strong, savory flavor, you need something light and crisp to balance out the dish. That’s where our Mini Cucumbers come in.
Mini Cucumbers are over 95% water, so you know they’re going to be refreshing! They also meet the requirement for light and crisp flavor that you need for great grilled chicken.
Avocados bring a creamier texture to the dish that goes well with the crunchiness of the cucumbers. Altogether, it’s a perfectly balanced plate when it comes to flavor – but wait, there’s more!
Take your grilled chicken to the next level of flavor by mixing in a pop of color and burst of juice thanks to Juno® Bites Red Grape Tomatoes. With fresh cilantro, lime juice, and crushed garlic, these snacking tomatoes help to add a little sweetness to the Cucumber Avocado Chicken.
To make this recipe, start by making the cucumber and avocado salad that tops the chicken. It’s almost like a quick guacamole that’s really easy to make!
First, halve and slice the Mini Cucumbers and Juno® Bites Grape Tomatoes. Mix them in a medium bowl with avocado chunks, crushed garlic, chopped cilantro and lime juice. Toss to combine everything together and add salt and pepper to taste.
Next, make the mixture that will coat your chicken breasts on the grill. Mix together lime zest, salt, chipotle powder, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika in a bowl. Coat the chicken breasts evenly to make sure every bite has that amazing smoky flavor.
In only ten minutes, you’re ready to grill! Drizzle olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and wait until the oil heats up. You can flick one drop of water into the pan to check if it’s hot enough: if the drop sizzles, you’re ready to add chicken.
Grill your chicken breasts for five to seven minutes on each side and then remove from the skillet to rest for at least another five minutes. This rest time is extremely important when grilling meat.
When you grill, you sear the outside of the meat, trapping the delicious juice inside. If you dig into your grilled chicken as soon as it’s done cooking, all that juice will drain out and make the chicken itself dry. We don’t want that – as hard as it is to wait, good grilling requires patience!
When the timer runs out, all that’s left to do is top your delicious and juicy grilled chicken breast with the fresh cucumber, tomato and avocado salad. It’s a mouthwatering combination of flavors, textures, aromas and colors that will make your summer night just right!
To make Elizabeth’s Cucumber Avocado Chicken, click here.
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