Grilling
Grilled Chicken Breast with Strawberry Avocado Salsa
Description
This fresh strawberry avocado salsa is the perfect summer topping for marinated and grilled chicken breasts. Whole30, Paleo, and gluten free!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, trimmed of excess fat
- 1 tablespoon lime zest from about 2 limes
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice from the same 2 limes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus additional for oiling the grill
- 2 cloves garlic minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1 ½ teaspoons honey omit to make the recipe Whole30 or Paleo
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped leaves and tender stems
- ½ small red onion diced (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 cup strawberries diced (roughly 2/3 dry pint of whole strawberries)
- 1 medium jalapeno cored seeded and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 small/medium lime)
- ½ teaspoon honey omit to make the recipe Whole30 or Paleo
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (up to 1/2 teaspoon, adjust amount to taste)
- 1 medium avocado diced
Directions
- Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board with some space between them and cover with a large piece of plastic wrap. With a mallet, lightly pound the meat to an even thickness so that each piece cooks evenly. Place in a large ziptop bag.
- In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, honey, salt, pepper, and cilantro.
- Pour over the chicken, seal the bag, then "squish" to coat the chicken evenly. Refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 1 day, rotating the bag once or twice if time (and memory) allow.
- When ready to grill, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for at least 10 minutes. Preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to medium-high (about 425 to 450 degrees F).
- While the grill preheats, prepare the strawberry salsa: Place the red onion in a small bowl and cover with very hot tap water (this takes off some of the red onion's bite while preserving its flavor. You can skip this step if you like raw red onion just as it is). Set aside
- In a mixing bowl, add the strawberries, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, honey, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.
- Stir gently to combine.
- Fold in the avocado. Taste and add a bit more salt if you feel it tastes a little too flat or additional honey if it is too spicy.
- Lightly oil the grill. Grill the chicken until completely cooked through and the temperature on an instant-read thermometer reads 160 to 165 degrees, about 8 to 12 minutes total, flipping the chicken once or twice throughout. The amount of time you need will vary based on the size and thickness of each breast. Remove to a plate, cover, and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to serving plates and top each with a few generous spoonfuls of the strawberry salsa. Enjoy immediately.
