Eating meals outdoors always seems to lift my mood and the weather has been so nice dinner alfresco. Â I love the smell of meat cooking on the grill while sipping a good glass of wine. Â I’m sharing a recipe I found on Pinterest for Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad. Â The recipe originates from Cafe Delites and if you don’t follow her blog you should. Â In fact, I am sure you have already seen many of her recipes on Facebook.
The best thing about this recipe is that the marinade is also the dressing for the salad. Â You prepare it, then use half for the chicken and pour the other half into a bowl or dressing bottle.
Marinade — plenty of fresh ingredients
Marinating chicken
While the chicken marinates in lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar and fresh herbs, I prepared the salad. Â Instead of plating everyone’s portion separately, I decided to plate it from one big platter.
Starting with romaine lettuce, then avocados, cucumber, red onion and tomatoes.
Tip:  Always let your grilled meat sit on the counter for at least 5-10 minutes to allow the internal juices to set which keeps the chicken moist. Slice the chicken and arrange on top of the salad platter. Drizzle remaining dressing over the top.
I served it with a bottle of Pedernales GSM 2014 from Pedernales Cellars that I picked up in Fredericksburg during a wine trip I took last fall. Â This Rhone-style blend incorporates Syrah, Mourvedre, and Grenache from their estate Hill Country vineyard and partner vineyards in Texas. Described as a “medium-bodied blend brings together the diverse character of these three varieties into a fantastic balance that delivers aromas of raspberry, fennel, mushroom, and molasses. This is a rich red wine with significant oak and a soft finish.” Â It really is one of my favorite wines to sip in the evening.
So if you were wondering what to make for dinner, this salad and wine along with a good crusty warm french bread would be the perfect way to celebrate spring.
Be sure to follow my Pinterest salad board. Â I have over 150 recipes for fresh salad inspiration.
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.