Marinated chicken & papaya salad

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     I love working with a variety of proteins, especially when they’re incorporated into meals like fresh summer salads. It’s always intimidating though, because it’s difficult to learn how to consistently cook a cut of meat to perfection. One I’ve recently figured out relatively well is grilled chicken—and it’s thankfully not too hard to get a hang of.

     The two main aspects of the process I focused on were pounding out the chicken and marinating the chicken. If you get these two things right, then everything tends to fall together. Pounding out the chicken makes sure you’ll be able to cook it evenly and swiftly, while marinating the chicken enriches its flavor and retains its irresistibly juicy texture. For my marinade I combined lemon juice, garlic, and herbs, which really helps the chicken blend well with the salad’s components. Among these are mixed greens, hydrating cumbers, creamy avocados, and sweet papaya. All these elements together really make for summer salad bliss.

     When experimenting with this recipe, I found La Crema’s 2016 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay to be virtually the perfect—it has its own bold personality while excellently complimenting the salad’s sweet and savory fusion. It begins with notes of apple and citrus, working into melon and papaya laced with spices, finishing with a light oakiness and crisp acidity. It’s so good. So if you find yourself frequenting the grill this summer, then head over to La Crema's blog and enjoy this salad with cold glass of California chardonnay!

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