Grilled Chicken Thigh and Cucumber Salad

By vealam

Ingredients

• 6 skin-on, boneless chicken thighs (2 pounds), pounded 1/2 inch thick
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 small Fresno or red jalapeño chile, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped mint, plus whole leaves for garnish
• 3 tablespoons chopped roasted unsalted almonds

Details

Servings 4
Cooking time 30mins
Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

Light a grill. Rub the chicken thighs with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the chicken skin side down on the grill and top with a sheet of foil and a weighted heavy baking sheet. Grill the chicken over moderate heat until the skin is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken skin side up, top with the foil and weighted baking sheet and grill for 3 minutes longer. Remove the baking sheet. Turn the chicken skin side down once more and grill until the skin is crispy and the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to plates.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the vinegar with the shallot and garlic and gradually whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup 
of olive oil until well blended. Add the cucumber, onion, chile and chopped mint and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

Slice the chicken; toss with the cucumber salad. Garnish with the nuts and mint leaves.

SUGGESTED PAIRING
Pair this grilled chicken dish with a juicy, ripe apple-scented Spanish white.