Summer Grilled Chicken With Peach-Blackberry Salsa recipe

Why It's Good:

No such thing as a barbeque without grilled chicken. This recipe complements the savory flavor of local chicken lightly grilled with the intense juiciness of in-season, ripe peaches and blackberries. Adults will marvel while children will forgo the junk to dig in.

Why It's Green:

Take a moment to befriend your local chicken producer at your green market, and learn how free-ranging birds enjoy their own healthy diets, fresh air and exercise, which (sorry to say) translates into flavor way beyond the tasteless, rubbery grocery-store slabs.

Summer Grilled Chicken With Peach-Blackberry Salsa recipe

The trick to grilling chicken and keeping it juicy and delicious, is to gently poach the chicken before marinating it. This will insure that the chicken will be cooked through and seared to perfection. You can use most any of your favorite herbs for the recipe. It's hard to mess it up.—Susie Quick

Serves 8

Peach-Blackberry Salsa (recipe follows)
Kosher salt
4 large bay leaves
2 (4-pound) local or free range chickens, cut up

  Marinade:

6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano, marjoram, or rosemary
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or more to taste)

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil (or 2 pots, large enough to hold all the chicken). Add 2 teaspoons of salt to each along with the bay leaves. Place the chicken pieces in the water and partially cover. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow chicken to stand before draining.

2. Transfer chicken to a large bowl. Whisk together the marinade ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 hours, or overnight.

3. Preheat your grill to medium heat – or until the coals are lightly covered with ash. Cook the chicken skin side up for 15 minutes, with the lid closed. Turn and cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the juices run clear when a thigh is pricked with a knife (temperature on an instant-read thermometer should be 180°F).

  Peach-Blackberry Salsa:

Sometimes the acid in salsa can lesson the heat of your peppers. Add a pinch or two of cayenne if you want a spicier salsa. Leftover salsa will stay fresh in a sealed jar in the fridge for about 5 days.

Makes about 6 cups salsa

4 cups peeled and chopped local or organic peaches (about 2 pounds)
2 cups blackberries, lightly crushed large fresh tomatoes
1 cup finely chopped red onion
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon liquid honey
2 teaspoons finely minced garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

Toss salsa ingredients together in a medium bowl. Adjust lime juice and salt to suit your taste.