Ooh, man—it's just not summer without some good summer fruit, right?
Now how on earth could I ever give you that delicious pasta salad recipe and not also give you the most delicious main meal to go with it? It's grilling season, and your favorite kitchen witch here just so happened to get an old grill from her parents that they didn't want anymore, and she's been thrilled to finally use. And use it we did this week!
It was a bit of a battle, I won't lie. An old grill with rusty grates and flame guards meant I had to get some new parts—and then the grates I got didn't quite fit. We made it work (barely) so I'm not planning on buying new ones, but it was a bit of a battle. That's the glory of second hand things, though: making it work! In the end, my parents saved me a hell of a lot of money on having to get an entirely new grill and propane tank. What would've easily been 380 dollars (for grill, pickup truck rental, and propane tank/fill) became a neat $120 instead! Pretty damn good! Very grateful to my parents for letting me take the grill! ♥
So, what is this dish? Simply, it's some delicious marinated chicken thighs with skewers of fresh fruit and vegetable laid alongside them. While I only had boneless skinless chicken thighs today, I can guarantee that using big bone-in pieces will only be even better: nice skin, thick pieces of meat, a bone to hold it by. Lovely. But boneless skinless thighs still worked great, too!
And magically, we're looking at a new friend today: tarragon. Tarragon apparently goes really well with peaches if any of these recipes I've been seeing have anything to say about it, and when we combine it with other ingredients, namely peaches, onion, lemon, and honey, we have a perfect recipe for a magical self-image reset. After all, not all love spells have to be done on others; self love spells are just as important!
So let's take a look.
Magic in Grilled Peach Tarragon Chicken
So many fruits we adore in summer are all about love and friendship, you know? Lemons, strawberries, raspberries, peaches, they're all amazing for a burst of upbeat, bubbly vibes to share with your lovers and friends or just enjoy by yourself. And honey? Come on, now; anyone can look at honey and see that it's basically liquid sunshine. Whether you're looking to attract wealth, sweet relationships, or just a sunny disposition, it's perfect for that and so versatile! And while you're inviting in the good, getting rid of the bad with tarragon and onion (and some spicy pepper if you so choose) just seals the deal. Fun fact: apparently tarragon (artemisia dracunculus) is also associated with dragons because of its snake-looking roots. Wild.
In this meal, we have the planetary associations of Mars, Venus, and a little touch of the Sun paired alongside the elements of fire and water, bringing us once again that lovely balance between powerful, fiery, confident drive and delicate, vulnerable, intuitive emotion. Sure, we can have our feelings—and we can protect them, too! Sure, we can love ourselves—and we can drive off anything that would try to stop that just as much! Balance is necessary in any operation, and this meal is a beautiful clean slate plate for your self image and self esteem.
Summer Pasta Salad
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Makes 2-3 servings
Ingredients:
For Chicken:
2lbs bone-in, skin on chicken thighs (or 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thigh, fat trimmed)
3-4 peaches, peeled and pitted
1/2 a big onion, cubed
1/4 cup fresh tarragon, de-stemmed
1 lemon's worth of zest & juice*
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup mustard (Dijon or whole seed)
Salt & pepper
(Optional) 1/4 tsp dried spicy pepper (carolina reaper, chipotle, etc.)
For Veggie Skewers with Glaze:
2 peaches, pitted & chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 bell pepper, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/2 an onion, chopped into chunks
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
Salt & pepper
*I actually used lemon thyme and lemon juice since I had no fresh lemon on hand, but that's a bit harder to find! A normal lemon works all the same.
Directions:
Place your chicken in a plastic bag for marinade.
Peel, chop, & de-stem all your ingredients, then add to a blender.
Add liquids, then blend until smooth.
Pour into the bag with the chicken until everything is fully covered and let marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours, up to 10.
Take chicken out half an hour before you intend to grill and let them drain on a wire rack. Save your marinade sauce for brushing while you grill.
Chop your peaches, peppers, and onions, and layer them onto grill safe skewers.
Mix your balsamic glaze and take everything to the grill, preheated to 400 degrees.
Baste skewers with glaze, then lay on either side of your chicken.
Cook your chicken, basting both veggies and chicken occasionally (with balsamic glaze on veggies, marinade on chicken).
Flip chicken after 3-5 minutes.
Remove veggies after they develop a little char and caramelization, and remove the chicken when the thickest parts hit minimum 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Serve with a side of that pasta salad from last week!
The way I was on cloud nine eating this! It was a beautiful late spring night, cool and sunny and with not too many bugs around, and the chicken was juicy, the vegetables cooked and sweetened by fire yet still just crunchy enough! I'd forgotten how good grilled chicken can be, and this definitely reminded me, so try it out in your own barbeques this summer!
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Sara Raztresen is a Slovene-American writer, screenwriter, and Christian witch. Her fantasy works draw heavily on the wisdom she gathers from her own personal and spiritual experience, and her spiritual practice borrows much of the whimsy and wonder that modern society has relegated to fairy-and-folktale. Her goal is to help people regain their spiritual footing and discover God through a new (yet old) lens of mysticism.
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