Cedar Planked Chicken with Blueberry Corn Salsa

Under the category "Opposites Attract," I borrowed an idea from Chef Anna Olson to combine blueberries and corn to make a salsa. Anna has a recipe for a blueberry and corn salad on the Food Network Canada website that I really like and even though, on first glance, blueberries and corn seem like an odd combination, sometimes the most unlikely pairings make the most delicious dishes.

And this was certainly the case with today's recipe.

   

















I marinated boneless, skinless, chicken breasts for several hours in an orange infused brine and then grilled it on cedar planks that I soaked in beer - which, in my humble opinion, is the only way to grill boneless, skinless chicken. The finished product is so moist and tender you won't believe it!

But the crowning glory was the salsa and I am here to tell you, blueberries and corn are THE BOMB DIGGITY with each other! Especially when they mingle with the orange flavours in the marinade. Add a little cilantro, avocado, and other fresh ingredients and you've got a recipe that isn't just super delicious, it's also super healthy.

Let me know if you try this one because it really is SDG (So. Damn. Good.) and then come along with me and my team from work on a road trip to Alert Bay on Vancouver Island - like the blueberry corn salsa, we're a bit of an unlikely group, but when we come together, it's magic!




Cedar Planked Chicken with Corn and Blueberry Salsa
Visit the printable recipe here: Cedar Planked Chicken with Corn and Blueberry Salsa

Marinade Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 tbsp white wine or rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1/4 tsp chili pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp orange zest
• 1 orange, sliced with skin on
• 1 handful fresh cilantro

Salsa Ingredients

• 2 ears fresh corn
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 diced, ripe avocado
• 1 handful chopped cilantro
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp unsweetened orange juice
• 1 tbsp white wine or rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp each: brown sugar, Dijon mustard, soy sauce

For the cedar plank

• 2 cedar planks
• water, wine, or beer

Directions

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together and then pour over the chicken breasts in a resealable plastic bag. Let marinate 6-8 hours or overnight. 
2. Soak the cedar planks in water, beer, wine, orange juice or a combination of flavours for at least 4 hours prior to grilling. 
3. Place the chicken breasts onto the cedar planks and place onto a grill heated to medium, close the lid, and grill for 40-60 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165.
4. While the chicken is grilling, cut the corn from your cobs and saute in a non`stick pan lightly sprayed with extra virgin olive oil. Saute over medium high for app 7 minutes until the corn is bright yellow and cooked through. 
5. In a large bowl add the hot corn to the blueberries and mix well. Add the cilantro, oil, vinegar, orange juice, mustard, brown sugar, soy sauce and toss. Add the avocado right before serving. 
6. When the chicken is cooked, let rest five minutes, slice, and serve with the salsa on top. 

 Author:

Lyndsay Wells is a professional trainer, writer, and program developer with a passion for food and cooking. She is an award winning recipe developer, a former website ambassador for Kraft Foods Canada, the $20,000.00 winner of the online competition "The Real Women of Philadelphia" and a finalist on the Food Network Canada show Recipe to Riches. Lyndsay believes cooking should be approachable and easy and has great tips and ideas for putting together sophisticated looking dishes that cooks of all levels can accomplish.