Kick up your chicken with this delicious, nutritious Grilled Chicken with Peach Cucumber Salsa recipe, the perfect recipe for slowing down and enjoying dinner after a long day!
My summer wish is but a small one: I wish that peach season would never end. Every week I look forward to heading to the farmer's market and stocking up on peaches and all the other amazing stone fruit that you can buy right now.
My favorite farmers market has a cherum that is a combination of cherries and plums - don't get me started on how good it is. But no matter how many millions of varieties of plums and pluots there are, because there seem to be new ones all the time, I always go back to the peach and these days, I find myself eating at least one a day.
So it's no surprise, then, that this past week I decided that I needed to incorporate some peaches into dinner time in addition to having them as my daily snack. Since I make a lot of fruit salsas, that seemed like the most perfect place to put the peach. For this version, I went with a peach and cucumber salsa. And I'm so glad I did! The crunchy cucumber pairs great with the luscious peach and the lime juice adds some brightness.
Then, I just made a simple grilled chicken coated in olive oil, honey, soy sauce, and cumin — the honey helps create those dark grill marks — and there you have yourself one delicious meal! If you like things spicy, it's easy to kick up the salsa with a few diced jalapenos or red pepper flakes.
How Do You Make Peach Cucumber Salsa?
Fruit salsas, like many tomato-based salsas, are really quite simple to make. I dice my peached up into smallish pieces and then the same for my cucumbers. I like to use Persian cucumbers because their skin is thinner so you don't have to remove it before cutting. Plus, Persian cucumbers are less seedy than their regular counterpart.
Dice those red onions and combine all the fruit and veggies together in a bowl. To that, add the lime juice, rice vinegar, and olive oil plus a little salt and pepper to taste. Give it all a good stir to incorporate. Taste as you go and season with more salt and pepper if needed. If you like you can toss in some fresh cilantro, basil, or parsley as well.
I like to let salsas sit in the fridge and come together for 30 minutes to an hour but that's just an option. You can make and serve right away as well if you are short on time.
What's the Best Way to Grill Chicken?
Grilled chicken can be a tricky thing. Try to turn it before it's ready and you'll leave half the meat on the grill grates. Believe me, I've been there. I used to flip and flip and flip waiting for it to be done, only to totally destroy the pieces of meat. I refused to believe they needed to cook that long on one side. But, I finally learned to be patient, after one too many grilling disasters.
Now when I grill chicken, I leave the first side down over a medium hot grill for 3-5 minutes per side, depending on how big your pieces of chicken are. If you use a bone-in variety, those will take longer to cook as well.
The way to know if it's time to flip is to use tongs to peek at the underside of the chicken and see if grill marks are starting to appear. It will also lift off the grill easily (no pulling or ripping required) when it's ready to turn. Then, cook the second side another three to five minutes until that side shows grill marks as well.
Recipe Ideas for Grilled Chicken with Peach Salsa
The great thing about this dish is the number of ways you can tweak it to your own tastes.
- Swap boneless, skinless chicken breasts for bone-in chicken or chicken thighs.
- No chicken? No problem. Peach salsa also goes terrifically with grilled pork chops or pork tenderloin.
- No peaches? Try substituting nectarines or plums. If you're feeling rather fruity, try mixing all three fruits for a summer fruit dream salsa.
- Instead of cucumbers with the peaches, try thinly sliced zucchini and let the juices marinade a bit so the zucchini can break down. So good.
- Try orange juice instead of lime juice if you want a little bit of an orange flavor to the salsa.
- Feel free to spice your grilled chicken however you like. I have found that in addition the sauce listed here, Hawaiian Chicken rubs and sauces also go great with fruit salsas.
- Kebab up the chicken rather than grilling it whole, alternating it with some summer veggies like squash, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, and mushrooms. The salsa will be just as good over grilled veggies too!
Is It Healthy to Eat Grilled Chicken?
Eating grilled chicken is super healthy. Chicken is one of the leaner animal protein sources you can consume. It's high in protein and low in calories and fat, making it a great meat to eat if you are watching what you eat. Protein will also fill you up, and keep you from wanting that snack one hour after you eat a meal.
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