Kitchen Report

Peach glazed grilled chicken breasts with grilled peaches on the side makes for a delicious summery meal.

A perfectly ripe peach is one of summertime’s purest joys. Unfortunately, the window for peaches that have ripened on the tree lasts only a few days and shipping them would require the kind packaging required for fine glassware. So unless you pick your own at a peach farm one must make do with the under ripe peaches in the supermarket. Aside from ripening them at home in a paper bag for a few days, those too hard peaches are actually perfect for the grill. They will hold their shape and the heat will soften them to perfection.

One tip: Because the firm flesh will still cling to the pit use a large cleaver to split the peaches apart through the pit. A small paring knife can help to free the split pits from the halves.

I found this recipe for peach glazed grilled chicken breasts from Bobby Flay. The recipe was easy to reduce to four servings. Green beans and toasted almonds, brown rice, and a slice of crusty bread complemented the summer flavors. Make sure to find skin-on chicken breasts, it will help to retain flavor and prevent the meat from drying out during grilling.

Grilled chicken and peaches
Serves 4

4 skin-on chicken breasts
2 to 4 ripe peaches, sliced in half, pits removed

For the glaze:
1 cup peach preserves or jam
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 small jalapeno, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. For the glaze, combine the peach preserves, olive oil, soy sauce, mustard, garlic and jalapeno in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside 1/4 cup.

2. Preheat the grill. Brush the chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken skin-side down and cook until golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Turn over and continue cooking for 5 to 6 minutes. Brush the tops the peach glaze and turn over, glaze the bottom while cooking the tops. After a few minutes, turn the breasts and cook the bottom until done or until internal temperatures reaches 165 degrees. F.

3. Once you brush the chicken with the glaze, place the peach halves cut side down on the grill and grill for 2 minutes. Turn over, brush with the reserved 1/4 cup of peach glaze and grill until the peaches are soft, 3 to 4 more minutes.