Gallo Grilling #SundaySupper...Featuring Grilled Chicken with Blueberry-Merlot Sauce

This week, #SundaySupper is teaming with our good friends at Gallo Family Vineyards to share our best Summer grilling recipes that can either be paired with or include their delicious Merlot or Sweet White Blend wines. I love to grill lean, healthy chicken breast during the warmer months, so that was my starting point for today’s dish. My Grilled Chicken with Blueberry-Merlot Sauce may sound a bit unusual, but I promise that it’s one winning flavor combination. I recently found a recipe for Blueberry-Balsamic Chicken that caught my eye, so I used that as the inspiration for my flavorful blueberry-merlot sauce today. This savory-sweet sauce contains fresh in-season blueberries, Gallo Merlot, a bit of balsamic, shallot, and a few select herbs and spices. The sauce is made ahead and both brushed on and poured over grilled boneless chicken breasts. Feel free to fire up your charcoal or gas grill if you like, but this recipe also works great using a cast-iron grill pan for indoor cooking.

Grilled Chicken with Blueberry-Merlot Sauce

Sauce inspired by Food and Wine

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (approx 2.5 lbs.)
• 1 cup Italian salad dressing of your choice
• 1 tbs. olive oil

For the sauce:

• 1.5 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup Gallo Merlot
• 1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbs. honey
• 1 tbs. rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, finely minced
• 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp. chile paste
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Step 1: Add the chicken breast and Italian dressing to a large bowl. Toss to combine and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, but up to overnight is fine.

Step 2: Make the sauce by adding the blueberries, Gallo Merlot, balsamic, honey, rosemary, shallot, ginger, and chile paste to a medium saucepan. Give the sauce ingredients a stir to combine, then place the heat on med-high. Once the sauce 

begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, until the berries begin to pop and the sauce thickens. Cool to room temperature, and add salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.

Step 3: Grill the marinated chicken breasts on an outdoor grill or indoor cast iron grill pan. [NOTE: If using a grill pan, brush the pan with olive oil and preheat on med-high for 5 minutes to ensure the best sear.] As the chicken grills, brush some of the blueberry-Merlot sauce on top. Arrange the cooked chicken on a serving platter and pour the remaining sauce on top before serving.

Wowza...this flavorful chicken is a great take on traditional grilled chicken! Even the pickiest eaters in my family gave the savory-sweet blueberry-Merlot sauce a big thumbs up. The sauce is a little sweet from the blueberries and honey, and it has a slight kick from the ginger and chile sauce. The Merlot and rosemary provide an earthy depth of flavor. I served my chicken with sweet in-season corn and a pasta salad. What a keeper! I can’t wait to make this again while blueberries are in season and inexpensive. 

Make sure to go visit Gallo to learn more about their wine and how well it pairs with BBQ, as well as some great grilling recipes. e you’re at it, make sure to check out Gallo's convenient Store Locator and print a coupon for $1 off a bottle of Gallo wine! To learn more about Gallo wines and find out why #SundaySupper is such great fans of their products, be sure to visit Gallo’s social media sites:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GalloFamilyVineyards
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/GalloFamily
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/gallofamily
• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/gallofamilyvineyards

While you're at it, go check out all of the other great wine-inspired grilling dishes that my fellow #SundaySupper contributors are sharing today. We've got everything from appetizers to desserts, and all of them feature Gallo Merlot or Sweet White Blend wines as an ingredient or a pairing.
Appetizers:

• Grilled Brie with Tropical Fruit Compote by girlichef
• Grilled Ribeye with Mushroom Merlot Sauce by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Grilled Shrimp Skewers with a Sweet White Blend Marinade by Country Girl in the Village
• Merlot Marinated Flank Steak with Spicy Chimichurri by Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
• Pimento Cheese Stuffed Merlot Burger by Yours And Mine Are Ours
• Shish Kabobs in Red Wine Rosemary Marinade by The Dinner-Mom
• Grilled Apple Crisp by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone by Desserts Required
• Vanilla Ice Cream with Grilled Peaches by Hip Foodie Mom

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter tonight! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST/600 CST. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Gallo Family Vineyards via Sunday Supper, LLC. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Gallo Family Vineyards.

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