Purple chicken!?!

Yeah... Purple chicken! It makes a great show for dinner and pairs well with a nice kale salad, or some other kind of healthy stuff. Now I know you're asking, "Why the hell is it PURPLE!?!" and I'll tell ya! Just wait!

But not too long, it's wine... Red wine. A marinade of sorts. I made it a few nights ago... But it sure looks awesome!!! I made the marinade out of wine I opened a few weeks ago, can't drink it, might as well cook with it! And I know the worries, people say use wine to cook a few days after opening, but weeks are fine to. Now I highly recommend against drinking said wine, unless you are wanting a horrible tasting ipecac type liquid to painfully slide down your throat. Always remember, the taste of wine changes after cooking, it gets sweeter, more mild, more delicate.

I chose a few things that seemed to pair well. At least they smelled good. I don't measure so I can't tell you exactly how much I added but this isn't baking, use your judgment.  It's easy too, I just threw it all in a large Tupperware container, put a lid on it and put it in the fridge. With homemade marinades, I have learned it is best to make them and let them rest for a day or so to allow time for all the flavored to fully marry. And being in the plastic container you can easily mix with a few shakes!

When its been a day or two, two max, pull the marinade and meat out in the am. I recommend chicken but this 'nade works with steak too. Place the meat in a large plastic zipper bag and pour the 'nade over the top. I also like to add an onion for flavor, I use yellow onions. Add this the day of so its not too pungent! Place the bag in the fridge for 4-8 hours, or until you can't wait any longer and you're ready to cook. The longer the meat rests the better the shade of purple it turns! 

Once the meat has time to rest in the marinade; preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat the bottom of a baking dish with extra virgin olive oil and place the chicken in the dish. Place the chicken in the oven and cook for 30-45 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, lets work on our side dish! This meal pairs well with any vegetable, like most things, but I'm going to make a light kale salad with it. I enjoy making kale salads because it's not a typical salad. I buy my kale frozen because kale is bitter unless cooked and frozen is cheeper. Place the frozen kale in a medium sauté pan over medium high heat. cover and let steam and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Once the kale has fully cooked down I like to drizzle a little balsamic vinaigrette over the top. I am using a pomegranate flavored balsamic vinaigrette, but any will do.

Now, back to the chicken, you won't be able to do a standard check to see if the chicken is done because the juices will always run purple. So, after 30 minutes, cut a small sliver in the middle of the thickest piece and pull open enough to see in. If it looks smooth and rubbery, place it back in the oven. If it looks like done chicken should look then "HOORAH!" it's time to plate!!!

Plating this is pretty fun! Take the chicken out of the baking dish and place it onto a cutting board. Slice the chicken into thin pieces and allow the juices to settle before placing on the plate. While the juices settle in the chicken, place a serving of kale directly in the middle of the plate. After letting the chicken rest for a minute or two, place the chicken slices around the kale center piece. This will show off the purple color of the chicken with a nice dark green background.

Pair with your favorite white wine and enjoy!

What you need

2-3 Chicken breasts [depending on how many people you're serving]

Day to week old red wine [hopefully you enjoyed at least one glass of it]

Garlic paste

Lemon juice

Salt

Yellow Onion

Frozen kale

Balsamic vinaigrette [flavored or not, your choice]