At the risk of sounding like a lush (stop giggling – I’m not, I promise!), I don’t often find a red wine that I dislike. Beverage wines (like sangria & lambrusco) aside, red wine has surprisingly few carbs, so I can enjoy a glass or two without blowing my diet. That said, I bought a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon a couple of weeks ago, and I was disappointed by the twangy taste. In the interest of science, I tried a second glass, but it was no better. 😉

What a conundrum – a little over half a bottle of wine left, yet I didn’t want it. I left it in the fridge for no reason other than it seemed wasteful to pour it out.

This afternoon, I was contemplating what to fix for dinner, and I remembered the wine. I recalled that beer and wine could be used in marinades, so I decided to give it a try. I put four large chicken breasts in a baking dish and poured the wine over the chicken. I flipped each piece over to be sure the meat was coated. Then, I added a generous sprinkle of dried, minced garlic (probably 1/4 c. total) and paprika (probably 2 Tbsp total) to both sides. I put plastic wrap over the dish and let it sit for a few hours. Then, I baked it at 375 for 45 min, flipping the chicken at about the halfway point to ensure coating.

The kitchen smelled like garlic bread, which was fabulous, and the chicken turned purple, which the boys thought was way cool. Of course, the alcohol cooks out with that amount of heat and time, so I wasn’t too concerned about it. (I didn’t tell them that I marinated the chicken in wine, and they didn’t ask.) Once they smelled the garlic, they knew that they would like it.

I was stunned. It was amazing! The chicken was very moist and tender. I served it with corn on the cob that I had boiled with seasoned salt, and for dessert, they had apple dippers (just sliced apples with caramel sauce). It was a big hit! Since I don’t eat corn on my diet (there are lower-carb veggie options that I would prefer), I ate my chicken with some fresh avocado slices sprinkled with pepper. Yummy goodness.

Although I won’t be buying that brand of Cabernet Sauvignon again, at least now I have a great way to use any leftover wine!