Cumin Spiced Grilled Chicken
This is a great dish to make for a busy weekday dinner. The chicken grills up quickly and is infused with the sultry spice notes of the Middle East. The important thing here is to marinate the chicken breasts the night before, so all the spices have time to penetrate. What you’ll get are tender chunks of chicken perfumed with the most irresistible heady aromas, ready to help melt away the stress of the day.
What you’ll need (serves 2):
- 2 chicken breasts (I like the S*Pure brand sold at Wellcome / Oliver’s)
- 1 tbls of honey
- 1 tbls of olive oil
- 1 tbls of white wine
- 3 tsp of cumin
- 1/4 tsp of crushed chili
- 1 tbls of minced garlic
- juice from half a lemon
- salt & pepper
The night before:
Pound chicken breasts with a meat hammer between 2 pieces of cling wrap to even out so that the thickness is around 1cm throughout.
Mix honey, olive oil, white wine, cumin, crushed chili, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl to make a marinade.
Place chicken in a plastic zipper bag and pour marinade over top. Close the bag and swish the chicken around so that the sauce coats evenly.
Leave in fridge overnight.
The next day:
Take the chicken out of the fridge to bring it down to room temperature (around 15 minutes). When grilling meat, always bring it down to room temperature first so that the meat cooks evenly throughout (or else you could end up with a colder center and a charred surface).
Heat griddle pan on medium high heat. Make sure the griddle is very hot before adding the chicken – this way your chicken won’t stick and you’ll get beautiful grill marks.
Grill chicken around 3 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear. This is a great protein to serve with a side salad, quinoa or couscous.
Bon Appetit!
