Ingredients
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6 tablespoons extra-virgin Olive Oil
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2 teaspoons Honey
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1½ teaspoon smoked Paprika
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1 teaspoon ground Cumin
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Salt
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4 (6-to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless Chicken
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¼ cup Lemon Juice
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2 (15-ounce) cans Chickpeas
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½ Red Onion
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¼ cup torn fresh Mint
Directions
For an updated version of a quick and easy seared chicken breast dinner we turned to the flavors of the Mediterranean, pairing boneless, skinless chicken breasts with a flavorful and easy-to-prepare chickpea salad. A robust dressing of fruity extra-virgin olive oil, tangy lemon juice, and floral honey enhanced with smoked paprika and cumin was the perfect complement to the slightly nutty chickpeas and did double duty a reserved amount made an excellent marinade for our chicken. A quick stovetop sear produced golden brown, juicy chicken that we served whole atop our salad. We found that soaking and cooking the chickpeas from scratch was unnecessary and overly time-consuming, so we opted for canned chickpeas to simplify the dish. Adding thinly sliced red onion to the salad provided a subtle heat and nice crunch. Finally, a sprinkle of freshly torn mint leaves lent a bright, herbal finish and pop of green color to this quick, flavor-packed dish.
Steps
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1
Done
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Whisk 5 tablespoons oil, honey, paprika, cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Transfer 2 tablespoons oil mixture into large bowl, add chicken, and toss to coat; let sit for at least 20 minutes. Whisk lemon juice into remaining oil mixture in bowl, then stir in chickpeas and onion. |
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2
Done
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Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and cook until golden and registers 160 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to carving board, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. |
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3
Done
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Stir mint into chickpea mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chicken. |
