Grilled Cumin Chicken with Fresh Tomatillo Sauce

About, oh, four years ago The Spouse and I spent a lovely weekend up north at the lake, just the two of us. We grilled out quite a bit and I had made a recipe for a homemade tomatillo salsa that rocked the casbah.

Strangely, though, I haven't made it since. Not sure why, except maybe that finding tomatillos here that don't look awful is difficult (why they had them in Bumble-F, Nowhere I don't know. mysteries of the universe). Hence the reason we're growing our own.

Then I spotted this recipe while menu planning and shot it over to The Spouse with a "Whaddaya think?" To which he responded "::thumbs up::".

Per usual, lots of changes. Namely, I didn't follow their instructions for the tomatillo sauce at all but substituted the uber-deliciously-goodness of the other recipe. They're really not that dissimilar but I liked the idea of roasting the tomatillos on the grill instead of in the oven. I mean, if I've got the grill going already for the chicken, why on earth would I bother turning the oven on??

I also added some fresh lime juice to the cumin/olive oil mix that the chicken breasts sit in.

Grilled Cumin Chicken with Fresh Tomatillo Sauce

2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

salsa
1 onion, cut into 1/4" thick rings
1 lb tomatillos, stems and husks removed
1 large jalapeno, stem removed, cut in half
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 tsp lime juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal and let stand for 15 minutes.

Pre-heat grill. Add the onion, tomatillos and jalapeno to the grill. Grill over direct heat, turning once halfway, for about 6-8 minutes. Add grilled vegetables and remaining salsa ingredients to a blender or food processor and pulse until desired consistency is reached.

Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 tsp salt. Place on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Serve with tomatillo sauce.