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Bon Appétit

Grilled Chicken Breasts With Tadka-ish Sauce

5.0

(15)

Grilled chicken breasts on a plate sliced and topped with a charred scallion relish.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk

Skin-on, boneless breasts are ideal for grilling since they cook faster, are easier to carve than bone-in, and the skin protects the delicate cut from the heat. (You can find them at any supermarket with a butcher counter—just ask! Or in a pinch, you can use skin-on, bone-in breasts and add 10 minutes to the indirect grilling time.) To cook, treat the grill like an oven, keeping the heat low and closing the lid. Even if you cook the chicken a touch too long, that skin is moisture insurance! After it has cooled, slice and dress the chicken in a nigella-spiked sauce. —Rachel Gurjar

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What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 - 6 Servings

Ingredients

Dressing

Zest and juice of ½ lemon

1

garlic clove, finely grated

½

cup buttermilk

1

Tbsp. mayonnaise

1½

tsp. pure maple syrup

½

tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Kosher salt

Chicken

2½

lb. skin-on, boneless chicken breasts (about 5)

1

tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more

2

Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

⅓

cup vegetable oil

1

Tbsp. nigella seeds or cumin seeds

5

scallions, thinly sliced

Juice of 1 lemon

1

Tbsp. pure maple syrup

½

tsp. cayenne pepper

1

head of Little Gem or romaine lettuce, leaves separated, torn into large pieces

5

oz. peppery greens (such as radicchio, arugula, or watercress)

Preparation

  1. Dressing

    Step 1

    Whisk lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, buttermilk, mayonnaise, maple syrup, and pepper in a small bowl until mostly smooth and combined. Season buttermilk dressing with salt.

    Do ahead: Dressing can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

  2. chicken

    Step 2

    Prepare a grill for medium indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off). Place chicken breasts on a plate. Season all over with salt, then drizzle olive oil over both sides.

    Step 3

    Arrange chicken breasts, skin side up, over indirect heat, cover, and grill until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a breast registers 160°, 10–12 minutes (bone-in breasts will take closer to 20 minutes).

    Step 4

    Turn chicken breasts skin side down and move over direct heat. Grill until skin is golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer chicken breasts to a plate and arrange skin side up. Let rest at least 5 minutes.

    Step 5

    Heat vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium-high. Once oil is shimmering, add nigella seeds and cook until fragrant and oil around seeds starts to sputter, about 1 minute. Add scallions, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Immediately pour mixture into a medium bowl and let cool 5 minutes.

    Step 6

    Whisk lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne, and remaining 1 tsp. salt into nigella seed tadka.

    Step 7

    Toss lettuce and greens in a large bowl to combine. Drizzle reserved buttermilk dressing over; toss to coat.

    Step 8

    Slice chicken breasts on a diagonal ½" thick. Arrange over salad and spoon nigella seed tadka over.

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Reviews (15)

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  • To Anonymous in Vancouver, the photo is of the recipe as written - the red vegetable is radicchio, not red cabbage, and the green onions are the translucent rings on top.

    • Liz

    • Canada

    • 6/10/2024

  • This recipe is divine! Made it as written but subbed cumin seeds and celery seeds for the Tbsp of Nigella. Will have to keep my eyes open for them. Very filling, healthy, and delicious!

    • Michelle T

    • Canada

    • 7/24/2022

  • Since retiring, I've been cooking more and more. Wondering why the picture of this meal is not a reflection of what you listed as ingredients....no scallions in picture (that I can see) but looks like yellow onion..and purple cabbage ......not complaining, but I;'m still at a point where I take the ingredients / pictures literally

    • Anonymous

    • Vancouver, BC

    • 5/8/2022

  • Such a lovely summer salad! I don’t each meat so I replaced with halloumi and was very tasty! Will definitely be making again!!

    • Anonymous

    • London, England

    • 7/20/2021

  • So good!! Was looking for a fun summer salad recipe and this exceeded expectations. So much more than the sum of its parts. I’ve never had tadka before but it’s going to become a staple in our house! Used cumin seed as that’s what I had on hand and the flavors were incredible. Will definitely make again!

    • Danielle

    • Chicago

    • 7/15/2021