The mission: find a spice rub that would be flavorful enough, but not overpowering, for chicken. Like a lot of other people, salads are my go-to lunch since they’re so easy and versatile. To make my salads more filling and satisfying, I always try to have some chicken on hand. However, plain grilled chicken gets boring preeettyyyy quickly. But it’s a bit of catch-22. If the chicken’s too strong in a certain flavor, it dominates all other flavors in the salad and it doesn’t mix with different toppings and dressings.
Result: Success. This recipe strikes a perfect balance between flavor and versatility.
Dry Rub
Adapted from Martha Stewart
The quantities here will probably make more than you need for one batch of chicken, as they are enough for 2 to 3 pounds of chicken. However, even if you’re not making that much chicken, I recommend making the full recipe so you have extra on hand. Store the spices in a baggie so next time you can just skip this step.
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon coconut crystals (or brown sugar)
Chicken
- juice from 2 lemons (about 6 tablespoons worth)
- 2 pound chicken breast, trimmed of fat
Preheat oven to 400. Place chicken in a glass baking dish. Squeeze lemons over the chicken, and then add the dry rub. Use your hands to coat the dry rub evenly on the chicken. Move the chicken to one side of the dish and spray or rub the dish lightly with oil to prevent sticking. Then spread out the chicken and put the dish in the oven until the chicken is fully cooked and the center is white, about 45 minutes. Serve or let cool before putting it in the fridge.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.