Grilled Chicken Breasts With Spicy Cucumbers

By Melissa Clark

Updated August 21, 2022

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
45 minutes, plus marinating
Rating
4(712)
Comments
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Light and refreshing, yet packed with flavor from herbs, jalapeños and garlic, this is an easy, after-work meal that can be endlessly adapted to suit what you’ve got on hand. Substitute other thinly sliced raw vegetables for the cucumbers (zucchini, carrot, radishes, celery, cabbage, fennel), and other herbs for the cilantro and parsley (dill, basil, mint). Just be sure not to overcook the flattened chicken, which can happen in an instant.

Featured in: A Quick, Satisfying Fix for Weeknight Chicken

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

FOR THE CHICKEN

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)

  • 1 ¼ teaspoons fine sea salt

  • 1 teaspoon black pepper, more as needed

  • ½ teaspoon smoked sweet paprika

  • Finely grated zest of 1 lime

  • 2 garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling

FOR THE SAUCE

  • ⅓ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves

  • ⅓ cup packed fresh parsley leaves

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 to 3 jalapeños, seeded and chopped

  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced

  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, more to taste

  • 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice, more to taste

  • 3 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced (about 2 ¼ cups)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

7 grams carbs; 145 milligrams cholesterol; 415 calories; 14 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 22 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 744 milligrams sodium; 46 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place a chicken breast between a layer of parchment paper or plastic wrap and use a mallet, rolling pin or the flat side of a heavy knife to pound to a thickness of about ½ inch. Repeat with remaining breasts.

  2. Step 2

    Season chicken with salt, pepper and paprika. Place in a bowl and toss with lime zest, garlic and oil. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: In a blender, combine cilantro, parsley, oil, jalapeños, garlic, salt and lime juice. Blend until smooth, adding 1 or 2 tablespoons water if necessary to blend. Taste and add more salt and/or lime juice if needed.

  4. Step 4

    Heat the grill to medium-high or heat up the broiler or a grill pan. Grill or broil until chicken is lightly browned at the edges and just cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side.

  5. Step 5

    In a medium bowl, toss cucumbers with a pinch of salt. Let sit for 5 minutes. Right before serving, toss cucumbers with sauce and serve alongside chicken, drizzling chicken with any leftover sauce from the bottom of the cucumber bowl, and a little olive oil.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
712 user ratings
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Comments

Slavin

made this tonight, with English cucumbers because we couldn't get Persian. Still awesome. Used a grill pan: we're NYers and so no grilling outdoors. Be VERY easy on the salt throughout - and our blender wouldn't make the sauce, but our mini food processor was perfect for the task. 3 jalapenos were not too hot at all. Will make this again!

PB

I would skip Step 5 altogether and use the sauce on the chicken. Boneless skinless chicken breasts can get very dry when grilled, especially when pounded out. As Ms. Clark notes, some mint could be used in the sauce, which would add a fresh flavor.

B Jean

I followed the recipe, with three (minor) changes:

(1) I didn't seed the jalapeños - made the sauce spicier

(2) Spooned about a tablespoon of sauce over each piece of chicken about 2 minutes before it finished cooking

(3) used japanese cucumbers

Excellent recipe for a very hot evening.

Francesca

“Two garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane” — easier said than done! Scraped up my fingertips pretty good, definitely recommend any other method to get that garlic grated. The green sauce is the star of this dish.

Drew

It's pretty straightforward to hold onto the stem end and grate them down to a nub?

Sheri

Made this tonight for the second time, minus the cucumber and with more garlic. I added the sauce atop the chicken this time after broiling. So good. Nice juicy chicken.

PegCityL

This is a great recipe. However, for me as good as the cucumbers are. This is such a quick and easy way to get great tasting grilled chicken on a weeknight. I am making a green goddess dressing and grazing board to accompany it and will use this chicken recipe to add protein to the board. Would also be great as the protein in any sort of rice/grain bowl.

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