Dry Rub Chicken
with nectarine salsa / farro
When this recipe was first featured in June 2016, reviewers loved the unique layers of flavors that come from a spice rub on the chicken and a tart and sweet nectarine salsa.
Smarts: Summer is a great time to make fruit salsa, so feel free to make extra while you’re doing the chopping - nectarine salsa is great for dipping chips, topping salads or eating all on its own.
Ingredients
- Italian seasoning - 2 tsp
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Garlic powder - 1 tsp
- Dried mustard (opt) - 1 tsp
- Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
- Cumin - 1/2 tsp
- Brown sugar - 1/2 tsp
- Chicken breast tenders - 1 1/2 lbs, sub boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Jalapenos - 1, diced
- Nectarines - 2, chopped (sub peaches)
- Tomatoes, medium - 1, chopped
- Basil - 1 Tbsp, chopped
- Oil, olive - 1 Tbsp
- Lime zest - 1/2 tsp
- Lime juice - 1 1/2 tsp
- Honey - 1/2 tsp
- Farro, uncooked semi-pearled / husked - 2 cups
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Cook farro - This makes enough for 2 nights. Bring a saucepan of water to boil (just like you would for boiling pasta). Give it a generous sprinkle of salt and add farro. If you bought semi-pearled or husked farro, it should take about 25 minutes to cook until al dente, tender but not soggy. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Make dry rub - Combine Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, dried mustard, black pepper, cumin and brown sugar. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Jalapenos - Dice jalapenos. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Make salsa - Chop nectarines (video is for slicing, but take it one step further and roughly chop slices), tomatoes and basil. Combine nectarines, tomatoes, basil, jalapenos, olive oil, lime zest and juice and honey. Season with some salt and pepper. (Can be done up to 2 days ahead)
- Chicken - If chicken is not already cut into tenders, slice into strips. Rub chicken on all sides with spice rub. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
Unlock this meal along with hundreds of smart meal plans and never stress about "What's for dinner?" again
Get 1 free monthLearn More
Make
- If cooking on grill: Heat grill so that burners or coals are at high heat on one half of grill, leaving the other half for cooking with indirect heat. When grill is hot, clean grates and brush with cooking oil. Sear chicken on both sides over hottest part of grill. Transfer to indirect heat until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more.
- If cooking on stovetop: Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil and then chicken to heated oil. Sear on both sides for 3 to 4 minutes each, until cooked through.
- If made ahead, reheat farro (reserve half for Wednesday) in the microwave or in a frying pan with a splash of water.
- Season farro with some salt and pepper.
- Serve chicken over farro with nectarine salsa over top. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
42 reviews
Very easy once prep was done. Tasty and fun flavors that didn’t weigh heavily on the stomach!
0 HelpfulMeal prepped 12 servings of this one and it is just delicious! Happy to eat this for the rest of the week! Was also super simple/quick!
0 HelpfulSimple (~5min) ... once all the prep work is done. Try using cilantro in the salsa next time. Omit the dry mustard next time too.
0 HelpfulThis was absolutely delicious, so easy to make, and came together really quickly. So colorful and seasonal, which made for an inexpensive and beautiful plate. I doubled the spice mix and cooked 1lb of chicken instead of 3/4 (for two people). Had plenty of extra farro and salsa to have 3 meals instead of two! Yum! This would be perfect for making lunches for a week. Great for camping, too, since you can make the farro, salsa, and dry rub ahead of time and just season and grill the chicken when you're ready to eat. 10 minute dinner? Okay!
0 Helpful