Chicken is a mainstay in most Jewish homes. We love our chicken stock (homemade or store-bought and doctored will do) for matzah ball soup. You’ll find chopped chicken livers at the holiday table because every family has those who love it among the haters. For Shabbat, a nice roasted chicken kicks off the weekend and the Sabbath. But when you always cook with the same ingredient it is easy to get in a rut. The good news is that it isn’t that hard to get out of it! Just add a little spice. This summer, go Indian with this Indian spiced grilled chicken served with a cilantro mint sauce. For interfaith families with Indian backgrounds, this is a great way to fuse your cultures!

Indian Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

• fresh ginger, 1 inch knob
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp. of salt
• 1 tsp. of Garam Masala
• 1/2 tsp. of fennel seeds
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
• 4 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in

Cilantro Mint Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of mint
• 2 cups of cilantro
• 1 large shallot
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 tsp. of white sugar
• 1 tsp. of salt
• 1/2 jalapeño, minced

Directions:

1.  Into a large bowl, grate the ginger. Add the zest and juice of 1 lime, salt, Garam Masala (an Indian spice mix that can be found at most grocery stores) and fennel seeds (I like to buy whole seeds and toast them on a pan on the stove and then crush them with a mortar and pestle). Pour in vegetable oil and mix together.

Toss the chicken into the marinade and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour. 

2.  Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Wash and dry the cilantro and mint. You can use a salad spinner or dry the herbs on a towel. They do not have to be bone dry. In a blender, add the mint, cilantro, shallot cut into quarters, the juice of 1 lime, water, sugar and salt. Puree the mixture.  

3.  Carefully slice a jalapeño in half, remove the inner seeds and mince the pepper. Stir the tiny pieces of pepper into the sauce.

4.  Take the chicken out of the fridge so it can lose some of the chill. Then, pre-heat your grill. Cook the chicken on a medium heat grill until done. Timing varies based on size of the chicken pieces, so just refer to your meat thermometer for doneness. Or, cut into the chicken to see that the meat is opaque and the juices run clear.

Serve with delicious summer vegetables.