Spiced Chicken with Chickpea and Cucumber Salad

This one is something to write home about. It’s a super easy meal to assemble and is definitely quick enough to be put together on a weeknight. The salad was very tasty, and the spice mix on the chicken made it more than the sum of its parts. Altogether, this meal was absolutely fabulous, and both the Engineer and I give it two solid thumbs up. Note that I used boneless, skinless upper chicken thighs and cooked them in a pan, as it was more convenient for me, but you can adapt this to your taste and your grilling abilities. This recipe makes 4 servings, as always, though I’d consider making more of the salad.

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed
½ English cucumber, thinly sliced
½ cup torn basil leaves
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
kosher salt and black pepper
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds (I used a mix of white and black)
2 tsp. paprika
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 ½ lbs.)

In a medium bowl, toss the chickpeas, cucumber, basil, and shallot with the oil, vinegar, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Heat grill to medium. In a small bowl, combine the sesame seeds, paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Remove the skin from the chicken and discard. Sprinkle the chicken with the sesame seed mixture, pressing gently to help it adhere. Grill, covered, until cooked through, 9 to 10 minutes per side. Serve with the chickpea salad.