Recipe: Grilled Chicken Sumac

I'm always on the lookout for interesting flavor combinations, especially if I have all the ingredients at the ready. I've got a spice jar with ground sumac berries I'd like to use. This is a marvelous lemony seasoning, commonly used in Turkish cuisine, but I've only used it when making the traditional tomato pita salad, fattoush.  When I saw a recipe on the Citron et Vanille blog using ground sumac to season chicken, it was a done deal.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders or breasts cut in strips
• Cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons sumac
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 3 tablespoons mint

Directions

1. Lightly season chicken strips or tenders with kosher salt and cayenne. Whisk together sumac, lemon juice, olive oil and cumin powder; marinate in mixture 2-3 hours.

2. Prepare gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat. Grill chicken until cooked through and golden brown. Sprinkle with mint and serve.

This recipe was adapted by Peggy Lampman and originally posted on AnnArbor.com on Aug. 1, 2011.