Last updated on February 9th, 2024 at 04:04 pm
I know I am always sharing the goodies and sweet stuff here on Let’s Talk Mommy but as my baking skills were growing so was I. After turning 30, I promised I would start eating better and feeding my family healthy and a more varied meal plan. While I am no chef, I really want to learn to not just bake better but cook better. I want to eat cleaner too! I want my children to love all kinds of foods not just five main dishes that I have lately stuck on a rotating planner. I think as they are still young if I change our ways now it won’t be such a shock and they might be more apt to try more at this stage then after years of bad eating habits. 
So I started with this recipe as my guinea pig. I will definitely still share all my favorite desserts here too as there is way too many still in my head to share but in between I will share some of the new main dishes I have been trying out on my family.
This dish came about sort of by accident and sort of by ideas from two various recipes I saw while reading a magazine the other day. So I thought why not put them together and see what I can come up with. One recipe called for pumpkin and another called for garlic and black pepper covered chicken and I have used this chickpea salsa before on a few dishes so I put it all together with a few of my own substitutes like the butternut squash and sweet potato instead of pumpkin and the cumin and chilli flakes instead of garlic and black pepper. Lemon always is a winner with chicken so that was an added bonus to the bursting flavors here. 
With the weather being nice lately and our new added firepit to our back yard, we were ever so excited to test out our new dish al fresco and look out onto the garden and the flowers that were starting to bloom. 
Cumin grilled chicken & chickpea salsa
Ingredients
- 3 large chicken breast fillets
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 750 g butternut squash & sweet potato cut into chunks
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 Tbsp currants
- 400 g can chickpea drained
- 1 small onion diced
- 1/4 cup coriander leaves
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp lemon zet
- 1 small sliced courgette zucchini
Instructions
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In a shallow pie plate, mix cumin and chilli flakes with 1 Tbsp olive oil using a fork
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Roll your chicken breast in the mixture to coat each fillet
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Cut chicken in half and set on a plate to grill
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Place butternut squash and sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks, in a microwave safe bowl
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Cover and cook for 7 minutes or until tender
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Dry on paper towel and cover with 1 tsp oil and sprinkle black pepper on top
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Heat your grill on medium heat, grill chicken for 8 minutes while grilling butternut squash and sweet potato for 6 minutes
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Drizzle 1 Tbsp lemon juice over cooked chicken and keep warm
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In separate frying pan, heat remaining oil saute onion, garlic, currants, until soft. Stir in chickpeas for 4 minutes. Add coriander and lemon zest and 1 Tbsp lemon juice
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Quickly fry one small sliced courgette with a splash of oil in a small frying pan
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Set grilled chicken halves on the side of the plate, add butternut squash and sweet potato chunks next to it adding courgette (zucchini) and chickpea salsa over top of chicken and vegetables
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Serve hot!
Recipe Notes
I had the oven on and once I had the food all set up on the plate I set it in the oven to warm everything up a little more before serving so everything was piping hot.
I thought the flavor was amazing together but not too strong that kids would still like it too. My two have been super sick so haven’t been eating much but loved the chickpea salsa and sweet potatoes in this. 
I was impressed with how great it tasted all together in the end but I really need to get better at timing. I am awful at getting everything finished at the same time and piping hot together. One thing is always too cold or the other over cooked because I had to reheat something else up to serve it. It’s a learning process and I hope this new challenge of better and a more varied meal planner will help me with all these little corks to learn. 
That looks like such a great summer, outdoorsy meal. I love chickpeas too. YUMMY! x
Oh me too. They are my favourite. Eating Al fresco is the way to go for sure. We love it.
This looks lovely Jenny! I don’t actually eat meat but I would really go for all the chickpea salsa and root veg you serve with it. My boys all love chicken so will definitely try it out on them. Great food styling as always. Hope the babies get better soon. xx
Thanks Jess. Yes do try it. It’s a family favourite now. I love root vegetables and chickpea anything. Hahaha flavours came out nicely. Thanks.
this looks amazing! Def going to try it x
Oh do its so yummy and let me know what you think of it.
This looks amazing and will definitely try it (always looking for wheat-free recipes). Love your food styling and photography #tastytuesday
Thanks Rebecca. Oh yes do try it and let me know what you think or if you end up altering it. I love trying different combinations to the same recipe.
I love the look of this Jenny! I think I have these ingredients in so I may have to rustle it up tonight! xx
Oh do Charlotte and let me know what you think. The flavors together are amazing and it’s something I will be making more of in summer. I am trying to eat and cook better for my family. Need to try some of your winners on your blog too.
I have just recently discovered chick peas! Astounding, I know! This looks like a fab recipe to try. x
Where have you been at lovely? I am obsessed with humus homemade and anything with chickpeas. I throw them in my chilis, stews, just about everything. lol
This is not something that I would usually eat but it does look incredibly yummy! I might have to step out of my comfort zone and give it a go.
Oh yes do. I have been trying to step out of my comfort zone a lot more lately too. Let me know what you think.