Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 medium cucumbers (1 1/4 pounds)-peeled, seeded, quartered lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cup roasted cashews, halved lengthwise or coarsely chopped (4 1/2 ounces)
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)

Preparation

1. 1. In a small skillet, cook the cumin seeds over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a work surface and let cool, then coarsely chop. In a large bowl, combine the cumin seeds with the cucumbers, cashews, scallions, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the olive oil and the parsley; season with salt and pepper.
2. 2. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderately low and continue cooking for 3 minutes. Turn and cook the chicken until browned on the other side and just cooked through, about 6 minutes longer. Thickly slice each chicken breast crosswise, mound the cucumber salad on top and serve.
3. Notes: Variations: Use the cucumber salad as an accompaniment for salmon or bluefish, or mix it with plain yogurt for a version of Indian raita.