When my coworker asked me to house-sit for her this weekend, the first thing that came to mind was, “I’m gonna cook my heart out in her big kitchen.” And I did just that – it was a welcomed change from my tiny excuse for a kitchen in my 1-bedroom apartment.

Since the weather was absolutely gorgeous this weekend, my friend Missy and I decided to fire up the grill and recreate this Taste of Home chicken recipe we first tried during our mini-vacay in Eastern Washington last summer. 

We modified the recipe a bit by using mangoes in the relish since we didn’t have any peaches on hand.  I have to say, I actually prefer the mangoes – I’ve been on a mango kick ever since I discovered the champagne mangoes at Sosio’s in Pike Place Market a few weeks ago.

We rounded out the meal with some grilled corn on the cob, potato salad and ice-cold Hawaiian beer. YUM! This simple and super flavorful meal is a definite crowd-pleaser and perfect for those warm summer nights. If you end up with any left over relish, it tastes amazing the next day as a standalone salad.

Spicy grilled chicken w/ mango-pepper relish

• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp each ground cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts  (6 ounces each)

Glaze

• 1/4 cup apricot preserves
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Relish

• 1 medium mango, peeled and finely chopped
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1-2 green onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh mint

Combine the salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg; rub over chicken.

In a small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients; set aside.

In another small bowl, combine the mango, peppers, onion, mint and 2 Tbsp glaze; set aside.

Coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170°, basting frequently with reserved glaze. Serve with reserved relish.