Rhubarb's back and ready for an easy spiced chutney

Now that the weather is warm, let's fire up the grill. The timing works with the availability of fresh rhubarb for this week's recipe, Grilled Butterflied Chicken with Rhubarb Cherry Chutney.

Rhubarb, which tastes like a fruit but is actually a vegetable, is the perfect foundation for this quick and easy chutney.

Its natural tartness is mellowed by sweet dried cherries and brown sugar and heightened by cider vinegar and a surprise ingredient, pomegranate juice.

Pomegranate juice, which has its own sweet-tartness, is an unlikely bridge between the rhubarb and the cherries, marrying the two together, while also deepening the red color of the chutney.

Because the chutney has an abundance of flavor, it works best with simple grilled or roasted meats, such as this grilled butterflied chicken.

Butterflying the chicken, which means removing the backbone so the chicken lies flat on the grill, helps to ensure the chicken is evenly cooked and retains its moistness.

You can easily do it yourself, but you can always ask the butcher behind the meat counter to do it for you.

You'll likely have leftover chutney, which is good, as it pairs beautifully with roasted pork or lamb.

It's also delicious as an addition to any cheeseboard and turns a plain turkey sandwich into a memorable meal.

Meredith Deeds is a cookbook author and food writer from Edina. Reach her at meredithdeeds@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram ­at @meredithdeeds.