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Chile n' Spice Grilled Chickenby Dawn T in Rouxbe Certified Flavored with Mexican chiles, cumin, coriander, fennel, garlic and extra-virgin olive, this chicken is sure to be a hit at your next barbecue.
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Step 1: Brining the Chicken (optional)
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Though brining is optional, it is HIGHLY recommended. I often do a "quick or strong brine", (about 60 grams of salt per liter of water). For this brine I tend to keep it simple, I add just a few bay leaves and some sugar. I then brine the whole chicken for about an hour or so. If using chicken breasts you will want to brine for less time.
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Step 2: Making the Chile n' Spice Oil
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In a small fry pan, over medium heat, lightly toast the spices, until fragrant. Then grind them in a spice grinder. Place the ground spices into a medium bowl. Next toast the chiles in the same fry pan. Press the chiles into the pan to help toast them and bring out their aroma, about 1 to 2 minutes. Then grind and add to the ground spices. Crush the garlic into a paste and add to the spice mix, along with the cayenne and salt. Next add the sherry vinegar and olive oil and mix to combine. Taste for seasoning, adding more vinegar or salt if needed. * I have also made this using 1 or 2 dried Ancho chiles instead, the flavor is a bit different but still very nice.
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Step 3: Prepping the Chicken
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Remove the chicken from the brine, dry well with paper towels. Butterfly the chicken and then rub with the oil, making sure to mix the oil first. Don't use too much oil or it will cause flare ups on the barbecue. Also be careful not to contaminate the rest of the oil with any raw chicken. Let this sit at room temperature for about 1/2 an hour.
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Step 4: Grilling the Chicken
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Preheat the barbecue to medium high. Then turn off the middle burner so the chicken can cook over indirect heat. This will also help to prevent flare ups from any fat on the chicken. Once hot place the chicken onto the grill, breast side up. Close the lid and let cook on the first side for about 1/2 an hour and then flip over onto the breast side and continue to cook for another 15 minutes or until just cooked through.
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Step 5: Resting and Cutting the Chicken
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Let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes. Then carve and plate the chicken.
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Step 6: Serving the Chicken
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Serve the chicken with individual portions of the chile n' spice oil or pass around a bowl, just make sure you mix the oil before using. |
Notes
This dish goes particularly well with Char-Roasted Red Peppers and Traditional Couscous or even Moroccan Couscous
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Comments
If so, please let me know how long it would last and how it may be stored.
Thank you!
Matthew
Yes the leftover oil can be saved as long as it has not been contaminated with any raw meat. I have had some in the fridge for a couple of weeks and it is still fine.
Also, I often cook an extra chicken so I have extra chicken leftover for making things like quesadillas.
Made the Chile n' Spice chicken last night and it was really delicious! My question is this: since vacuum-type sealers can be used to minimize marinating time on many products, would the same hold true for the brining process? My new FoodSaver has a "pulse marinating" function that I would consider using if so. I used bs breasts and did a moderate strength brine of salt, agave nextar, garlic, fresh oregano, and b. pepper. Brined for maybe 30 minutes. The chicken was moist, juicy, and very tasty! I will use that spiced oil recipe for lots of dishes, surely. Thanks and Cheers!
Some say that salting or brining of meats can be accelerated by pulse vacuum sealing (sometimes referred to as PVB – pulsed vacuum brining). However we have not tested this theory ourselves so we cannot verify this information.
If you are really curious, I suggest doing an experiment yourself. Try the PVS process using your foodsaver and in the meantime brine the same cut of meat in the normal fashion. Then cook both pieces and see if you notice a difference between the two different methods.
Cheers!
Do we rinse the chicken breasts after the brining time and before marinating? If so, do we need to adjust the salt in the marinade? Thanks
It is not necessary to rinse the chicken breasts after you have brined them. Just pat them dry. The salt in the Chile n' Spice Oil is minimal, so you do not need to make any adjustments. Cheers!