I have been obsessed with this grilled chicken recipe and had to share it here. It is perfect for the summer. A little marination and a whole lot of flavor.
Usually I marinate my chicken with Indian spices for grilling. However that was getting kind of boring. The other marinades that the husband-man uses is bit bland for my taste and the chicken is not as juicy as I want to be. psst... he doesn't agree though.
Until...yes until last week...when this recipe changed my life and grilled chicken's.
The recipe is from Bon Appetit magazine, an annual subscription gifted by my lovely friend. I took two recipes of Chef Tom Cunanan and then made them my own.
First, I was blown away by the Sate Oil. This is very similar to the Chili Garlic oil that you get at Chinese or Thai restaurants.
Next was grilled Chicken where the chicken was marinated in a brine and that contained guess what ? SPRITE. Yes, sprite. The sweet-lemony and fizzy sprite did do wonders to the chicken. The aromatics (yes the author kept saying aromatics for ginger, garlic etc and I loved it) in the brine add a lot of flavor to the meat. The meat was also very juicy and did not become at all dry after grilling.
The original recipe of the grilled chicken called Chicken Inalsa, involved Acchiote Oil but I did not have it.
So, I grilled the chicken as per the recipes and then basted it with previously made Sate Oil. The best thing ever. That oil is amazing. Be liberal with Sate Oil if you wish to kick up the flavors. Serve grilled chicken with a simple salad, add it to pasta, or in a sandwich. It is delicious.
Grilled Chicken with Sate Oil
Sate Oil
Mince or Finely chop
1 head of garlic, cloves separated
2" ginger
Crush 2 Dry Red Chilli Peppers to make your own crushed red pepper flakes
OR
Use 4 Tbsp of crushed red pepper flakes
Bring
1 Cup of vegetable Oil
the minced garlic + ginger
salt
to simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat
Reduce the heat and then simmer at low heat until the ginger, garlic are softened and fragrant. Around say 8-10 minutes
Now add the red pepper flakes and cook at low heat, stirring occasionally, until oil turns a red color. About say 15-20 minutes
Remove from heat and add 2 Tbsp of sugar + a tsp of lime zest + 1/4th Cup of Vegetable Oil. Stir to mix.
Once cooled, transfer to a glass jar and use it on salads, grilled vegetables, chicken etc.
Grilled Chicken with Sate Oil
4 Chicken Thighs (boneless and skinless) You can also use leg pieces, chicken breast, or chicken tenderloins. Cooking time will vary
Chop
1 head of garlic, cloves removed
2" of ginger
3-4 green scallion
1 small shallot or 1/4th of a large onion
If you have lemongrass use 3 lemongrass stalks thinly sliced.
OR
Use Zest of one whole lemon
In a 1 Gallon ZipLoc bag (or any other container)
add
3/4 Cup of White Vinegar (Recipe said Rice Vinegar but my kids preferred the White Vinegar)
1/2 Cup of Sprite
1 Tbsp of salt
Garlic+Ginger+Scallion+Shallot that you minced
Lemongrass or the Lemon Zest
Stir to dissolve the salt.
Add the chicken pieces to bag and close, pressing out as much air as possible. Put in Refrigerator.
Marinate for 1-4 hours.
When ready for grilling, fire up the grill. We have a very basic and old Weber gas grill. I prefer putting a aluminum foil on the grill grate.
Now remove chicken thigh pieces from the marinade and put it on the grill. In my case on the aluminum foil.
Baste it with the Sate Oil. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Turn over, baste and cook for couple more minutes.
Put Chicken on the hot side of the grill grate and brown the pieces with grill mark.
Continue basting and cooking until chicken pieces are done.
Serving
Serve with a salad put together by tossing
Arugula leaves
Cucumber
Onion
Drizzle with olive oil + Red Vinegar + Sate oil
If you like what you are reading, get Bong Mom's Cookbook in your mailbox
This looks simple and amazing! My family loves grilled chicken and I typically use masala of various brands. And we have become bored of the same flavor!
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting and would like to try this out. Anindya
ReplyDelete