Tag Archives: chicken

Grilled butterflied chicken

 

Butterflied Grilled Chicken

Butterflied Grilled Chicken

Ingredients

1 whole chicken
1 clove garlic, minced (or to taste)
1/2 – 3/4 stick unsalted butter, a little soft but not melted – workable
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp paprika
pinch of cayenne

Preparation and Cooking

First prepare the butter by putting it in a bowl with the garlic and spices. Using a fork mash it all together to mix everything together. Set aside.

Put the chicken on the cutting board with the breast facing down and, using kitchen shears, cut off the spine. Turn the chicken over and press it down to flatten it out. With your fingers gently separate the skin from the meat wherever you can: the breast, the thighs, the legs being careful not to break the skin. If you do it’s no big deal but more butter will run out instead of staying close to the meat. Spread the butter underneath the skin leaving an even layer of butter everywhere. Smear any remaining butter – there should not be much – over the skin. Sprinkle the skin with a couple of pinches of salt, cracked black pepper, paprika, and a pinch of cayenne.

Preheat the grill then place the chicken on skin side down. Cook for about 20 minutes, spraying down any flare ups if there are any. After 20 minutes flip the chicken over and grill for another 20 minutes or so. I use a chicken that its about 3 to 3.5 pounds. Larger birds will require a longer cooking time, as will one which was not near room temperature when you started.

Sorry there aren’t more pictures on this one. This is the only one that came out.

Note:

Feel free to experiment with other spices. Pretty much anything you would use for a roast chicken will work, taking into account what might burn over an open flame. It’s mostly under the skin mixed into the butter so that shouldn’t be much of a problem. Another idea which I tried in the oven and that I will try on the grill is a curry chicken for example.

No Seafood Paella

No Seafood Paella

No Seafood Paella

A few weeks ago I felt like making a paella, but one without seafood. I eat seafood but do not generally go for fishy soups and stews. Remembering a sort of paella that I had at a Portuguese restaurant about 15 years ago I set out to make a no seafood paella, with chicken and sausage instead. It took a bit longer to make than I had anticipated as the rice took a while to soak up the liquids, but the result was delicious. This seems to be a one dish meal. No sides are needed, nor can I think of a side that would go well with it, save perhaps a simple salad.

Ingredients
Served 5 people, with leftovers

4-5 Boneless, skinless chicken thighs, roughly cut
1 Portuguese sausage, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1-2 Green bell pepper, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped parsley, chopped
2 1/2 cups arborio rice
6 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
1 15 oz can whole tomatoes
1 pinch saffron threads
Olive oil

Wetting the base

Wetting the base

Preparation and Cooking

Preheat a wide paella pan (or widest frying pan you have) on medium-high. Add oil to pan and brown the Portuguese sausage on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Brown the chicken on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Turn the heat own to medium. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, and parsley to pan. Add tomatoes, crushing them as you put them in the pan, and pour in the juices.

Making the base

Making the base

Add saffron and paprika. Stir and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir it in well to coat the grains, about 3 minutes. Add 4 cups chicken stock. Simmer, occasionally stirring lightly for the first 10 minutes or so. Add chicken stock as the water is absorbed by the rice. When the liquid is nearly all absorbed taste the rice to see if it is done.  It should preferably be al dente at this point as the rice will cook a little longer.

Return the chicken and sausage to the pan and tuck it into the rice, being careful to keep the rice submerged under any stock in the pan. When the rice is ready and all the liquid has been absorbed add the remaining parsley and stir in lightly. Turn off the heat and serve at the table.

Soaking up the liquid

Soaking up the liquid

 Notes

If you like seafood and want to add some to this dish there are a couple of changes you can make:

– Use fish stock instead on chicken stock.
– Add a couple of 1/2″ to 1″ thick pieces of your preferred fish to the pan and tuck into the rice while you are soaking up the broth, about 20 minutes before done.
– Add some shrimp over the dish.
– In any case you might find it helpful to cover the pan for 5-10 minutes with a lid or foil to allow the added seafood to steam cook.

 

Asian Style Chicken Wings – gluten-free

Asian Style Chicken Wings

Asian Style Chicken Wings

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 lbs chicken wings, ends cut off
1/2 cup gluten-free shoyu (soy sauce)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup mirin
3 stalks green onion, sliced thin, a tsp reserved for garnish
1 tsp garlic chili sauce
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds, a pinch reserved for presentation
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 inch ginger, grated or minced very fine
4-5 cloves garlic, minced

Preparation

Add all the ingredients except the chicken and reserve ingredients to a large ziploc bag or container and mix well. Add the chicken and marinate for at least 2-4 hours. Reserve the marinade when done!

Cooking

Chicken can be cooked in a number of ways, grilled, baked or broiled.
Grilled: cook the chicken about 5 minutes per side.
Baked: middle oven rack, 425 degrees for about 30 minutes
Broiled: on high, about 4 inches from the top for about 5 minutes per side.

Asian style chicken wings on the grill

Asian style chicken wings on the grill

While the chicken is cooking put the reserve marinade in a small sauce pot and bring to a boil. Bring the sauce to a simmer and continue simmering until reduced by half. The sauce will thicken due to the sugars. When the chicken is done give it a quick dunk in the marinade then transfer to serving plate. Pour any remaining sauce over the chicken.

Dipping the cooked wings in the reduced marinade

Dipping the cooked wings in the reduced marinade

Sprinkle a few slivers of green onion and some toasted sesame seeds on top for presentation.

Notes:

For a fruitier and sweeter wing replace the water with a fruit juice such as orange juice or pineapple juice. Fresh squeezed oranges will likely brighten up the flavor, while a canned pineapple juice should impart a very sweet taste.

Gluten-free variation: simply replace the soy sauce with a gluten-free variation. If gluten is not an issue for you simply use any soy sauce.

Want spicier? Add fresh or dried red chili peppers, more garlic chili sauce, or sriracha (the rooster bottle).