Red Chile Grilled Chicken

I'd like to give a shout out to Simply Recipes, a fabulous site with loads of delicious and fairly uncomplicated recipes that every cook can enjoy.

Recently I saw a recipe there for Red Chile Marinated Grilled Chicken which immediately caught my eye. Because it's summer and we're always grilling (I recently bought my husband one of those robo-grills from Weber), I thought this recipe would fit the bill nicely for outdoor cooking, but also be decent enough for indoor broiling, if it came to that.

I also didn't have all the ingredients on hand, so please note that the recipe I've posted here is modified per my preparations, with the only glaring difference being my addition of one cup of dark brown sugar. After having tasted it, I cannot imagine having it without the sugar, so please do try it. My grade: A

Red Chile Grilled Chicken (adapted)

Ingredients

• 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts, preferably thighs, trimmed of excess skin and fat (I used four bone in breasts and four thighs, and liked it all)
  
• Salt to taste
  
• 1 1/4 cup Mexican red chili sauce (I bought a large can of Mexican tomato sauce with chilis -- is this the same thing? Either way, it was perfect.)
  
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• A couple of turns on a black pepper grinder
• A pinch of dried oregano, crushed (I used dried Greek oregano from my garden)
  
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (I think I used 3 whole cloves, but we like garlic)
  
• 1 cup brown sugar
  

Garnish

• Avocado slices
• Thinly sliced lettuce or cabbage
• Thinly sliced radishes
• Cilantro

* To make your own homemade sauce, take 2 ancho and 2 guajillo chiles, open them up, remove the stems, seeds, and ribs. Lightly toast the chiles on a medium griddle or cast iron pan for a minute or two, flattening them down with a metal spatula. Place the chiles in a saucepan, cover with water, bring to a boil, remove from heat and let soak for 10-15 minutes, until chiles are softened. Place chiles, 1 1/4 cup of the soaking water, 1 clove of garlic, a pinch of salt, in a blender. Blend until completely smooth. Proceed with the recipe, but don't add any more garlic to the sauce.

Method

1 Combine chili sauce, vinegar (2 Tbsp if using canned sauce, 4 Tbsp in you've made your own sauce), allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, black pepper, oregano, sugar and garlic. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let cool.

2 Reserve some sauce for basting. To the rest of the sauce add all (salted) chicken parts and cook at low heat for an hour. (I always do this when I'm grilling chicken; it cuts down on cooking time and ensures tenderness). Once done cooking, let cool and then place in fridge until time to grill.

3 Remove the chicken from the refrigerator before starting up the grill. Preheat your grill, allowing for a space on the grill for cooking the chicken with indirect heat. (If using coals, move all the coals to one side of the grill, if using gas, after the grill is hot, turn off one of the burners.) Brush the grill grates with olive oil. Make sure the chicken pieces are well coated on all sides with the paste-like marinade. Place the chicken pieces on the indirect heat part of the grill (not over a flame or coals). Cook, covered, for 25-30 minutes, turning the pieces over after the first 15 minutes. Try to keep the temperature in the grill around 350°F. Chicken is done when juices run clear, breasts have an internal temperature of 165°F and thighs 175°F.

If you aren't in a grilling mood, you can bake the chicken pieces in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the chicken pieces in a roasting pan, skin-side up. Cook for about 45-50 minutes, until breasts have an internal temperature of 165°F and thighs 175°F.

Serve garnished with sliced avocado, sliced lettuce or cabbage dressed with a little vinegar and oil, sliced radishes and cilantro.

Difficulty: Intermediate

Serves: 4- 6

Easy Baked Chicken Paremsan

The following picture does not do what I just put into my mouth any justice whatsoever. Just know that going in:

I have an herb garden and it is rad.

Within this herb garden I have thyme, tarragon, sweet basil, rosemary, Greek oregano, sage, Italian oregano and Italian parsley. I also grow my own Roma tomatoes, broccoli, green beans and peppers. It makes me feel earthy. It makes me feel agriculturally superior. And that's because I am agriculturally superior.

Today with the basil and oregano I made a lovely sauce. My tomatoes are not in yet, so I used a can of plum tomatoes from Trader Joe's and they worked splendidly. I poured the thick sauce over breaded chicken breasts and baked, for the easiest and most fresh, most delicious Chicken Parm ever.

I mean, let's face it. Chicken Parmesan isn't the hardest dish to cook. It's actually damned easy. But when done right, it's good. And what helps make it "right"? Freshness. Herb-y freshness. And so I don't think I'm necessarily telling you to cook Chicken Parm so much as I am encouraging you to grow your own herb garden, because with fresh herbs you can make simple, rustic meals come alive. I served this one with garlic butter bread and it was stupid good. In fact I would smear the sauce all over my body and painstakingly lick it off if I wasn't wary of perhaps frightening my innocent child.

I'm that serious about it. My grade: A

Easy Baked Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

Chicken:

4 chicken breasts, pounded flat
seasoned bread crumbs (I make mine fresh from a baguette, which I toast and then grind)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
Bufallo mozzarella in water, drained, sliced
Parmesan cheese
vegetable oil for frying, about 1/2 cup

Sauce:

28 oz can whole, skinned plum tomatoes (or any tomato you prefre)
1.5 tsp Kosher salt
2.5 tsp sugar
1 tsp fresh Greek Oregano, minced
1 tsp fresh sweet basil, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pound breasts flat, about 1/2 inch in thickness. Whisk together egg and milk. Place breadcrumbs into bowl. Dip each breast into egg/milk mixture, then liberally coat with breadcrumbs. Fry in oil, 3 -4 minutes each side, until golden brown. When done, place into bake pan and layer two to three slices of buffalo mozarella atop each breast.

In food processor, add tomatoes, salt, sugar, herbs and garlic. Puree.

Pour tomato mixture over chicken layered with cheese. Atop this sprinkle the Parmesan cheese, according to your tastes. You may also layer more mozzarella, if you like.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes, serve.


Difficulty: Easy
Time: 20 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooking
Serves: 3 - 4

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas (That Everyone Will Love)

Me? I tend to like things spicy. Some of the other members in my family? Not so much. This creates quite the conundrum when I'm in the mood for Mexican food, because I like blazing hot salsa and burn-your-tongue hot sauce. But those things are typically added after the fact, which is what makes this Creamy Chicken Enchiladas recipe so great. There's lots of flavor, but it's mild flavor. Add all the spices you like, or keep it low-key and mellow. The resulting enchiladas are thick and juicy, slathered in a savory, tasty sauce that everyone will love. And for those of you hot-heads out there who like your food like I do, add the inferno salsa after the fact. My grade: B+

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

Enchilada/Filling:
8 - 10 8 inch flour tortillas
1 pound chicken breasts, diced (or Rotisserie chicken from market, skinned and diced)
1 medium onion
1 cup sour cream
4 oz cheddar cheese (or your preferred cheese)
Cilantro to taste, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced

Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 15 oz can chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 10 oz can Rotel chopped tomatoes and chiles
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ancho chilli powder
1 tsp chicken bouillon
1/4 tsp salt
4 - 8 oz cheddar cheese

Directions:

Take cooked, skinned and cubed chicken breasts/meat and place in bowl. To that add 1 cup sour cream, cilantro, garlic, minced onion and 4 oz cheddar cheese. Mix well.

Divide chicken mixture evenly between eight tortillas. Roll and place seem down in lightly greased/sprayed 9X13 baking dish.

Melt butter in pan. Stir in flour and make a roux, cook until bubbly. Once bubbling add chicken broth and bring to boiling. Once boiling remove from heat, adding chili, ancho chili, chicken bouillon, Rotel tomatoes and chiles and 1/4 teaspoon salt. (I often puree the Rotel tomatoes before adding, as certain members of my family don't like chunky tomatoes in their meals. This adds the flavor without any of the texture objections.)

Pour sauce liberally over rolled enchiladas, making sure to get sauce into every nook and cranny. Atop the sauce liberally spread 4 - 8 oz cheddar or Mexican blend cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and edges are golden brown and bubbly.

Difficulty: Easy - Intermediate
Prep/Cook Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 8

Chicken with Roasted Vegetables and Gorgonzola

What a weekend. I went on a mini-road trip, only to return home to a typical family whirlwind. Four hours of intense labor later, I collapsed into a ball of wahwah and promptly checked out. Today was a bit better. Still busy, however, I was at least able to throw together a simple and rustic family favorite. The meal, coupled with a well timed bottle of pinot noir, was just what I needed. My grade: A-

Chicken with Roasted Vegetables and Gorgonzola
Ingredients:

1 red bell pepper, cut per preference
1 orange red pepper, cut per preference
4 large red potatoes, cubed
3 - 4 large shallots, cut per preference
5 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary (about 2 sprigs)
4 - 6 sprigs thyme
1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp coarse black pepper (or to taste)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/8 cup quality olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
3 chicken breasts
Gorgonzola to garnish, about a tablespoon per serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mince garlic, rosemary and thyme, reserve. Cube potatoes; slice shallots and bell peppers. Combine on large cookie sheet with kosher salt, black pepper, butter and olive oil. Mix with hands to distribute herbs and oil/butter evenly. When done, place in oven, roasting anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how you prefer the tenderness of your vegetables.

Approximately 20 minutes before vegetables are finished roasting, heat 1/8 cup olive oil in frying pan. When hot, put in chicken breasts (I keep the breasts whole and then cube when still hot, but you can cube ahead of time and saute in oil, if you prefer), cooking approximately 4 - 8 minutes per side, depending on thickness of breast. (Make sure not to overcook, which will make the chicken dry.) Take chicken breasts from the oil just moments before they are fully done.

Pull vegetables from oven when chicken is done; you should have about ten minutes left, total, to your roasting time. Add chicken with the rest of vegetables, mixing well. You may like to add a bit more olive oil here if needed. Finish roasting, making sure chicken is fully cooked (but not overcooked!) before taking cookie sheet from oven.

Garnish with Gorgonzola while still hot. Serve with Spinach Salad with Orange Honey Vinaigrette and Roasted Red Bell Pepper Bisque.

Serves 4 heartily