travel, eat, cook and repeat
EASY TERIYAKI CHICKEN I was craving Asian food the other day and remembered our frequent trips to a ‘Yoshinoya’ restaurant which was across the street from our apartment. It was one of the few places that we could afford to eat regularly as …
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THE BEST JERK CHICKEN
I love Jerk chicken and have been making it for many years, however it never ended up tasting as good as what I had in the Caribbean or in an authentic Jamaican restaurant. After a ton of research and after my earlier successful Tandoori Chicken recipe, I decided to use brining and then marinating. This 2-step process created the juiciest and tastiest jerk chicken that I had ever grilled. This took 2 days of preparation but was not really that difficult and was worth all the trouble. I used skinless chicken breasts to make it healthier, but feel free to use skin-on chicken and thighs or drumsticks if you want (just make sure to grill on high till the skin is crispy).
Be sure to check out my YouTube videos to follow me step by step as I cook.
So here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
4-5 lbs. ½ Chicken Breasts (bone-in), skinless
For the Brine:
1 gallon warm water
½ cup salt
¼ cup sugar
2 tbsp whole Allspice berries
2” piece of ginger
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 Habanero or Scotch Bonnet pepper (whole)
For the Marinade:
1 bunch scallions
2-3” piece of ginger
5-6 cloves of garlic
1-2 Habanero or Scotch Bonnet pepper
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp allspice (whole or ground)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1-2 tsp fresh thyme (can substitute dried)
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup vegetable oil
Method:
Wash the chicken in cold water. With a sharp knife make multiple deep cuts in the meat.
Prepare the brine: In a large pot that can hold all the chicken, add the warm water, add salt, sugar, allspice, ginger, garlic and split habanero pepper and mix till all the salt and sugar dissolve. Add 2-3 cups of ice cubes to cool the mix and add the chicken.
Refrigerate overnight or at least for 4-6 hours.
Prepare the marinade by adding all the marinade ingredients including chopped scallions, ginger, garlic and habanero (wear gloves and avoid eye contact) into a blender. Blend to a thick paste. Add water if too thick.
Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry.
Apply the marinade (wear gloves) all over the chicken, gently massaging it in.
Marinate overnight or up to 24 hours.
Heat a grill to high (I used a gas grill). I do not have a smoker and so to get the smoky flavor, I added soaked wood chips in a smoker box inside the gas grill and waited till it started smoking.
Grill the chicken on high (450*F) turning every 5 minutes till it is well done with grill marks on the outside then let it cook on low heat (250-300*F) till well done but but juicy inside (check the internal temperature in the thickest part of the meat – it should be 170-180*F).
Take out of the grill and cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
Serve with Caribbean style rice and beans.
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GRILLED TANDOORI CHICKEN Tandoori chicken has been one of the most popular and well known Indian dishes worldwide and I am still trying to find the best restaurant Tandoori Chicken in the USA. I have grilled this many times and though the marinade …
MOJITO MARINATED CHICKEN KEBABS Summer is finally here and it’s time to fire up the grill and sip cocktails while enjoying the warm air. What if you could combine the cocktail with the grilled food? I came across this recipe in the latest issue …
GRILLED CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH TOUM (GARLIC SAUCE)
(LEBANESE)
Spring is in the air and summer is almost here,
what better way to enjoy the great weather than to grill some chicken outdoors. I opted for this Lebanese grilled chicken recipe with an intensely flavorful garlic sauce. It’s easy to make and packed with flavor and taste and it is healthy too.
Ingredients:
For Toum (Garlic Sauce):
6 cloves garlic
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup light Mayonnaise
Kosher salt to taste
For Chicken skewers:
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs – fat trimmed and cut into 1” thin strips.
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp ground coriander
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Kosher salt
Method:
Make Toum:
In a food processor, pulse the garlic with lemon juice till smooth. With the processor running at low speed, add half the oil. Scrape the sides and keep adding oil until mixed through. Add salt to taste and mayonnaise and mix till it is airy and creamy. Refrigerate for up to 2-3 days.
Marinate the chicken.
Cut the chicken into thin strips and season with salt.
Place in a large zip-lock bag.
In a bowl mix the lemon juice, tomato paste, coriander, oil and ¼ cup Toum and pour into the zip-lock
bag.
Massage the marinade onto the chicken to mix well.
Refrigerate for 4-12 hours.
Grill:
Take chicken out of the refrigerator and let come to room temperature.
Turn grill to medium high (350*F).
Soak bamboo skewers in water for 15-20 minutes.
Thread each piece of chicken into the skewer, folding as needed to keep the pieces flat.
Grill the chicken covered. Turn every 3-4 minutes for a total of 10-12 minutes.
Serve warm with the garlic sauce for dipping.
Make this popular and delicious Indian dish at home following these easy steps. It is a much healthier version.