No, not THAT talk! The one about chipotle-lime marinated chicken, a little something that I said we should discuss sometime. Well....it's time.
One leftovers-driven day, I went looking for something to do with excess chipotles in adobo. I like them, but I don't have the heat tolerance to load too many into a dish, and even if I did, there would still be part of a can to use up because that's how they come. This is one of the ways to give full purpose to the quantity of hotsies that you're forced to buy.
It isn't mentioned in the title, but the honey in the recipe balances out the heat in the chipotles, reducing them from FIREY to lively, which I don't mind a bit. I'd like a latin dance in my mouth, not an inferno, thank you.
It's a very good thing with which to douse that eternal wallflower, the boneless, skinless, mass-produced chicken breast. Those high protein girls can be a mite bland, but not after a bath in this spicy stuff. It perks them right up. A little makeover of sorts.
Some half-decent grill marks don't hurt either. Maybe someday I'll have a real grill, and we'll see what smoke adds to the ensemble. That day being yet to come, my sample tenders are wearing the equivalent of a spray tan. Those marks (practicing my skills at home!) come from my cast iron grill pan. Even so, still good.
I think I even remember pouring this marinade over some chicken thighs in the crock pot once. I have also forgotten (or was too lazy) to split the marinade, adding the honey to the final basting coat to prevent blackening of the sugars. Even with all that slippage or slackage, it was still eminently edible. It's like the perfect scarf or statement necklace that takes you from just clothes to outfit in a trice, even if other parts are questionable.
Ah, accessories. Even in food, a little bling is a good thing.
Chipotle-Lime Marinated Chicken
Adapted from The Meatwave
Serves 6
2 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, about 6
1 chipotle chile in adobo, minced
1/2 teaspoon adobo sauce, from the canned peppers
1/4 cup lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
In a small bowl mix together chipotle, adobo sauce, lime juice, garlic, and oil. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and put them in a ziploc bag and pour half of the marinade in. Seal the bag, getting out as much air as possible, and let the chicken marinate while you prepare the grill or other parts of dinner if you're indoor grilling. Add the honey to the remaining marinade.
Prepare the grill if using, lighting 1 chimney of charcoal and, when it's lit and covered in gray ash, pouring out onto charcoal grate. Arrange the coals on one side of grate, creating a two-zone fire. Oil cooking grate and grill the chicken breasts directly over the hot coals until browned on both sides, 4-5 minutes per side.
Oil a grill-pan if cooking the chicken indoors. Cook 4-5 minutes per side.
Move the chicken to the cool side of the grill, if using, and baste all over with the reserved marinade. Cover the grill or grill pan and continue to cook chicken until sauce lightly browns, about 5 minutes more.
No comments:
Post a Comment