Category: New World

Honey Glazed Chipotlé-Lime BBQ Chicken

This BBQ Chicken is tangy, sweet, spicy and fresh.  All the right flavors and a unique twist on classic BBQ chicken.  Searing the chicken in a hot skillet ahead of time renders out a good bit of fat and leads to perfectly crispy skin.  Finish either on the grill or in the oven and follow the instructions below to get perfect, bite-through skin and a beautiful end product.

Time: 60 minutes
Level: Easy
Cost: About $4/plate (depending on which pantry essentials you have on hand)
Serves: 3-6

Ingredients

For the Glaze

  1. 1 small onion or normal sized shallot, finely diced
  2. 3-5 cloves garlic, minced
  3. 1 TBSP unsalted butter
  4. 1 can Adobo Chiles in sauce
  5. 1 7oz can tomato sauce
  6. Juice of 4 limes
  7. 1 TBSP low sodium soy sauce
  8. 1/4 cup honey

For the Chicken

  1. 1 or 2 4-5lb fryer chickens, broken down into 8-10 parts, depending on how many you’re feeding  (figure that a chicken will feed 3-4 people)
  2. 1/4 cup Kosher salt
  3. Drizzle of Olive Oil
  4. 3-6 TBSP flour
  5. 2-4 TBSP paprika
  6. Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

PART ONE:  Begin by brining your chicken:

Once you’ve got your chicken broken down into parts, place the chicken parts in a large bowl and cover with cold water.  Add about 1/4 cup salt and mix around with your hands until the salt is mostly dissolved in the water.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.

Cook’s Note:  You can skip this step if you’re in a rush, but even 30 minutes in a light brine will lead to a considerably juicer and product.

PART TWO:  While the chicken is brining, make your glaze:

  1. Melt butter in a sauté pan or large frying pan over medium heat until foamy but not browned (use non-stick here if you like).
  2. Add onion and garlic and sauté until fragrant and onions are mostly translucent, 3-5 minutes
  3. Add can of chiles, along with their sauce, and sauté with onions and garlic, another 3 minutes, or until chiles barely being to caramelize
  4. Add tomato sauce, lime juice and soy sauce and stir to incorporate well
  5. Stir in honey and reduce, stirring continually, until mixture has thickened and a light glaze begins to appear.
  6. Off the heat and allow to cool

PART THREE:  While your glaze is cooling off, prepare the chicken:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F or begin preheating grill (see Part 5, below).
  2. Remove chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.  Place chicken in large mixing or tossing bowl and drizzle with olive oil.  Toss to coat.
  3. Add flour, paprika and pepper to the bowl with the chicken (if you didn’t brine ahead of time, add a generous pinch of kosher salt here as well).  Toss again to coat and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.

PART FOUR:  While your chicken is standing, finish your glaze

  1. Add your glaze to a blender or food processor and pureé until mixture has the consistency of marinara sauce
  2. Divide your mixture into two separate bowls (for two batches) and reserve

PART FIVE:  Cook the chicken

  1. Begin by heating 3 tablespoons ghee, clarified butter, grapeseed oil, vegetable oil or Canola oil in a cast iron or stainless steel skillet until shimmering and very hot (any oil or fat with a high smoke point will work fine here)
  2. Add half the chicken pieces to the hot skillet, skin side down, and brown, 5-6 minutes.  Flip and continue to brown the other side, another 3-4 minutes.  (Note:  If your chicken is still stuck to the pan when you try to flip it, it isn’t ready.  Wait until a light prodding with a set of tongs sets it free and flip).  Remove, reserve, and repeat with remaining chicken pieces.

If Finishing On The Grill

  1. Light a gas grill on one side only, or alternatively bank charcoal on a charcoal grill to one side, creating a hot side and cool side of the grill.  Add a few wood chips for extra smokey flavor.
  2. Place seared chicken on the cool side of the grill, skin side down.  Place the breasts farthest away from the heat and the dark meat closer to the heat.  Baste chicken with first batch of glaze.  Flip, so that the chicken is skin side up, and baste again.  Discard any glaze that remains from this batch.
  3. Cover the grill and cook until breasts reach an internal temperature of 150° – 160°F and thighs and legs are 160° – 170°F.
  4. After about 15 minutes, use the second batch of glaze to baste your chicken a second time.  Use this opportunity with the grill open to take your chicken’s temperature with an instant read thermometer.  Be sure to leave chicken skin side up.
  5. When chicken is up temp, move chicken over to hot side of grill and cook, starting skin side down, until nicely charred.  Repeat on the other side.
  6. Remove, and allow to rest, skin side up, for 10 minutes before serving.  DO NOT COVER WHILE RESTING – your perfectly crispy skin will get all soggy!

If Finishing in the Oven

  1. Set chicken on a wire rack over a baking sheet, skin side down.  Baste chicken with first batch of glaze.  Flip, so that the chicken is skin side up, and baste again.  Discard any glaze that remains from this batch.
  2. Bake in 350°F oven until breasts reach an internal temperature of 150° – 160°F and thighs and legs are 160° – 170°F.
  3. After about 15 minutes, use the second batch of glaze to baste your chicken a second time.  Use this opportunity with the oven open to take your chicken’s temperature with an instant read thermometer.  Be sure to leave chicken skin side up.
  4. When chicken is up temp, switch oven to BROIL – HIGH and cook for 2-3 minutes, until nicely darkened.  Watch carefully that it does not burn.
  5. Remove, and allow to rest, skin side up, for 10 minutes before serving.  DO NOT COVER WHILE RESTING – your perfectly crispy skin will get all soggy!

 

 

Chicken Chili II (Updated Version)

Recipes change over time.  As we spend more time in the kitchen and become better cooks, we learn new things; as we learn new things, we incorporate them into the dishes we already know how to make.  That’s ultimately how a dish becomes “ours” – when we’ve come to know it so well through years of making it that is truly our own.  In my mind, though, even when a dish has become “ours” it has never reached perfection – and even after nearly 20 years, I’m still learning new things.
This has the same ingredient list (with the addition of 3 TBSP of flour, a couple of other spices, and some celery) as my original recipe, but the ingredients are treated differently and cooked differently to maximize depth of flavor.  The primary difference is that this method involves browning the chicken breasts first along with a spice mixture whereas in the original the chicken is not browned and the spices are dumped in just prior to adding the broth and reducing liquid.
This is how I’m making my chili these days:

The Prep time in this dish is a bit long since there’s a lot of chopping involved; use a sharp knife to make things a bit easier.  As always, give yourself a good head start on the prep.  If you have, say, 15 extra minutes, roast your chiles (only the Hatch/Anaheim ones) ahead of time.  It will bring out their sweet smokey spicy flavor.

Time: 60 – 90 Minutes
Level: Easy
Cost: $6-8/plate
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 breasts)
  • 3 TBSP flour
  • 3 TBSP cumin powder (you read that right, it’s not a typo, I mean Tablespoons)
  • 1 TBSP paprika
  • 2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 TBSP vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 large Spanish or yellow onion
  • 4 jalepeño peppers, stems and seeds removed, minced
  • 1 large green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 cup celery, diced (about 3 stalks)
  • 5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 4 TBSP (about half a bunch, not including stems) fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • 4 Hatch Chile Peppers (Anaheim Chile Peppers will also work), roasted and peeled (optional), diced.  Note:  Alternatively, pre-diced, canned green chilies work fine as well – you’ll need 3, 3.5oz cans 
  • 1-2 tsp hot sauce (or to taste, optional – I use Dave’s Insanity Sauce because I like it spicy!)
  • 1  can/box (32oz) of low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cans (14oz each) white beans (NOT cannellini!), drained.
  • Optional: For serving – tortilla strips, corn bread, sour cream, shredded Mexican Cheese

Optional Preparation Step (not required but it makes a big difference): 

chilesRoast your Hatch/Anaheim chiles over high heat on the grill, or under a broiler set on high – I do mine on the grill over Mesquite wood.  Wait for the skins to blister and are mostly blackened (yes, don’t be afraid to burn them, that skin is coming off anyhow), then flip and repeat on the opposite sides.  Once thoroughly roasted, place them in an airtight container (Tupperware, or simply a large bowl with a plate on top)- this will steam them in their own heat.  After about 20 minutes, remove the chiles from the container and transfer to a cutting board.  Peel the skins off and remove seeds and stems; if you blackened your chiles well, the skins should come off quite easily; if not, you can try peeling them under cold running water.  Consider using rubber gloves for the peeling process if you’re using Hatch Chiles- hot pepper hands are the worst!

 

Main Preparation Instructions

  1. Dice onion, jalepeños, green bell pepper and celery; combine in a medium bowl and set aside.
  2. Mince garlic and chop cilantro – combine and reserve in a small size bowl and set aside.
  3. Dice Hatch (or Anaheim) chiles and reserve in a separate bowl (or open cans thereof).
  4. Open two cans of white beans, drain.
  5. Get chicken broth ready.
  6. In a large tossing or mixing bowl, add chicken breasts (whole).  Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.  Add flour, cumin, paprika, cayenne, a pinch of kosher salt and a few generous grinds of fresh black pepper.  Toss to coat again.

Cooking Instructions

In a large stock-pot (or very large skillet or saucepan), add vegetable and olive oil and heat over medium heat.  When oil is hot and shimmering, but not quite smoking,  Carefully add 2 -3 of the coated chicken breasts and brown, 3-4 minutes on each side, without overcrowding the pan – you will probably need to work in batches.  Once all the chicken breasts are nicely browned, remove them from the pan and transfer to a carving board (note I did not say cutting board).  The chicken does not need to be cooked through at this point.  You will now have a beautiful, spicy fond on the bottom of your pan.

Lower the heat and add onion, celery, green bell pepper and jalapeño peppers to the pot (make sure the pan isn’t too hot when you do this).  Sauté over medium heat, stirring to prevent burning.

Note:  If you don’t have a lot of experience gauging how hot the pan is, you can test it by dropping ONE tiny piece of the diced onion into the pan.  If it sizzles loudly, crackles, or jumps out of the pot spattering hot oil everywhere, it’s too hot.  The onion should only react slightly.  If it turns out it’s too hot, remove the pan from the heat for a minute or two until it cools down a bit.

As the vegetables sweat out their moisture, scrape up the fond in the bottom of the pan and incorporate into the mixture.

Once vegetables have sweat out most of their moisture and most of the fond is incorporated, carefully add the cilantro and garlic to the mixture.  Continue to sauté until very fragrant, 2-3 minutes.

 

Add Hatch/Anaheim Chiles and hot sauce, if using.  Stir well to combine and lower the heat to low, stirring occasionally to allow flavors to marry, 5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, while flavors are marrying, dice chicken breasts into cubes on cutting board (this may be a bit messy due to liquid having been released, so use a cutting board to catch the juices).

Add chicken to pot, along with any juices accumulated on the cutting board.

Add chicken broth and beans and stir well to combine – there should be enough liquid to cover everything in the pot once it’s been stirred together.  If there isn’t, add a bit of water until everything is covered by at least 1/4 inch of liquid.

Cover, and bring to a rolling boil.

Remove cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and allow to simmer down, 1 hr and 20 minutes, or until desired consistency is achieved.  Stir occasionally to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pan.  If a lot of fat begins to accumulate on the top, you may wish to skim some of it off.  (Now is a good time to crack open a beer).

Just prior to serving, turn the heat off and stir continuously for 10 minutes, or until your arms fall off.  This will make it so that the chili is cool enough to eat; it also will break down the chicken into nice ‘strings’ giving it the consistency of pulled chicken.  It also aids in the final thickening to give it that nice chili texture.

Serve with Tortilla strips, sour cream, cheese and cornbread.

 

Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

This classic Cajun stew is perfect for a cold winter’s night – or pretty much any time.  The flavor profile is totally unique; if someone were to ask “What does gumbo taste like?” the answer is “It tastes like gumbo!”  And it is totally delicious.

Time: 90 minutes – 2 hours
Level: Intermediate (bordering on advanced, depending on your roux making skills)
Cost: About $4 per plate
Serves: 4- 6

Ingredients

  1. 4-6 chicken breasts, 2-3lbs package weight
  2. 12oz Cajun Andouille Sausage (I like Aidell’s brand), sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds (or “coins”)
  3. 1 cup all purpose flour, plus 2 TBSP, divided
  4. 3 TBSP Creole Seasoning
    • Note:  You can use any store bought brand such as Tony Cachere’s, but I prefer “Emeril’s Essence” (also referred to as “Bayou Blast) which you can buy in stores or make it yourself.  When opting to make it myself, I usually make it by the teaspoon rather than tablespoon, but the key is just to keep the ratios the same.
  5. Olive oil:  2 TBSP, plus a few drizzles to coat chicken for dredging
  6. 1 cup vegetable oil
  7. 1 large green bell pepper, diced
  8. 1 large yellow onion, diced
  9. 4 ribs celery, diced
  10. 4 cloves garlic, minced
  11. 3/4 cup okra (optional, some people don’t like it, but it’s what makes gumbo authentic)
  12. Dash Worcestershire sauce
  13. 2 140z cans low sodium chicken broth
  14. Cooked white rice, cooked according to package directions, for serving

Instructions

Add 2 TBSP olive oil plus sausage rounds to a dutch oven or large sauté pan and heat over medium-high heat.  Sauté until sausage is well browned and most of the fat from the sausage has rendered, 5-7 minutes.  Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and reserve in a medium size bowl.

In a another medium bowl, mix 3 TBSP all purpose flour with 3 TBSP creole seasoning.  Whisk to combine thoroughly.  Pat chicken breasts dry and rub each breast with a drizzle of olive oil.  Dredge the chicken breasts in the seasoned flour mixture and add to pan with sausage fat.  Fry breasts in sausage fat on each side, 2-3 minutes or until well browned.  Remove to a cutting board and reserve.

Note:  Don’t overcrowd the pan with the chicken; work in batches if you have to.  Add more fat to the pan between batches if you have to, either by adding extra olive oil, extra sausage fat from the bowl of reserved sausages, or both.  You want to develop a nice fond on the bottom of the pan, but you don’t want to burn anything.

Add onion, green pepper and celery to the pan (this combination is known as the Trinity of Cajun Cooking) and sauté until the vegetables and onion have released most of their moisture and the onions are mostly translucent, 5-7 minutes.  Stir constantly, scraping up any fond (brown bits) from the bottom of the pan to combine with the mixture.

Add garlic and sauté until very fragrant, 1-2 minutes.

Add okra (if using), and dash of Worcestershire sauce.  Add chicken broth to deglaze the pan and stir, scraping up any remaining brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add sausage and any drippings to the pot.  Cube chicken breasts on the cutting board (it’s okay if they’re still raw in the middle, they’re going to cook in the pot), and add to the pot.

Give everything a few good stirs to combine and bring to a boil; then reduce to a simmer.

While the stock is simmering, make your roux:

To make the roux, heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a medium sauce pot over medium-low heat until it is around 250°F – 300°F.  Whisking vigorously and constantly, slowly add the 1 cup flour to the oil, a few sprinkles at a time, until all the flour is incorporated.  Continue to whisk vigorously and constantly, cooking the flour in the oil.  Don’t stop whisking!  You will notice that the color of the roux changes from white, to blond, to peanut butter colored, to light brown, to dark brown (the color of beef stock).  Once the roux is the color of beef stock, remove from the heat and continue to whisk until significantly cooled.  While you are whisking your roux to cool, off the heat on the simmering pot completely.  (Did I mention don’t stop whisking?)

Note:  None of this is as hard as it sounds.  I got it on my first try.  Go slow, pay attention to what you’re doing and you’ll be fine.  DO follow the instructions below.

Note:  This will take anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes depending on how much heat you are using.  The higher the heat, the more likely it is you will burn your roux and you will have to start over.  If you see black flecks in your roux, you have to discard it and start over, so use lower heat at first.  As the roux begins to darken it is not uncommon for it to smoke quite a bit.  Also, it is incredibly hot, so don’t try to taste it.

Note:  Adding the hot roux directly into the simmering pot will create an impressive explosion, sending lava-hot roux and boiling broth erupting like Vesuvius all over you and your kitchen.  I did this on the first go-round; don’t be like me.  Follow the instructions in the next paragraph instead…

Once the roux has cooled, take a ladle full of liquid from the pot and slowly whisk it into the roux, stirring constantly to combine.  Very carefully and slowly, add the roux mixture back into the pot, a little bit at a time, stirring constantly while you do this to combine.

Return pot to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and allow to reduce until thick and hearty, about 45 minutes.  Serve with steamed white rice and a crusty loaf of bread.

 

Chunky Beef Chili

This delicious chili requires minimal effort and can be made on the stove top or in a slow-cooker.  It is spicy, rich and perfect for a cold winter night.  Serve with extra jalapeños, avocados and diced white onions as well as a dollop of sour cream and Mexican cheese.  This chili can be made a day ahead of time, refrigerated and reheated.  It’s even better after all the flavors have had a chance to meld together.  Also, remember:  This is frontier food – it was originally cobbled together from whatever was laying around when high-end ingredients were scarce, so feel free to experiment and have fun.  This recipe is a jumping off point to highlight the basics, where you go from here on your chili adventure is up to you!

 

 

Time: 2 hrs on stove top; 4 hrs slow-cooker on HIGH; 8 hrs slow-cooker on LOW
Level: Easy
Cost: About $5 per plate
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

  1. 3 lbs beef chuck roast or stew meat, cut into 1 or 1.5 inch cubes
  2. Kosher salt and Pepper, to taste
  3. 8 oz bacon, diced into lardons
  4. 1 cup celery (about 4 stocks), diced
  5. 1 large white onion, diced
  6. 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
  7. 4 jalapeño peppers, diced
  8. 1 large green bell pepper, diced
  9. 1 6oz can Chipotle chilés in Adobo sauce, minced
  10. 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
  11. 3 TBSP flour
  12. 1 cup chicken broth ( or 1 14oz can if finishing on stove top)
  13. 1/2 cup coffee (liquid, not grounds… I used what was left in my cup from this morning)
  14. Optional (Beans and Tomatoes in chili are actually somewhat contentious.  Read more about the debate here, but remember:  Cooking is about experimentation, having fun, and doing what you want.  So do as you will.

    • 2 14oz cans red kidney beans
    • 1 14oz can petite diced tomatoes
  15. 1/4 cup (or more) Masa Harina (instant cornflour – the key thing here being ‘instant’)

Instructions

Add bacon lardons to a large sauté pan or dutch oven, and cook over high heat until crisp and most of the bacon fat has rendered, about 10 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.

Season beef cubes aggressively with kosher salt and pepper and cook in the bacon fat until nicely browned.  Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.

Drain off all the fat in the pan except 1-2 TBSP, reduce heat to medium.  Carefully add celery and onion (take care that the pan is not too hot; you don’t want this stuff to burn!) and sauté until fragrant and onions are mostly translucent, 3-5 minutes.  Add garlic and continue to sauté until fragrant, 1-2 more minutes.  Add jalapeños, green bell pepper, Adobo chiles and Worcestershire sauce and cook another 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until peppers are soft.

Add 14oz can chicken broth, kidney beans and tomatoes (if using), and coffee.  Stir in flour and mix everything well.  Add bacon and browned beef.  Liquid should be almost covering the contents of the pot but not quite.  Stir once more to incorporate.

If finishing in the oven:

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Bring chili to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Place chili into oven with lid on but slightly ajar (perhaps 1/4″ – 1/2″ gap) and cook until beef is tender, about 4 hours.

If finishing in a slow cooker:

Coat the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray.  Add all items to a slow cooker; cover completely and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours until beef is tender and falling apart.

To Finish:

In the last 10-15 minutes of cooking, stir in 1/4 cup (more or less) of masa harina until desired texture is achieved.  It should be thick and chunky, not watery soup.  Any Texan will tell you this is the ONLY way to thicken your chili, but if you don’t have masa harina available a slurry of 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water will work just fine.

Serve with sliced avocado, diced onion, green onions, fresh minced cilantro, shredded cheddar cheese (or my favorite, finely grated Cotija cheese) and warm corn tortillas

 

Cuban Pulled Pork & Mojo Sandwiches

This amazing pulled pork can be thrown together in as little as 20 minutes, and then you can set it and forget it while it slow-roasts all day.  Dinner will be waiting for you when you get home.  Initially I was worried about this one.  I was afraid that a pork loin, which is a pretty lean cut, would dry out in the slow cooker.  But marinating it ahead of time and letting it soak in it’s own juices rendered a product that was juicy and unbelievably tender.

Prep: 20 minutes
Marinate: 2 hrs – 8 hrs
Cook: 4 hrs slow-cooker on HIGH; 8 hrs slow-cooker on LOW
Total Time: 4.5 to 16.5 hours
Total Active Time: 20 – 30 minutes
Level: Easy
Cost: About $4 per plate
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

For the Pork

  1. 1 3-4lb pork loin, trimmed of silver skin and cut in half or in thirds, depending on the size of your slow cooker
  2. 4-6 cloves garlic, finely minced
  3. 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  4. Zest from one orange
  5. Zest of 2-3 limes
  6. 1.5 cups orange juice
  7. 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (about 6-8 limes)
  8. 1/4 cup olive oil
  9. 2 tsp ground cumin
  10. 2 tsp ground oregano
  11. 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  12. a few generous grinds black pepper

For Mojo Sandwiches (per sandwich)

  1. 1 Croissant
  2. 2 slices ham (not honey)
  3. 2 slices Swiss cheese
  4. Dill pickle chips
  5. Dijon mustard

Instructions

For the Pork

Combine all ingredients except pork in a large mixing bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined.  Add pork to marinade refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Once pork is finished marinating, remove from marinade (do not discard the marinade) and pat dry with paper towels.  Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or sauté pan until shimmering and just slightly smoking (about 375°F).  Add pork and brown on all sides, 5-7 minutes.

Using cooking spray, spray the inside container of slow-cooker until lightly coated.  Add browned pork and reserved marinade.  Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours.

When pork is finished, use two forks to shred pork.  Serve over steamed white rice or as part of Mojo Sandwiches (recipe follows).

For the Sandwiches

Halve a croissant lengthwise and slather both cut sides generously with Dijon mustard.  Add one slice of Swiss Cheese, followed by a generous helping of pork, followed by a few pickles, followed by a slice of ham and another slice of Swiss cheese.