Tequila Sunrise Chicken I never soak my food in anything I would not drink. Well, there is nothing like a tequila sunrise to make you smile, giggle, or fall down laughing—and this tequila sunrise marinade makes chicken sing with flavor, which is my way of saying that this is a very happy, snappy recipe. Make an extra pitcher of sunrises for yourself—just be careful to make sure only the chicken gets sauced!
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Grilling Method: Indirect/Medium Heat
Special Equipment: Vacu Vin Instant Marinater
2 whole chickens, 3 to 4 pounds each
3 bunches green onions, trimmed
11⁄2 cups fresh orange juice
1 cup tequila
1⁄2 cup grenadine
1 small white onion, roughly chopped
8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Olive oil Lime wedges
1. Use a large knife or poultry shears to split each chicken down the middle into 2 halves. Pat the chickens dry with paper towels. Place the chickens and green onions in a large bowl or 2 large resealable plastic bags.
2. Whisk together the orange juice, tequila, grenadine, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Pour the marinade over the chickens and onions and turn several times to coat. Cover the container and refrigerate at least 4 hours (or, preferably, overnight), turning the chickens several times. Alternatively, use the Instant Marinater and marinate for 30 minutes.
3. Build a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill. Remove the chickens and green onions from the marinade and discard it. Lightly brush the chickens and green onions with oil and season with salt. Place them on the cooking grate, skin-side up over indirect medium heat. Cover and grill for 30 to 45 minutes or until the chickens register 180°F in the thickest part of the thighs and the juices run clear. Remove the chickens from the grill and let them rest for 10 minutes.
4. While the chickens rest, grill the green onions over direct medium-heat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally until browned in spots and wilted.
5. Serve the chicken hot, garnished with grilled green onions and lime wedges. TIP: You can also use a rib rack or roast holder to hold the half chickens upright during grilling.
Buffalo-Style Chicken Wings This is the easiest chicken wing recipe you’re bound to encounter, especially since the wings don’t need to be marinated. All the flavor and the traditional sweet heat are added to the wings once they’ve crisped up on the grill. In memory of my favorite Buffalo, New York native, Harold Herman, I call for serving them with Buffalo’s favorite sides—blue cheese dip and celery sticks—but they are equally good on their own.
Makes 6 to 10 servings
Grilling Method: Combo/Medium Heat
4 to 5 pounds chicken wings or drummettes (24 pieces)
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 6-ounce bottle Louisiana hot sauce
2 tablespoons butter,
1 tablespoon honey
Blue Cheese Lovers’ Blue Cheese Dip (page 294)
6 celery stalks, cut into sticks
1. Build a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Coat them all over with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the wings in the center of the cooking grate over indirect medium heat, cover, and grill for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once halfway through the cooking time.
2. Meanwhile, combine the hot sauce, butter, and honey in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, whisking occasionally, and reduce the heat to low. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the sauce, taking about 1⁄3 to the grill to brush on the wings, keeping the rest warm. Turn the wings over and grill for the final 10 minutes and remove them from the grill.
3. Switch to medium direct heat. Pour the remaining sauce over the wings and toss to coat them evenly. Take the coated wings back to the grill and place them on the cooking grate. Cover and grill 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until very brown and caramelized. Remove from the grill onto a clean platter.
4. Serve hot, with the blue cheese dip and celery stalks on the side.
Chipotle Chicken Thighs Two years ago, I had the opportunity to travel the Isthmus region of Oaxaca, Mexico, with Suzanna Trilling, Mexican cooking expert and host of the television cooking show Seasons of My Heart. The highlight of the trip was attending a vela or festival (called Vela de la Virgen de la Candelaria) where the women (including yours truly) dressed in hand-embroidered velvet costumes with lots of gold jewelry. The price of admission was a case of Coronitas (pony-size Corona beers—so small you finish them off before they have a chance to get warm) per person. To go with the beer, the local ladies also offered bowl after bowl of homemade food. A spicy and piquant chipotle chicken dish was made by many of the women, each adding her own special touch to the basic recipe. Be sure to serve this chicken with a wedge of lime and an ice cold Corona.
Makes 4 servings
Grilling Method: Indirect/Medium Heat
1 white onion, chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 7-ounce can chipotles in adobo
2 limes, 1 juiced and 1 quartered
Kosher salt 2 to 3 cups mayonnaise
8 chicken thighs or 2 chickens, cut into pieces
1. In a blender, mix the onion, cilantro, chipotles with adobo sauce, and lime juice. Add a pinch of salt. Remove to a large nonreactive bowl. Fold in 2 cups of mayonnaise. Taste and adjust the seasonings. If it is too hot, add more mayonnaise. Add the chicken pieces, cover, and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours, turning occasionally.
2. When ready to cook, build a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill. Place the chicken, bone-side down, in the center of the cooking grate over indirect medium heat.
3. Cover and grill-roast until the breast meat near the bone registers 170°F and the thigh meat registers 180°F, about 45 minutes. You do not need to turn the chicken pieces. If you don’t have a thermometer, cook until the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear. Remove the chicken from the grill using tongs and a spatula to preserve the crust on the top of the thighs. Let the chicken sit for 10 minutes before serving. TIP: I created this recipe to capture the essence of the food that I ate and cooked during my two-week culinary exploration of Oaxaca. Although it seems that mayonnaise is an inauthentic ingredient for Mexican cooking, in fact, it is purchased there in large quantities in local warehouse stores and used for cooking everything—even in the most remote villages. The truth is that mayonnaise is really just a great way to lubricate and flavor meat or fish. My mayo-based wet rub can be used equally well on thick fish steaks or large whole fish such as snapper.
Chicken Paillard with Greek Farmer’s Salad and Tzatziki Sometimes cooking is as therapeutic as it is nourishing. And making a paillard is the ultimate in stress relief since you pound the meat until it is uniformly thin. The fresh lemon and oregano rub infuses the thin pieces of chicken, making them sparkle with flavor. Served on top of a Greek farmer’s salad (horatiki) and dressed with the pungent garlic-cucumber-yogurt sauce called tzatziki, it’s a dish that’s hard to beat. The chicken is also good served on top of the salad with a spicy oregano vinaigrette.
Makes 4 servings
Grilling Method: Direct/Medium Heat
Special Equipment: Meat pounder or rolling pin
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
3 lemons,
2 zested and 1 cut in wedges
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
1⁄4 teaspoon water
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Lemon zest for garnishing, optional
1. Build a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill. Rinse and dry each chicken breast, remove the tenderloins if they’re still attached, and save them for another use. Brush the chicken lightly with oil on both sides (this will make the pounding easier). Place each chicken breast between 2 pieces of parchment or waxed paper about 8 x 8 inches. Using a meat pounder (or rolling pin), flatten each breast to about an even 1⁄4-inch thickness. Set aside.
2. Make the rub: Mix the garlic, lemon zest, salt, and water in a mortar or a shallow bowl. Grind with the pestle or the back of a fork. Add the oregano and pepper and grind again to mix. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions.
3. Brush each chicken paillard with olive oil on both sides.
4. With clean hands, rub each piece with 1⁄4 of the wet rub on both sides, making sure to coat evenly. (The rub is very flavorful and will be too strong if left in clumps on the pieces of chicken.)
5. Using tongs, place the paillards on the cooking grate over direct medium heat, cover, and grill for about 6 minutes, turning once halfway through the cooking time.When the chicken is marked and cooked through, remove it from the grill.
6. Immediately squirt 1 to 2 lemon wedges over each piece of chicken, and let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with the parsley and strips of lemon zest, if desired. Serve with Yogurt-Cucumber Sauce and Greek Farmer’s Salad.
Yogurt-Cucumber Sauce (Tzatziki)
Makes 2 cups
2 cups nonfat plain yogurt
1⁄2 medium seedless cucumber, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1⁄2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1. Put the yogurt in a strainer, and set over a large bowl. Allow it to drain overnight in the refrigerator. Discard the liquid.
2. Wipe out the bowl, then put the yogurt into it. Add the cucumber, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Refrigerate before serving. TIP: Make the tzatziki up to 3 days in advance. The flavors intensify and actually taste better once they’ve had a chance to meld. TIP: The older the garlic, the stronger it tastes. If your garlic is a little past its prime but hasn’t started sprouting yet, you can still use it, just reduce the quantity by half if you don’t like a strong garlic flavor. Likewise, if you love the taste of garlic and your garlic is extremely fresh and firm, increase the amount of garlic for a more pronounced flavor.
Greek Farmer’s Salad
Makes 4 to 6 servings
4 medium fully ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 medium (seedless) cucumber, peeled and cut into
1⁄2-inch chunks
1 small red onion, cut in half and sliced into semicircles
20 oil cured black olives, more or less to taste
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 ounces feta cheese, cut into 8 slices (optional)
1. Put the tomato wedges, cucumber chunks, sliced onions, and olives into a large bowl. Mix well and season with salt, pepper, and dried oregano.
Serve with chicken paillard and tzatziki immediately. If using the optional feta cheese, serve authentic Greek style with the cheese laid on top in thick slices (do not crumble or mix into salad).
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