Friday, April 8, 2011

GUY FIERI'S MOJITO CHICKEN

I was looking through  Food network and specifically Guy Fieri's recipes.  I like his recipes for their bold flavors.  This one caught my eye and I'm glad it did.  It is one of the most flavorful chicken recipes I've found. What I also liked about it is that all the ingredients are things that I had on hand.  It is a little involved but well worth the effort.  The only thing I wasn't sold on was the glaze.  I didn't think it added any thing to the chicken.  I would not bother with it the next time I make it.  You can be the judge when you make this chicken.  So here is how it goes:

1 whole chicken
Rub:
2 Tbs garlic powder
1Tbsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1Tbsp dried oregano
2Tbsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp paprika
Remove the back bone of the chicken with poultry shears or knife.  Flatten chicken by pressing firmly on the breast part of the chicken so that it will lay flat.
Combine all the dry spices and rub the chicken with the spice mixture, especially under the skin.  Put into a resealable bag and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or more.
Marinade:
1C orange juice
2 lines juiced
1/4C white wine vinegar (plain white vinegar works)
1/4C olive oil
1Tbsp sliced garlic (or to taste)
1/4C dark rum
In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the marinade. Add the chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour, but longer the better.  You can also just pour the marinade into the resealable bag and gently shake it around to coat the chicken well with the marinade.  Turn the bag every so often to get the marinade on all parts of the chicken.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees
Remove chicken from the marinade and shake off any excess marinade.  In a large saute or frying pan (oven proof) over medium heat add 4 Tbsp olive oil.  When oil is hot add the chicken skin side down and sear.
When the skin is golden brown flip the chicken and add 1/2 C of the marinade to the pan. Place the pan into the preheated oven and cook for 25-30min. or until the juices run clear when you insert a knife into the thigh area.  It should be at about 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
Mojito Glaze:
1/2C rum
1/2C chicken stock
1Tbsp brown sugar
3Tbsp cold water
1Tbsp corn starch
1/4C fresh mint leaves chopped
salt and pepper
In a medium sauce pan place the rum,chicken broth and brown sugar.  Reduce by 1/3 over high heat.  In a small bowl mix together the corn starch and water.  When rum mixture is reduced, add the cornstarch mixture slowly to the simmering liquid and whisk for 3 minutes or until 50 percent thicker.  When glaze is the desired thickness add mint leaves and transfer to a small bowl, season with salt and pepper.
When the chicken is done remove from the oven and brush with the glaze.  Place the chicken under the broiler for about 5 minutes.  Remove from the broiler, cut and serve the chicken immediately with more glaze on the side.

Like I said it's a bit involved but not hard to do.  Instead of the glaze (sorry Guy, I just didn't think it did anything) I would take any of the left over marinade and cook it down as a sauce for the chicken.  The sauce is excellent over the chicken, over rice, over potatoes.
This would also be an excellent way to prepare pork chops.  Also this would be good grilled on the barbecue.  This is just a damn good recipe.  It is one of my new favorites.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

That poor chicken is bow-legged! This looks delish Eileen..as usual. I think I'll try it. Nice pics.

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