Grilled Red Chile-Buttermilk Brined Chicken w/ Mango Honey Glaze

Bobby Flay has some amazing recipes up his little sleeve but good Lord are they a lot of work.  This ain't 30 minute meals, people!  In fact, I was mentally prepared to make this for dinner one night -- I went to the store and gathered all the pertinent ingredients and spices, random dried peppers, etc -- when I read the first sentence of the instructions, "Place chicken in fridge for 4 to 24 hours".  DAMN!  I mean I totally had the 4 hours but 24 hours??!!  Of COURSE I have to marinate for 24 hours -- I can't half-ass this!!!  {Yet another example of reading the recipe all the way through before you get your heart set on a meal....however I guess I was just being stupid-pants because the word brine is in the recipe's title.  duh.}  

Well, giving the chicken 24 hours was well worth the wait -- the meat was so juicy and so flavorful -- there really are no words.  

I went ahead and served this delicious chicken over rice simply dressed with arugula and lime juice.  The mango honey glaze gets all gooey over the rice and it all just goes wonderfully together!  Put the time and ingredients into this lovely spin on the boring grilled chicken we are used to this time of year!  Spice things up a bit!

Grilled Red Chile-Buttermilk Brined Chicken w/ Mango Honey Glaze - 4 servings

Chicken:

1 quart buttermilk
2 tbsp ancho chile powder
1 tbsp new mexican chile powder
1 tbsp cascabel chile powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 (8oz) skin on chicken breasts
4 chicken drumsticks
salt and pepper

Glaze:

2 tbsp canola oil
1 small spanish onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 large ripe mangos, peeled and chopped
1/2 c. dry white wine
1/4 c. pineapple juice
1/4 c. fresh orange juice
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tbsp honey
salt and pepper

1.  For chicken:  combine buttermilk and all spices.  Add chicken and turn to coat.  Place chicken in fridge for 4 to 24 hours, turning a few times.
2.  Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels.  Put chicken on a baking rack set over a baking sheet.  Return to fridge, uncovered for 1 to 4 hours.  
3.  For glaze:  heat oil in saute pan over medium high.  Add onion and cook until soft, 4 minutes.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute.  Add mangoes and cook until broken down and caramelized, 10 minutes.  Add white wine and cook until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.  
4.  Transfer glaze to blender; add pineapple juice, orange juice, and cayenne pepper.  Blend until smooth and strain into a small bowl and season with honey, salt and pepper.  Mixture should be a thick puree, thin with water if  necessary.  Cool to room temperature.
5.  Prepare grill to medium high heat.  Brush chicken with oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill skin side down for 4 to 5 minutes.  Decrease heat to medium, close grill and cook 15 to 20 minutes.  During the last few minutes, brush chicken with some of glaze.  
6.  Remove chicken from grill to a platter with more glaze.  Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Mexican-Style Caprese Salad

We are all probably familiar with a traditional caprese salad: tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and a drizzle of delicious olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  It’s one of my favorite salads because nothing beats a ball of freshly made mozzarella.  Yum!  Today I’m showing you a twist on this traditional salad -- made with a Mexican spin!  {Hello, Cinco de Mayo party!!!!}  This salad is easy to put together and it is a beautiful presentation!  Instead of mozzarella we are going to use queso fresco, which is a Mexican crumbling cheese used to top food.  It’s salty and very firm, resembling feta cheese in texture.  You can find it in the cheese section of most grocery stores. {I found mine at Walmart!}  The cheese is firm enough to throw on a grill pan, making this salad even more special!  But by all means, if you’re worried about grilling this cheese, skip that step....the dish will still be delish!

Mexican-Style Caprese Salad (makes 4 starter salads)

Salsa:

1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered

1/2 red onion, minced

2 handfuls fresh cilantro, chopped

juice from 2 limes

salt and pepper to taste

Assembly:

1 small jar Tomatillo salsa

1 package queso fresco 

extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

salt and pepper

1. For the salsa, combine all ingredients and set aside.
2. Heat a grill pan over medium high heat.  Thickly slice queso fresco into 1/2 inch thick round slices (you can probably get 2 slices per package of cheese).  Drizzle cheese with olive oil and place on the grill pan.  Grill each side of cheese for about 2 minutes or until grill marks form.  Remove cheese from pan and set aside.
3. Cut each cheese slice into 4 pieces.  Place 2 pieces grilled cheese on each plate.  Top with tomato mixture then drizzle with Tomatillo salsa and olive oil if desired.  Serve immediately. 

Crispy Fried Chicken with Chili Sauce

What’s better than fried chicken?  Answer: fried chicken smothered in a spicy cilantro-chile sauce.  Boom!  I saw this fantastic recipe on pinterest and I knew I had to make it immediately.  The chicken’s light, crispy exterior is perfect for keeping the meat moist and juicy, while providing that familiar crunch.  I served the chicken with rice and a mixture of spinach and baby bok choy sauteed in soy sauce and sesame oil.  It was the perfect complement to the chicken.  This would be a lovely meal for your Valentine if you’re cooking at home -- easy, yet impressive.  

Crispy Fried Chicken with Chili Sauce (2 servings)

from Cherry On My Sundae

Marinade:

2 chicken legs (drumstick and thigh), deboned, skinless

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice wine

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 spring onion, finely chopped

2 thin slices ginger, minced

1/2 tsp sugar

Sauce:

2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp Sichuan pepper, ground

1/2 tsp chili powder

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp water

2 spring onions, finely chopped

1 fresh chili, seeds removed, finely chopped

1 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 fresh cilantro, leaves and stems finely chopped

2 tbsp sweet potato starch, potato starch, or cornstarch 

2 tbsp all purpose flour

oil for deep frying

Marinate the chicken by combining the soy sauce - 1/2 tsp sugar. Add the deboned chicken legs and toss to coat. Let stand for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile make the chili sauce by combining all the ingredients from the 2 tbsp soy sauce to the cilantro. Let stand for 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together.

Preheat your fryer or frying oil to 325 degrees F. You can either pour about 2-3 cups of the frying oil into a deep pot or into a wok. 

Combine the sweet potato starch, potato starch or cornstarch with the ap flour. Coat the chicken in the flour mix, shaking off any excess. Carefully add the chicken to the heated oil and fry until the chicken is golden brown and cooked throughout, about 5 minutes. 

Remove from the oil and let rest on a paper towel for 1 minute. 

To serve, cut the chicken into strips and pour the dressing on top.

Peruvian Steak and Potato Stir Fry

The holiday season is in full swing -- shopping, parties, cookies, baking, entertaining -- I love the excitement and I love keeping busy!  What I don’t love this time of year is coming home from work with a 39-ingredient recipe to tackle for dinner -- and what I hate even more than that is the prospect of not eating home-cooked meal, ie-pizza or Taco Bell for dinner {ok, pizza and taco bell has it’s place, I know...}

This dinner recipe is a simple one pot meal that requires and handful of ingredients but is really packed with spices and flavor.  This past year, I’ve been trying to train my husband to actually enjoy ethnic foods such as Indian.  I’m achieving this by making him  dinners laced with exotic spices he has labeled as “gross”.  My first attempt was the Moroccan Chicken Skewers {which he LOVED} and this was my second attempt -- another success!  Woop woop!  I don’t really know where to go from here without serving him a full blown curry {which I’ve tried before only to have an entire dish to eat myself for several days because husband declared that he “doesn’t like curry” and to which I replied “who the hell says that?!”}  Anyway, if any of you have any curry recipes that are a little on the mild side, I’d love to check them out!  And try out this recipe the next time you’re not in the mood to do much in the cooking department -- you’ll love it!

Peruvian Steak and Potato Stir Fry

from Food + Wine Magazine, September 2012

1/4 c. EVOO

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 garlic clove, minced

salt and pepper

1 lb skirt steak

1 red onion, halved and slivered

vegetable oil, for frying

8 oz french fried

1/4 c. sliced pickled jalapenos

1 large tomato, chopped

1/4 c. cilantro, roughly chopped

hot sauce for serving

1. In a large bowl, combine olive oil, cumin, coriander, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Cut steak into 4 inch pieces; slice steaks across the grain 1/2 inch thick and add to bowl along with the onion.  Let marinate 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat 1/2 inch of oil until shimmering.  Add fries and fry over high heat until golden and crisp, about 3 min; drain on paper towels. {I actually skipped the frying and baked my fries according to package instructions}
3. Heat large griddle until very hot.  Add steak and onion along with jalapeno and stir fry over hight heat until meat and onion are cooked through and lightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add tomato and cook until softened and starting to char, 1 minute.  Add fries and cilantro and flip with spatula to combine.  Serve with hot sauce.