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Southwestern Green Chile Chicken
In mexico, they keep their chicken moist by grilling it underneath stones. In this recipe I've substituted foil covered bricks for stones. I got the idea from Steven Raichlen in his BBQ USA book. This is a technique used in New Mexico. I thought it added a little moisture. If you have time, it's worth it. And now that I have the foil covered bricks near my grill (I used over sized bricks that cover about six inch by 1 foot space...three cover my whole grill), I plan to use them frequently when cooking skinless, boneless meat. I cooked equal servings of this chicken and the red chile version (see linked recipe below). They share most of the same ingredients, so it was easy and provided a nice variety of flavors. Most of our guests took one piece of each. Ingredients
- 6 whole skinless, boneless chicken thighs or 2 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts or 4 half breasts (each half 6-8 ounces)
- Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and cracked or freshly ground black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 New Mexico green chile, or 2 to 4 serrano or jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (for hotter chicken, leave the seeds in)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, plus 4 lime wedges for serving
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
- Wrap 2-4 bricks in aluminum foil (shiny side out)
- If using whole chicken breasts, cut each in half. Trim any sinews or excess fat off the breasts and discard. Rinse the breasts then drain and blot dry with paper towels. Place the breasts in a nonreactive baking dish for marinating. Generously season the breasts on both sides with salt, pepper, cumin seeds, garlic, chopped chile, and cilantro. Pour the lime juice and olive oil over the chicken breasts, turning to coat both sides. Let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 30 minutes to 3 hours.
- Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to high. When ready to cook, clean and oil the grill grate. Arrange the breasts on the hot grate. Place one brick on top of each two breast halves.
- Grill the breasts for 4 minutes. Turn the breasts over, pour any remaining marinade over them., and place the bricks back on top,
- Grill until cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes longer. The total cooking time will be 8 to 10 minutes.
- Cut with a knife to test for doneness. The meat should be moist but not pink. Remove the grilled chicken to a platter.
- Garnish with any extra cilantro and serve with the lime wedges
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,%20I%20plan%20to%20use%20them%20frequently%20when%20cooking%20skinless,%20boneless%20meat.%20%20I%20cooked%20equal%20servings%20of%20this%20chicken%20and%20the%20red%20chile%20version%20(see%20linked%20recipe%20below).%20%20They%20share%20most%20of%20the%20same%20ingredients,%20so%20it%20was%20easy%20and%20provided%20a%20nice%20variety%20of%20flavors.%20%20Most%20of%20our%20guests%20took%20one%20piece%20of%20each.){kind=small}
