Tea-Smoked Sichuan Chicken

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This is a much easier version of the famous smoked duck which involves marinating, steaming, drying, and smoking. You can make this in a stove-top smoker. The tea colors the skin an appealing color, and any loose tea will work, even the Orange Pekoe in most tea bags. If using chicken pieces, cut the marinade recipe in half. Serve with fresh spring rolls, pickled radish and carrot relish, and Sichuan noodles with vegetables. Note that this recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

The Chicken

  • 1 3 ½ to 4-pound whole chicken or 4 legs and thighs

  • Peppercorn Marinade

  • 10 green onions, chopped including the greens

  • 1/4 cup Sichuan peppercorns, roasted, crushed

  • 1/4 cup chopped ginger

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 1/3 cup rice wine or cooking sherry

  • 2 tablespoons orange zest

  • 2 tablespoons crushed chile piquin, or other hot red chile

  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil

  • ½ cup peanut oil

Tea-Smoke Mixture

  • 1 cup raw rice

  • 2/3 cup brown sugar

  • ½ cup dry tea leaves

  • ½ cup Sichuan peppercorns

  • 14 whole star anise, broken in pieces

  • 12 whole cloves

  • 4 2-inch sticks cinnamon

  • Cayenne Finishing Oil

  • 3 tablespoons sesame oil

  • 2 teaspoons ground cayenne

Instructions

If you are using a whole chicken, tie the legs together. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade and place the chicken in a nonreactive pan or large plastic bag and marinate for 24 hours.

Combine the smoking ingredients and place in the pan in the stovetop smoker, if you are using legs and thighs. If using a whole chicken and a smoker or grill, wrap the Tea-Smoke mixture with aluminum foil and poke holes in it.. Smoke the chicken in 200 degree F. smoke for 3 to 4 hours or to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.

Combine the ingredients for the finishing oil and let sit while the chicken is smoking.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Remove the chicken from the smoker, brush with the finishing oil, and place in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes to crisp the skin.

 

Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

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This recipe is courtesy of the Equatorial Penang hotel in Penang, Malaysia. It is a classic Indonesian dish that combines the heat of chiles with the exotic fragrances of the Spice Islands. Note that this recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

  • 4 large pieces ginger, peeled

  • 4 fresh piquin chiles, chopped or substitute serranos

  • 5 cloves garlic, peeled

  • 3 shallots, peeled

  • 1 teaspoon cumin seed

  • 1 teaspoon anise seed

  • 1 tablespoon ground turmeric

  • 3 stalks lemon grass

  • 2 teaspoons sugar

  • 1 pound boneless chicken, cut into strips

  • Indonesian Peanut-Chile Sauce (available in Asian markets)

  • Diced cucumbers and onions for garnish

Instructions

Combine the ginger, chiles, garlic, shallots, cumin, anise, turmeric, lemon grass, and sugar in a food processor and puree, adding water if necessary. Marinate the chicken strips in this mixture for 12 hours, covered, in the refrigerator.

Thread the chicken strips onto separate satay sticks which have been soaked in water. Grill the satay sticks over coals until the meat is done, about 12 minutes, turning often. Serve the satays with the Peanut-Chile Sauce on the side and garnished with the diced cucumbers and onions.

Grilled Split Thai Chicken with Fiery Red Chile Sauce

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Chickens grilled in this manner are very popular throughout Thailand, where they’re sold in bus depots in villages, portable food stations, at the beach—everywhere. The Thais would use bamboo skewers, but metal ones work fine. The skewers keep the chicken flat as it cooks on the grill. You will notice that the chicken is doubly spiced, like American barbecue, but much hotter. Those Thais like their food very pungent! The chiles traditionally used are prik chee fa, with medium-hot, cayenne-like, bright red pods. Serve with sticky rice with mangoes and Thai iced tea.

Ingredients

Thai Seasoning Paste

  • 12 large cloves garlic, chopped

  • ½ cup chopped shallots

  • 1/4 cup chopped ginger

  • 1/4 cup fish sauce or substitute soy sauce

  • 4 stalks lemon grass, peeled to reveal soft inner root and lower stem, chopped

  • 6 large red Thai chiles (prik chee fa), stems and seeds removed, chopped, or substitute 4 red jalapeños

The Chicken

  • 1 3 to 3 ½-pound chicken

  • Fiery Red Chile Sauce

  • 3 dried red New Mexican chiles, stems and seeds removed

  • 4 red Thai chiles (prik chee fa), stems and seeds removed, chopped, or substitute red jalapeños

  • 1 tablespoons chopped ginger

  • 4 cloves garlic

  • ½ cup distilled vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, Thai preferred

  • Salt to taste

Instructions

To make the paste, place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process to a thick paste.

Using poultry shears, or a heavy knife, cut down both sides of the backbone to cut the chicken in half. Remove the backbone and place the chicken on a cutting board skin side up. Press hard on the breastbone to break it and flatten the bird.

Loosen the skin and rub the paste all over the chicken, over and under the skin.

Take the skewers and force one through the thigh perpendicular to bone and just above drumstick, into the breast, and out through the middle joint of the wing. Repeat for the other side of the chicken.

Place the skewers on the grill over a medium-hot fire. Grill slowly, turning as needed to brown evenly, for about 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 160 degrees F. for medium.

To prepare the sauce, soak the dried chiles in hot water to soften for about 20 minutes. Remove, drain, and chop. In a blender or food processor place the chiles, ginger, garlic and 3/4 cup water process until almost puree, but still coarse. Place in a saucepan with the vinegar and sugar. Cook until reduced to about half, remove to a bowl, and add basil and salt to taste. Stir it well.

Serve the chicken with the sauce on the side.

 

Chicken with Garlic & Chile (Pollo Aglio e Peperoncini)

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Serve this easy chicken dish with fresh crusty bread and a salad, but not with pasta or rice. The latter are solo players in Italy and are not served as side dishes.

Ingredients

Tomato, Chicken Breast, Garlic, Onion, Small Red Chile Pod, Italian Parsley

Instructions

Serve this easy chicken dish with fresh crusty bread and a salad, but not with pasta or rice. The latter are solo players in Italy and are not served as side dishes.

Ingredients:

  • 2 ripe tomatoes

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin)

  • 14 ounces skinless chicken breast, cut into ½-inch cubes.

  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped

  • 1 small chile pod, red, hot (Thai , Serrano or Birdseye), seeds and stem removed, chopped

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • 1/2 bunch of Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preparation:

  1. Slit the tomatoes on the top and submerge in boiling water for a minute. Remove from water, peel and remove seeds.

  2. Cube the tomatoes and drain in a strainer for 10 minutes.

  3. In a sauce pan, heat the olive oil and cook onions and garlic until translucent.

  4. Add cubed chicken and brown, stirring constantly.

  5. Season with pepper and salt, add the chopped chile pod and the tomatoes. Cook uncovered for about 15 minutes.

  6. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Yield: 2 to 3 servings

Heat Scale: Medium

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sauce

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In New Mexico, enchiladas can be rolled or flat and stacked, made with yellow or blue corn tortillas, filled with any number of ingredients, and smothered in chile sauce. After you decide to order enchiladas here, there are still decisions to be made. First, blue or regular referring to the type of tortilla, rolled or stacked, red or green chile sauce and, if you can’t decide and want both sauces, order “Christmas.” And finally you may order them with a fried egg on top, which is true New Mexican fare.

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts

  • 2 small onions, chopped

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 whole cloves

  • 1 cup sour cream

  • 1/4 cup black olives, chopped

  • 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

  • Vegetable oil for frying

  • 8 corn tortillas

  • 2 cups Green Chile Sauce 

  • Chopped fresh lettuce and tomatoes, and sour cream for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large pot, cover the chicken, ½ of the onions, garlic, and cloves with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes. Remove the chicken. Strain and reserve the broth for use in the sauce. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones, and shred.

To assemble: Place a little of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. To soften the tortillas, pour the oil in a pan to a depth of about a 1/4-inch and heat until hot enough so that a drop of water in the oil will sputter. Dip a tortilla briefly in hot oil to soften, remove and drain. Next dip the tortilla in the sauce and place on the baking pan. Place some of the chicken down the center of the tortilla, top with some chopped onions, sour cream, olives, and cheese over the chicken, and roll. Ending with the flap side down in the pan.

Pour additional sauce over the enchiladas and bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Garnish with the lettuce and tomatoes, and top with a dollop of sour cream.