Fancy-Ass Chicken

• 1 whole roasting Chicken
• 1 can of champagne (or sparkling wine)
• Rub (All-Purpose BBQ Rub, Herbes de Provence mix, or another poultry blend)

Pour half the champagne into a glass to enjoy.  Trim the bird and dry with paper towels, insert half-full can into the cavity, keeping the can vertical and supporting with legs.  Apply dry rub to the outside of the bird and let it sit while starting the smoker.

Smoke for 2-3 hours at 250-275, using apple wood added immediately after chicken.

Cook until breast meat is 160 in the middle, and allow to rest 10  minutes before carving.

"L Street" Salad

• 1 Tbsp sweet curry powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp coriander
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied
• avocado oil
• baby spinach
• 1 carrot, shredded with peeler
• ½ cup red cabbage, shredded
• 4 clementines or petit tangerines, peeled and sliced
• 1 pint strawberries, sliced
• slivered almonds
• crumbled goat cheese
• Lemon vinaigrette

Mix the spices and coat the chicken evenly in bag.  Add avocado oil, and let marinade if desired.  Grill or pan fry the chicken on high heat.  Let the chicken rest, slice thinly across the grain, and place on top of spinach beds.  Pile carrot, cabbage, strawberries, and citrus, almonds, and cheese, and then drizzle with vinaigrette.

Serves 4

Bourbon Apple Glazed Chicken Wings

• 4 lbs chicken wings 
• 1 cup bourbon 
• 1 can frozen apple juice concentrate
• ½ cup aminos
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup date molasses
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 bunch scallions

Combine all of the ingredients in a sauté pan. Bring to boil on high heat and then reduce to a high simmer for 30-40 minutes until the wings are tender and the glaze has reduced, coating the wings.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the wings from the pot and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the wings brown and the glaze becomes shiny. Garnish with a few chopped scallions and serve.

Cilantro-Lime Chicken

• 8 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 bunch cilantro, stems removed, chopped; more for garnish

Spice mix:

• 1 tbsp seasoned salt
• 1 tsp hot paprika
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix the spices in a small bowl. Pat the chicken thighs dry, and season evenly.

Heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a cast iron skillet. Brown the chicken thighs deeply on both sides in the heated oil. Remove from the skillet and set aside briefly.

Lower the heat and deglaze the skillet with the white wine. Let cook to reduce and then add the broth.  Bring the liquid to a simmer then add lime juice and garlic.  Now return the chicken to the skillet and add the cilantro.  Bring to a high-simmer for about 5 minutes or so.

Cover the skillet and bake for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with more cilantro.

h/t: http://www.themediterraneandish.com/cilantro-lime-chicken-thighs-recipe/

Tandoori Chicken

• 1 whole chicken, quartered 
• 2 Tbsp ghee 
• 1 red onion, sliced into rings and soaked for 30 minutes 
• 1 lemon, wedged 

First Marinade

• 1 tsp sea salt 
• 2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder 
• 1" ginger, peeled 
• 2 cloves garlic 
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice 

Second Marinade

• 1 cup Greek yogurt 
• 1" ginger, peeled and minced 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder 
• 1 Tbsp garam masala 
• 1 tsp ground coriander 

Trim the chicken and make deep slices to allow marinade to penetrate. Sever tendons connecting ankle joints.

Blend first marinade ingredients and rub over chicken pieces. place in covered dish and refrigerate 30 minutes while preparing second marinade

Whisk together ingredients for second marinade. After 30 minutes, rub the second marinade over the chicken. Place the chicken in a ziplock bag and refrigerate overnight.

Grill on direct heat bone-side down for 10 minutes. Once char is established, move to indirect side and brush with melted ghee. Grill to temp, about 30 minutes.

Serve with onions and lemon wedges.

Oven

If roasting, place chicken on a rack in a lined baking sheet, and roast at 450° until cooked through, ~45 minutes. Brush with glee 20 minutes into cooking.

Better Butter Chicken

• 2 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• ½ tsp coriander
• 1 tsp fenugreek powder
• 1t chili powder
• 1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
• ½ can coconut milk
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 lb. red chard, chopped and stemmed

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. In a large skillet, heat coconut oil over medium heat, add onion and sauté. Turn heat to low, add garlic, cardamom, coriander, fenugreek, and chili powder and stir into paste. Turn heat back to medium and add tomato paste, coconut milk, and salt, and whisk. Bring the sauce to a simmer and add chicken. Stir well, cover, and cook on medium-low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir butter into sauce until melted and serve over chard.

Asparagus-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

• 16 asparagus stalks
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup ham, cubed
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Preheat oven to 350°. Blanch asparagus for 1 minute and set aside. Butterfly chicken and place 1 Tbsp butter, 4 asparagus stalks, and some ham in each breast. Secure each chicken breasts with a toothpick, sprinkle each with salt and pepper, and place on greased glass baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Bacon, Chicken, and Avocado Salad

• 4-5 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch bits
• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into 2-inch pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper
• 1 avocado – peeled, pitted and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped walnut
• 1 apple – cut into 1 inch chunks

In a pan over medium heat, cook the bacon “bits” until crisp. Remove and set aside, but save the bacon grease in the pan. Next, add the chopped and seasoned chicken thighs to the pan and sauté in the bacon grease. Cook the chicken and turn so that every side is browned. Allow it to simmer over low heat while you prepare the rest of the salad. Toss the chopped romaine, avocado, chicken and bacon together. Top with red onion, walnuts and apple. Dress with a vinaigrette.

Butterflied Grilled Chicken

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 Tbsp ground pepper (try a mix of white and black)
• 1-2 Tbsp smoked paprika (or just sweet paprika if you can’t find the smoked variety)
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder or dried minced garlic
• 1 tsp turmeric

Get the grill started first, so it comes up to at least 325 degrees Fahrenheit before you put the bird on.

Mix the dry ingredients together and set the rub aside.

Set the chicken breast-side down and remove anything that’s inside the cavity. Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears, cut down each side of the backbone to remove it.

The backbone runs right down the middle of the chicken. When the backbone is removed, the chicken will fold open.

Rub the bird with olive oil then rub the spice mix generously all over the bird.

Cook the chicken with the grill lid on, checking and turning the bird every 15 minutes. Watch out for flare-ups and try to avoid letting the chicken comes in direct contact with flames. Cook until an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit is reached.

h/t www.marksdailyapple.com/