Grilled Marinated Tarragon Chicken →

Here’s a super-easy, low-fat, summery version of the classic French recipe Tarragon Chicken. Being in full summer-vibe mode, I adapted Nigela Lawson’s “Roast Marinated Tarragon Chicken” to the grill.  After all, why heat up your oven and house, when you can grill? Faintly licoricey, bitter-sweet Tarragon is an ideal herb to use with chicken, but fresh Thyme with some crushed garlic would also be a good choice in the marinade. Grilling the chicken adds complexity to the flavor of the finished succulent bird. If you have any leftovers, make a summer Chicken Salad accompanied by marinated summer veggies like cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and green beans. Enjoy! 

Grilled Marinated Tarragon Chicken
Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

·   3- to 4-pound chicken (Cornish hen would also work well)
·   ¾ cup chopped fresh tarragon
·   Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
·   ½ cup olive oil
·   Malden salt or other flaky sea salt 

PREPARATION 

1. Butterfly the chicken by placing it breast-side down and, using kitchen shears, cutting along both sides of the backbone and through small rib bones. Discard the backbone, and place the chicken in a large plastic bag with a zipper. Add ½ cup fresh tarragon, lemon juice and zest, and olive oil. Expel as much air as possible from the bag, and make sure the marinade coats the chicken. Refrigerate for at least ½ hour and up to 24 hours.
2. Heat your grill to 450 degrees. Oil the grill grates and place chicken skin side up on the grate. Spread the bird flat and roast until skin is crisp and golden, 35 to 45 minutes.
3. Sprinkle with salt to taste and cut into 8 serving pieces. Transfer to a platter, and garnish with remaining tarragon. Serve with salad or your vegetable of choice and roasted potatoes.

Adapted from a recipe by Nigella Lawson: “Roast Marinated Tarragon Chicken”

Wine pairing: a French Chablis, Spanish Verdejo, Viognier, or Pinot Grigio would work with this dish. A chilled Rosé would also be a good choice.

Grilled Wings with Thai Curry Dipping Sauce →

Not your average grilled chicken wings recipe, the wings marinate overnight in a delicious coconut milk curry sauce before grilling them. The results are exceptionally succulent wings with beautifully caramelized skin, and the mildly sweet and spicy dipping sauce will be a winner with anyone who loves Thai curry. Serve with rice or an orzo salad to soak up every drop of the delicious coconut curry dipping sauce.

Grilled Chicken Wings with Thai Curry Sauce
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• ½ cup finely chopped shallots (2 large)

• ¼ cup vegetable oil

• 2 large garlic cloves, minced

• 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

• 2-3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (2 tablespoons makes a mildly spicy sauce)

• 2 (14-oz) cans of unsweetened coconut milk (I used Thai Kitchen brand)

• 1 ½ teaspoons packed light brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce

• 24 chicken wings separated at the joints; wingtips discarded (6 pieces per person)

• Garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs or fresh basil.

Preparation:

1. Cook the shallots in oil in a wide 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. (4 to 5 minutes)

2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally. (2 minutes)

3. Add the curry paste and cook, mixing the paste with the oil and garlic; stirring constantly for about 3 minutes.

4. Add the coconut milk, brown sugar, and salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 3 cups. (approximately 25 to 30 minutes)

5. Remove from heat, stir in the fish sauce, and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. (about 30 minutes)

6. Reserve 1 ½ cups of curry sauce in a bowl for serving. Cover and chill in the fridge.

7. Separate each wing at the joints so you have a wingette, a drummette, and a wingtip. Discard the wingtips.

8. Coat the wing pieces with the remaining curry sauce in a large bowl or large ziplock bag. Place in the fridge and marinate for at least 12 and up to 24 hours.

9. Let the wings stand at room temperature 30 minutes before grilling.

10. Preheat your grill and oil the grates lightly. You want a medium-hot grill.

11. Remove the wings from the marinade, shaking off excess, and transfer to a large platter. Discard the marinade.

12. Grill the wings, turning every 2-3 minutes to prevent burning until the skin is caramelized and the wing is cooked through about 12 minutes total. *Note: depending on your grill adjust the heat under the wings to prevent burning.

13. Heat the reserved curry sauce in a small saucepan, stirring over moderate heat until hot. Serve the wings with the curry sauce.

14. Garnish with cilantro or fresh basil.

Wine pairing: a Chenin Blanc, Vouvray, Viognier, Dry Riesling, or Rosé

Adapted from https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/grilled-cornish-hens-with-coconut-curry-sauce-232153

Cast Iron Skillet Roast Chicken →

For many, roast chicken is quintessential comfort food. This is the easiest, best roast chicken recipe you will find. If you don’t already have a cast-iron skillet, you need to go out and buy one! It will quickly become one of your most useful kitchen tools. A follow-up recipe to my Spice Rubbed Roast Turkey Breast , the advantage of using the hot preheated cast iron skillet to roast your chicken is that you end up with beautiful crisp browned skin all over the bird including the skin on the underside of the chicken. The typical cast iron skillet can accommodate a bird in the 4-5 pound range which will feed four people. Highly recommended recipes for cast iron skillet cooking: Cook it in Cast Iron by Cook’s Country/America’s Test Kitchen.

Cast Iron Skillet Roast Chicken
Serves 4 with leftovers

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2020

Ingredients:

• 4-5 pound chicken (preferably air-chilled)

• olive oil

• Herbes de Provence or equal measures of dried thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil, and fennel seed.

• salt and pepper

• 1 small onion

• 3-4 cloves of garlic

• canola oil

• wood chips for smoking on the grill (optional)

Preparation:
Preheat your oven or grill to 400-425 F. with the cast iron skillet in the oven or grill. You want the skillet to be very hot so it sears the skin on the underside of the chicken.

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2020

1. Pat the chicken dry inside and out. You do not have to rinse your chicken to clean it.

2. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and dried herbs inside the bird’s cavity.

3. Place a small onion and a few cloves of garlic in the cavity and tie the legs.

4. Brush or rub the bird with olive oil and sprinkle salt, pepper, and the dried herbs evenly all over the bird.

5. Add a tablespoon of canola oil to the hot skillet and carefully place the bird breast side up on the skillet.

6. Close the grill or oven and cook for 1 hour before you check the temperature of the bird with a meat thermometer. You may have to continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes until the finished temperature reaches 155 F.

7. Remove the bird from the skillet to a cutting board and tent. The temperature will continue to rise about another 10 degrees to the recommended safe temperature of 165 F. for poultry.

*Note: while the tented chicken is resting, you can make a simple delicious pan sauce by adding a tablespoon of flour to the skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until the fat in the pan and flour combine to make a roux. Once the roux begins to turn light brown, slowly add a cup of chicken broth and ¼ cup of dry white wine stirring constantly and scraping up the rich browned bits (fond) on the bottom of the pan until the sauce forms. Simmer and reduce the sauce for a few minutes to intensify the flavors and add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard (optional) and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Any accumulated juices on the cutting board can be added to your sauce.

Wine pairing: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Rueda, White Cotes du Rhone, Dry Riesling