Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Balinese Grilled Chicken


This is a pretty simple dish with nice intense flavors, but really not too spicy when it's all done.  I know, I know, I really like spicy, so not too spicy to me could mean something else entirely.  But really, I would have served this to my kids, and the 15 year old boy who ate it seemed to love it.

I was inspired by a recipe in Food & Wine, but it called for a whole chicken and some other ingredients that I didn't have.  I also wanted to use chicken thighs, which I prefer over cooking a whole chicken, but maybe not quite as much as chicken breasts!  I know people LOVE chicken thighs, and I know people who HATE them, but they are moist and very economical.  This recipe could work for breasts too, but you'd have to be very careful not to dry the chicken out.

Serve with Indonesian Pan Fried Noodles- Mie Goreng which I posted yesterday, and dinner is ready! Heck, it would be great with plain rice too!


Serves 6
Ingredients
3 red or green chilies, seeded
1 onion, diced
5-6 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
2 limes, juiced
1-2 tsp Salt and lots of freshly ground pepper
3-4 lbs of chicken thighs, about 12 thighs
                   (or chicken breasts, if you prefer)
2 limes, quartered for serving

In a food processor, combine the garlic, chiles, onion, ginger and turmeric and pulse until finely chopped.

 Add the 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and lime juice and pulse to a fine paste.


Transfer the paste to a small skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.


Let the paste cool completely and season with salt and pepper.
***Note- This is a very yummy, but intense smell, better open some windows! 

In a large bowl, add the paste and the chicken thighs, and rub the paste all over it. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.


Light a grill. Line the grate with a double sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil brushed lightly with oil. Transfer the chicken to the foil, skin side up. Cover and grill over moderate heat (350° to 375°) for 30-45 minutes.  Serve with the limes.

 
If you DO like chicken thighs, here's some more ideas:

1 comment:

  1. Fantastic recipe! I have tried this twice, once with chicken i bought from my local grocer (in bali) and the other time when i bought organic chicken from https://www.baliorganic.id/organic-chicken-eggs/. I think it really made a difference cause the second time it tasted much better! Maybe it was the organic chicken! Highly recommended!

    ReplyDelete