14 Oct No-Nonsense Chipotle Sweet and Spicy Chicken
If you’re looking for some boneless, skinless nonsense, go ahead and go.
For the real ones that stuck around, I’m about to change your life. This really should be a freestyle, but I’ll try my best to include measurements for y’all.
The best part about this is you can scale this recipe way way way up, and bless yourself with pre-marinaded chicken for the next several weeks out of your freezer. See that tupperware with three forks sticking out of it in the back? That’s my magical pesto. We’re savages who apparently don’t use plates.
Scroll down to the bottom for asparagus that is so simple I don’t even need to say it, but I will, just for you.
Ingredients
For the marinade (it sounds like a lot but please hang tight. Remember not to put this anywhere near the chicken until you have tasted it and you like it):
- 2 onions
- 5 cloves of garlic-ish
- Zest of one orange
- Peel that orange (with a knife to remove the white pith after you’ve zested) and throw in the pulp
- 1-2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo, plus some of the adobo sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 tablespoon ground allspice
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
I usually do this with four thighs and four drumsticks because we only like dark meat around here okur
Tools
- Blender/food processor
- Grill
Recipe
- Throw everything in the blender and whir away. My seasoning measurements are very rough – just add some of each and taste before you taste and add more. The allspice adds warmth and the cumin really brings out the chipotle pepper flavor without adding heat, keep these things in mind when you’re tasting and you’ll find your way just fine!
- Taste for balance – remember this is raw onion you’re tasting so remember that and just make sure there’s enough salt and that it’s balanced with sweetness. Remember the spice from the chipotle pepper is tempered when it’s cooked, so don’t be shy!
MAKE AHEAD ALERT:
What I like to do is make four times this batch, and get a big Costco-size situation of chicken thighs and drumsticks + a box of gallon ziplock bags. Add 4-6 pieces of chicken to each bag, and pour enough marinade to coat in each. Put one in the fridge for now, and several in the freezer. Defrost for an easy, well seasoned meal!
- Once your chicken has marinated at least 12 hours, bust it out. I like to do these on the grill (less clean up, more deliciousness). Clean your grill, and oil it with vegetable oil on a paper towel or a brush.
- Heat up the grill, then turn the heat to medium-low.
- Put the chicken on, arranging the pieces so none of them are over direct flame. Close the lid and do what grilling folks do, which is to stand around and turn things. I actually check around every 10 minutes and leave the grill closed in between, and I keep the skin side down until it’s really crisp before I turn it over (around 15 minutes since I cook it on the lowest setting).
- DO NOT TURN THE HEAT UP. Let it take it’s time! While you’re waiting, munch on pesto, or some peach pico de gallo.
Tips
A note on asparagus: take a gallon ziplock bag and throw in asparagus, salt, pepper, paprika and olive oil. Literally, throw. Now that bag can be taken down to the grill. Then throw the asparagus on the grill towards the end. Turn it once, if that even. This doesn’t have to be that serious.
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