Sweet-&-Sour Chicken Drumsticks

Chicken drumsticks stay deliciously moist when grilled—even with the skin removed. Minty sweet-and-sour dipping sauce adds a refreshing twist to “ordinary” grilled chicken. Make it a meal: Serve with brown rice and slices of fresh pineapple.

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cider vinegar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 8 chicken drumsticks, (about 2 pounds), skin removed, trimmed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation

 1. Preheat grill to medium. (No grill? See Broiler Variation, below.)

2. To prepare dipping sauce, combine orange zest, orange juice, water, honey, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and coriander in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Whisk cornstarch and the remaining 1 teaspoon vinegar in a small bowl until smooth. Add to the saucepan and return to a boil, whisking until thickened, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in mint.

3. Sprinkle drumsticks with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the drumsticks until crispy on all sides and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, about 15 minutes total. Serve the drumsticks with the dipping sauce on the side. Broiler variation: Position oven rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat broiler to high. Prepare sauce (Step 2). Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle drumsticks with salt and pepper (Step 3), then broil, turning once, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, about 15 minutes total.

 

Tips & Notes

• To oil the grill rack: Oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Don't use cooking spray on a hot grill.)

Nutrition

Per serving: 255 calories; 8 g fat ( 2 g sat , 3 g mono ); 93 mg cholesterol; 16 g carbohydrates; 29 g protein; 1 g fiber; 389 mg sodium; 315 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (27% daily value), Vitamin C (15% dv).
Carbohydrate Servings: 1
Exchanges: 4 lean meat, 1 other carbohydrate

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Grilled Chicken with Cherry-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

Chopped cherries combine with cherry preserves and smoky, hot chipotle peppers for an unusual marinade and sauce for grilled chicken. Recipe by Nancy Baggett.

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) dark sweet cherries, pitted and chopped (see Tips)
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup cherry preserves
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, (see Note), or more to taste
• 1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed

Preparation

1. Stir cherries, broth, preserves, ketchup, vinegar, chipotle peppers, thyme and allspice in a small deep bowl. Transfer to a shallow nonreactive dish (see Note) large enough to hold chicken. Add chicken and turn to coat well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight

2. Preheat grill to high. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Remove the chicken from the marinade. Transfer the marinade to a medium skillet.

 3. Bring the marinade to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the sauce is reduced by about half, 12 to 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, reduce the grill heat to medium and grill the chicken until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 7 to 9 minutes per side. Let the chicken cool slightly; serve with the sauce.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 1. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

• Tips: Be sure to measure frozen cherries while still frozen, then thaw. (Drain juice before using.)
• To pit a cherry, halve it with a paring knife then pry out the pit with the tip of the knife, or use a cherry pitter.
• To oil the grill rack, oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.) When grilling delicate foods like tofu and fish, it is helpful to spray the food with cooking spray before placing it on the grill.
• Notes: Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce are smoked jalapeños packed in a flavorful sauce. Look for the small cans with the Mexican foods in large supermarkets. Once opened, they'll keep up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.
• A nonreactive pan—stainless steel, enamel-coated or glass—is best for acidic foods, such as lemon, to prevent the food from reacting with the pan. Reactive pans, such as aluminum and cast-iron, can impart an off color and/or off flavor in acidic foods.

Nutrition

Per serving: 180 calories; 3 g fat ( 1 g sat , 1 g mono ); 63 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbohydrates; 24 g protein; 1 g fiber; 179 mg sodium; 272 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (29% daily value)
Carbohydrate Servings: 1
Exchanges: 1 other carbohydrate, 3 very lean meat

 

 

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Jacqui’s Jerk Chicken

Sweet, savory and spicy all at once, Jacqui Sinclair’s jerk marinade is absolutely addictive. Try it on pork loin, firm white fish or even goat if you can find it. The wood chips are optional if you’re grilling, but they add an authentic, subtle flavor to the chicken. Serve with a slightly sweet side dish, such as sweet potatoes or cornbread, to balance the heat.

Ingredients

• Jerk marinade
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 1-2 Scotch bonnet chile peppers, stemmed and quartered (see Tip)
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon whole allspice berries
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 4 6-ounce bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed, trimmed
• 2 12-ounce bone-in chicken breasts, skin removed, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
• 1cup wood chips, such as apple or hickory, for smoking (optional) 

Preparation

1. To prepare jerk marinade: Place scallions, onion, chile pepper to taste, lime juice, oil, brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and thyme in a blender. Process until smooth. Place chicken in a nonreactive baking dish (see Tip). Rub 2/3 cup of the marinade onto both sides of the chicken. Transfer the remaining marinade to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours.

2. Twenty minutes before you’re ready to grill, soak wood chips (if using) in a bowl of water. (No grill? See broiler variation).

3. Fold a 12-by-20-inch piece of heavy-duty foil in half to create a 12-by-10-inch double-thick piece. Transfer the wet wood chips to the center of the foil, allowing as much water as possible to drip back into the bowl. Create a packet by folding the short ends of the foil over the wood chips and sealing the open sides. Make 6 holes in the top of the foil packet with a skewer or the tip of a knife.

4. Place the packet of wood chips, pierced-side up, under the grill rack on top of the burners. Close the lid. Heat the grill to medium-high until the chips in the packet smell smoky and smoke begins to billow from under the lid, about 15 minutes. (Don’t worry if the packet temporarily catches on fire.) Grill the chicken, turning and basting with the reserved marinade occasionally (discard any unused marinade), until just cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes total, depending on the size. Broiler variation: Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler to high. Line a broiler pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Place the chicken on the pan and broil for 10 minutes. Turn, brush with some of the reserved marinade, and broil until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part without touching bone registers 165°F, about 10 minutes more.

 

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Marinate the chicken for up to 24 hours.

• Kitchen tips: One of the hottest chile peppers, Scotch bonnets come in vivid shades of red, orange and green and are used throughout the Caribbean. Though they look similar to habaneros, Scotch bonnets have a citrus note that makes them undeniably different. You can control the heat of a dish a little by discarding the membranes that hold the seeds, which are the spiciest part of chile peppers, along with the seeds themselves. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling hot peppers or wear rubber gloves. If you can’t find Scotch bonnet peppers, habaneros can be substituted.
• A nonreactive dish or pan—stainless steel, enamel-coated or glass—is necessary when marinating foods in acidic ingredients, such as lime, lemon or vinegar. The acid in the marinade can react with “reactive” dishes or pans, such as aluminum and cast-iron, and impart an off color and/or off flavor in the prepared foods.

Nutrition

Per serving: 351 calories; 14 g fat ( 3 g sat , 7 g mono ); 137 mg cholesterol; 9 g carbohydrates; 3 g added sugars; 45 g protein; 2 g fiber; 704 mg sodium; 466 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C & Zinc (20% daily value

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