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Perfect Poultry
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ood times once meant a chicken in every pot. Today, you’ll find chicken on nearly every grill. Whether for a fast week-night supper or a casual weekend dinner party, it’s one of the most popular foods for grilling. All poultry types and cuts grill up deliciously, offering healthful meats that take to any seasoning and are
suitable for any occasion. Many cooks now favor tender boneless, skinless chicken breasts. The reasons are simple. Nothing rivals the ease of plopping these ready-to-cook pieces on the grill, nor how quickly they cook. No matter what kind of poultry you choose, here are some inspiring recipes that will bring out the best in this versatile meat.
mastering poultry’s challenges Poultry is easy to grill, but just as easy to grill badly. Most of us have encountered charred pieces of chicken that are still raw near the bone, or boneless, skinless pieces that are dry and tasteless. Grilling moist, flavorful chicken that is cooked through without burning is easy. s Bone-in and skin-on chicken pieces grill best over indirect medium-low heat. This allows slow, even cooking and helps minimize flare-ups. s Debone chicken and flatten it to a uniform thickness to help it cook more evenly. Set up two heat zones on your grill—one high, the other medium-low. Grill chicken over s
high heat until it is nicely browned, then move it
talking with the chef Oftentimes, the simplest recipes fancy terra-cotta bricks, Folkins chuckles: “Just go to the provide the most flavorful results. nearest construction yard and pick one up for a quarter.” The Chef Bruce Folkins has made grilling brick squeezes the fat from under the skin, resulting in a crispy simple boneless chicken breasts an skin and fat-free meat, while holding in the moistness of the art form. Since opening Cafe Spoleto in 1995 in an intimate chicken as it cooks, much as clay cookers do. Once the meat renovated adobe house in Albuquerque, New Mexico, his has cooked three-quarters of the way through (about 5 minutes Grilled Chicken Under a Brick entrée has appeared on the over his intensely hot wood-burning restaurant grill), he menu every day. It remains the most sought-after item among removes the bricks and turns the breasts over to cook the rest his rustic Mediterranean fare.
of the way through.
The secrets to this dish, he believes, are the fresh
When grilling poultry with skin directly over a hot fire,
chickens he gets from nearby farms and a unique grilling dripping fat can cause flare-ups and result in charred skin. method. Adopting an ingenious technique popular in trattorias Folkins’ solution is an angled grill with a drip pan along the throughout Italy, he places chicken breasts that have been lower edge to collect the drips. Some newer grills on the marinated in a simple mixture of lemon, garlic, thyme, and market are designed to minimize flare-ups, but most people olive oil onto a fine mesh grill rack, skin sides down, and find indirect grilling a less problematic method. Folkins’ recipe, weighs each one down with a brick. These don’t have to be adapted for home use on a conventional grill, follows.
Cafe Spoleto’s Grilled Chicken Under a Brick At Cafe Spoleto, this dish is often accompanied by one of Folkins’ famous risottos and pesto-vegetable dishes. Other days, you might find it with cranberry beans and fresh chard drizzled in herbed aïoli, or grilled polenta topped with seasonal vegetables. 4 2 5 3 1 1 ⁄ 2 1 ⁄ 2 4
chicken breast halves with skin and bone tablespoons olive oil sprigs fresh thyme cloves garlic, sliced lemon, thinly sliced teaspoon kosher or regular salt teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper bricks, each wrapped in two layers of foil
Nutrition facts per serving: 186 cal., 10 g total fat (2 g sat. fat), 59 mg cholesterol, 321 mg sodium, 2 g carbo., 0 g dietary fiber, 22 g pro.
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To debone, place the chicken breast halves on a cutting board with the bone sides
down and debone. (Starting at the center of the breastbone, cut the meat away from the bone using a sharp knife. Cut as close to the bone as possible, leaving the skin intact.) Place the boned chicken breasts in a plastic bag set in a shallow dish. s For the marinade, combine the olive oil, thyme sprigs, garlic slices, and lemon slices. Pour over the chicken; seal bag. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight, turning bag occasionally. s Remove chicken from marinade, reserving lemon slices; discard marinade, thyme sprigs, and garlic slices. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken, skin side down, on the grill rack above a drip pan and top each piece with a foil-wrapped brick. Grill, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes or till chicken is tender and no longer pink. Carefully lift off bricks using an ovenproof mitt or pot holder and move the chicken, using tongs, directly over the coals, skin side still down. Place lemon slices alongside chicken, if desired. Grill, covered, 2 to 3 minutes more to crisp and brown the chicken skin and lightly brown the lemon slices, turning the lemon slices once. s To serve, slice the chicken and serve with the lemon slices. Makes 4 servings.
GRILL HEAT TIME
Indirect, followe d by direct, covered Medium-hot 17 to 23 minutes
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Chili-Mustard Turkey Breast Turkey breasts can sometimes taste ho-hum. Tucking a flavorful spice paste under the skin allows intense flavor to penetrate both the skin and the flesh during grilling, while developing an irresistible crunchy crust.
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Cooking oil or nonstick spray coating tablespoons chopped onion tablespoons brown mustard teaspoons brown sugar teaspoon chili powder teaspoon ground cumin teaspoon pepper 2- to 21 ⁄ 4-pound turkey breast half with skin and bone cups hickory or mesquite wood chips, soaked 1 hour and drained (optional)
s Lightly
oil a small skillet or spray with nonstick coating. Cook onion in prepared
skillet over medium heat till tender. Stir in brown mustard, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, and pepper. Cook 1 minute more. Make a pocket under skin of turkey breast with your fingers. Spread onion mixture evenly under skin. s
Sprinkle about 1 cup of the wood chips onto preheated coals. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of turkey. Place turkey in a roasting pan; place pan on the grill rack. Grill about 11 ⁄ 4 hours or till thermometer registers 170°, adding additional coals and wood chips every 20 to 30 minutes or as necessary to maintain medium heat. Makes 6 to 8 servings. Nutrition facts per serving: 137 cal., 3 g total fat (1 g sat. fat), 55 mg cholesterol, 120 mg sodium, 2 g carbo., 0 g dietary fiber, 24 g pro.
GRILL HEAT TIME
Indirect, uncovered Medium 1 1 ⁄ 4 hours
Grilled Citrus Chicken and Vegetables Besides tenderizing the chicken, this marinade keeps the chicken and vegetables moist while on the grill. Feel free to substitute any seasonal vegetables for those we chose. 4
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medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound total) Citrus-Spice Marinade medium orange, sliced small sweet onion, cut into 1 ⁄ 2-inch-thick slices small eggplant, cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices large red sweet pepper, cut into 1-inch-wide strips medium zucchini or summer squash, quartered lengthwise Salt and pepper (optional)
Nutrition facts per serving: 304 cal., 14 g total fat (2 g sat. fat), 59 mg cholesterol, 268 mg sodium, 22 g carbo., 5 g dietary fiber, 24 g pro. Daily Values: 147% vit. C, 15% iron.
s Place
chicken in a plastic bag set in a shallow dish. Add 1 cup of the Citrus-Spice Marinade and the orange slices. Refrigerate remaining marinade. Seal bag; turn to coat chicken with marinade. Refrigerate 6 to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally. s Remove
chicken from the bag, discarding the marinade. Grill chicken for 12 to 15 minutes or till tender and no longer pink, turning and brushing with the remaining marinade halfway through grilling. Grill vegetables for 8 to 10 minutes or till tender, brushing occasionally with the marinade. Before serving, season with salt and pepper, if desired. Makes 4 servings. Citrus-Spice Marinade: Combine 3 ⁄ 4 cup orange juice; 1 ⁄ 4 cup lemon juice; 3 tablespoons cooking oil; 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 3 ⁄ 4 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon onion powder; 1 ⁄ 4 teaspoon salt; and 1 ⁄ 4 teaspoon pepper in a screw-top jar. Cover and shake well to mix. Makes about 11 ⁄ 3 cups.
GRILL HEAT TIME
Direct, uncovered Medium 12 to 15 minutes
“Grilling gives us a respite from the kitchen, offering us a new kind of hearth around which to gather family and friends.”— A. Cort Sinnes From The Gas Grill Gourmet by A. Cord Sinnes (Harvard Common Press; 1996)
Southwest Chicken Breasts
premium chickens Many chefs look for chickens that have been allowed to roam outdoors while they were raised, crediting them with more flavor than their factory-cooped cousins. Whether they’re called freerange or field-grazed, the result isn’t always premium chicken. Sometimes they’ve had little more than a glimpse of sunshine. Ask your butcher how they were raised before paying extra for them.
Southwest Chicken Breasts Transform these into delicious burritos by wrapping the sliced chicken in soft flour tortillas and topping them with the avocado salsa, lettuce, and dollops of sour cream. 1
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cup dry white wine tablespoons olive oil teaspoons snipped fresh tarragon or 1 ⁄ 4 teaspoon dried tarragon, crushed teaspoon salt medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 11 ⁄ 4 pounds total) avocados tomato, chopped clove garlic, minced jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped (2 tablespoons) green onions, finely chopped tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro tablespoon honey tablespoon lemon juice Lettuce leaves (optional)
s For
the marinade, combine wine, olive oil, tarragon, and salt. Place chicken in a
plastic bag set into a shallow dish. Add marinade; seal bag and turn to coat chicken with marinade. Refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally. s Meanwhile, for the avocado salsa, peel, pit, and chop the avocados. Combine avocados, tomato, garlic, jalapeños, green onions, cilantro, honey, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours. s Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade. Grill chicken for 5 minutes. Turn and brush once with marinade; grill 7 to 10 minutes more or till chicken is tender and no longer pink. s Serve with avocado salsa and, if desired, lettuce leaves. Makes 6 servings. Nutrition facts per serving: 239 cal., 16 g total fat (1 g sat. fat), 50 mg cholesterol, 130 mg sodium, 5 g carbo., 9 g dietary fiber, 20 g pro. Daily Value: 24% vit C.
GRILL HEAT TIME
Direct, u ncovered Medium 12 to 15 minutes
Apricot-Stuffed Turkey Breast Stuff the turkey lightly right before grilling, and be sure it gets cooked through. The stuffing should register 165° on a meat thermometer. 1 11 ⁄ 2 1
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2- to 21 ⁄ 2-pound turkey breast half with skin and bone cups soft bread crumbs (2 slices) cup snipped dried apricots cup chopped toasted pecans tablespoons margarine or butter, melted tablespoons dry sherry or apple juice teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed teaspoon garlic salt tablespoon Dijon-style mustard tablespoon olive oil
grill your turkey
s Remove
bone from turkey breast (see page 78 for how to debone poultry). Cut a horizontal slit in the thickest part of turkey breast to form a 5x4-inch pocket. Set aside. s For stuffing,
combine bread crumbs, apricots, pecans, margarine or butter, sherry
or apple juice, rosemary, and garlic salt in a medium mixing bowl. Spoon stuffing into pocket. Securely fasten opening with water-soaked wooden toothpicks or tie with heavy string. Stir together mustard and olive oil; set aside. s Grill turkey
for 1 to 11 ⁄ 4 hours or till meat is no longer pink, brushing with mustard
mixture during the last 15 minutes. Remove turkey from grill and cover with foil. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing. Makes 8 servings. Nutrition facts per serving: 208 cal., 9 g total fat (2 g sat. fat), 46 mg cholesterol, 231 mg sodium, 8 g carbo., 1 g dietary fiber, 21 g pro.
GRILL HEAT TIME
Direct, covered Medium 1 to 1 1 ⁄ 4 hours
Apricot-Stuffed Turkey Breast
Grilling is a great way to cook a whole turkey without taking up oven space or heating up the kitchen. For success: s Use a gas rather than a charcoal grill because it is easier to maintain a constant heat for the time necessary to cook a turkey to proper doneness. s Grill only unstuffed turkeys because they cook more evenly than if stuffed. s Grill turkeys that weigh less than 16 pounds. These smaller hens are usually less than 14 weeks old and have tender, moist meat that cooks well in grilling’s drier heat. s Don’t try to grill larger birds or stuffed turkeys because the inside meat and stuffing will take too long to heat to a safe temperature, which could allow food-borne pathogens to breed and cause illness. s Don’t rely on the thermometers that come with turkeys. Check doneness with a meat thermometer inserted into the deepest section of the inside thigh, but not touching bone.The temperature should register 170°to 185°. Main Dishes
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Simply Perfect Grilling 1999
Orange-Dijon Chicken Because of the oil in this marinade, stand vigil over the grill, watching for flare-ups. Accompany this entrée with couscous or salad greens, and utilize the glaze as a dressing. 1
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cup olive oil cloves garlic, minced teaspoon salt teaspoon pepper medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound total) Orange-Dijon Glaze Coarsely ground pepper Shredded orange peel (optional) Herb sprigs (optional)
Nutrition facts per serving: 249 cal., 14 g total fat (2 g sat. fat), 59 mg cholesterol, 310 mg sodium, 7 g carbo., 0 g dietary fiber, 23 g pro. Daily Value: 45% vit. C.
the marinade, combine the olive oil, garlic, salt, and the 1 ⁄ 8 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Place the chicken in a plastic bag set in a shallow bowl. Add marinade; seal bag and turn to coat chicken with marinade. Refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours, turning the bag occasionally. s For
s Drain
chicken; discarding marinade. Grill chicken, boned side up, for 12 to 15 minutes or till no pink remains and the juices run clear, turning once halfway through. s Meanwhile, heat the Orange-Dijon Glaze in a saucepan till the mixture is warm. s Transfer the chicken to four warm serving plates and, if desired, cut into slices. Spoon Orange-Dijon Glaze on top and sprinkle with the coarsely ground pepper. Garnish with orange peel and herb sprigs, if desired. Makes 4 servings. Orange-Dijon Glaze: Combine 1 ⁄ 4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed; 2 to 4 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard; 2 tablespoons water; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, if desired; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 teaspoon snipped fresh basil; 1 teaspoon snipped fresh mint; and 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon snipped fresh rosemary in a small mixing Direct, un covered GRILL bowl. The glaze can be prepared up to one Medium HEAT day ahead and kept, covered, in the refrigerator. Makes 3 ⁄ 4 cup.
TIME
12 to 15 minutes
Grilled Chicken with Peach Salsa Juicy ripe peaches and tender avocados lusciously meld with a citrus-herb Wine Marinade in this enticing grilled chicken dish. It’s perfect for a casual summer dinner party. Pictured on page 76. 6
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chicken breast halves with skin and bone (about 2 1 ⁄ 2 pounds total) Wine Marinade medium peaches or nectarines or 11 ⁄ 3 cups frozen unsweetened peach slices, thawed cup chopped red or green sweet pepper ripe avocado, seeded, peeled, and finely chopped green onions, finely chopped teaspoon finely shredded lime peel tablespoons lime juice tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro
s Place
chicken in a plastic bag set in a shallow dish. Add Wine Marinade; seal bag and turn to coat chicken with marinade. Refrigerate about 1 hour. s Meanwhile,
for peach salsa, peel, pit, and finely chop the fresh peaches or nectarines. Combine peaches or nectarines, sweet pepper, avocado, green onions, lime peel, lime juice, and cilantro in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate till serving. s Drain chicken, reserving marinade. Grill chicken, skin side down, for 20 minutes. Turn and grill 15 to 20 minutes more or till chicken is tender and no longer pink. Brush occasionally with marinade up to the last 5 minutes of grilling. Serve chicken with the salsa. Makes 6 servings. Wine Marinade: Combine 1 ⁄ 2 cup dry white wine; 11 ⁄ 2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel; 1 ⁄ 3 cup orange juice; 2 tablespoons olive oil or cooking oil; 11 ⁄ 2 teaspoons
snipped fresh rosemary or 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed; and 1 bay leaf . GRILL
Nutrition facts per serving: 264 cal., HEAT 16 g total fat (3 g sat. fat), 57 mg cholesTIME terol, 57 mg sodium, 11 g carbo., 2 g dietary fiber, 17 g pro. Daily Values: 17% vit. A, 51% vit. C. ❏
Direct, un covered Medium 35 to 40 minutes
more than chicken Chicken isn’t the only poultry ideal for grilling. Try other birds such as quail, duck, and goose.More and more cooks are discovering that these birds are more flavorful than chicken because their flesh is richer and darker. Their higher fat content means they need little or no seasoning or special sauces before grilling, too. That natural fat, while flavorful, can also cause problems with flare-ups on the grill. Alleviate much of this by grilling duck, quail, and goose indirectly over low heat, using a drip pan underneath to collect the fat. This technique will produce a crackling crisp skin and welldone, tender meat that’s virtually free of fat. Pricking the skin before placing it on the grill will also help drain away the fat and improve the crispiness of the skin.
pple-Glazed Chicken with raised Spinach and Leeks
Apple-Glazed Chicken with Braised Spinach and Leeks You needn’t stop grilling when the weather turns crisp. Highlight the season’s best apples with this fall favorite. The lemon-scented apple jelly bastes the chicken while it grills and dresses the warm spinach salad.
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Nonstick spray coating cloves garlic, minced medium leek, trimmed, cleaned thoroughly, and sliced, or 1 ⁄ 3 cup chopped onion medium apples, cored and coarsely chopped Apple Glaze tablespoons apple cider or chicken broth 10-ounce bag prewashed spinach, stems removed (about 10 cups) Salt and pepper small skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 12 ounces total)
s Spray
a large saucepan or Dutch oven with nonstick coating. Add garlic, leek, and apples; cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add 1 ⁄ 4 cup of the Apple Glaze and cider or broth; bring to boiling. Add spinach; toss just till wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. s Meanwhile, grill chicken on the grill rack for 6 minutes. Brush with the remaining Apple Glaze, turn, and grill 6 to 9 minutes more or till chicken is tender and no longer pink. s To serve, slice chicken crosswise into 6 to 8 pieces. Divide greens mixture among four dinner plates and top with sliced chicken. Makes 4 servings. Apple Glaze: Heat 1 ⁄ 2 cup apple jelly; 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel; 1 tablespoon snipped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed; 1 teaspoon grated gingerroot; and 2 tablespoons soy sauce in a small saucepan just till jelly is melted. Nutrition facts per serving: 263 cal., 3 g total fat (1 g sat. fat), 45 mg cholesterol, 654 mg sodium, 42 g carbo., 4 g dietary fiber, 19 g pro. Daily Values: 48% vit. A, 27% vit. C, 24% iron.
GRILL HEAT TIME
Direct Medium 6 to 9 minutes
