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Cook the Book: Minty, Boozy Chicken

Posted by Adam Kuban, August 7, 2007 at 1:45 PM

As Eric Gower says in his book The Breakaway Cook, "this is like pouring a cooked mojito over stewed chicken." The drink's signature ingredients of rum, lime, and mint—along with garlic and other flavorings—mix well with the juice from the chicken. Part of the mojito-like mixture serves first as a marinade for the chicken, while part of it roasts with the meat in the oven, becoming a zesty coating. Serve the finished chicken over rice, along with some lime wedges to squeeze over the plated dish.

Minty, Boozy Chicken

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely minced
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Pinch of ground cumin
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped fresh mmt
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Zest and juice of 1 orange
Zest and juice of 2 limes, plus 1 lime for serving
3 tablespoons dark rum
Olive oil spray
1 large onion, sliced into wheels
8 or so organic chicken pieces

Procedure

1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the minced onion, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper; reduce the heat to low, and sauté about 10 minutes, until the onion softens. Transfer mixture to a blender; add the mint and cilantro, zests, juices, and rum; and purée. Reserve 1/2 cup of the purée; use the rest to marinate the chicken for a few hours in the refrigerator.

2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Melt the remaining butter with the remaining oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces, working in batches if necessary, and brown both sides, about 10 minutes.

3. When nicely browned, transfer chicken pieces with tongs to a plate. In the same skillet, cook the sliced onion gently for a few minutes, until slightly softened. Return chicken to skillet, skin side down, salt and pepper liberally, and pour marinade over. Transfer skillet to oven; bake 30 minutes.

4. Using tongs, flip each piece over, return to oven, bake 30 minutes more, or until chicken—especially thighs, if you're using them—is fully cooked. Remove chicken; transfer to a serving platter. Pour reserved 1/2 cup purée into pan and mix it with a spatula. Pour this sauce over chicken. Serve with lime wedges and a small bowl of salt to pass around.

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Tags: chicken, Cook the Book, CTB: The Breakaway Cook, Eric Gower