Dinner Tonight: Grilled Chicken with Herb Sauce
I was all set on Nigel Slater's "no-brainer" grilled chicken dinner, until I read the fine print: "Remove the bones from the legs with a sharp knife." No wonder it was in an article aimed at more experienced cooks (those who "can whip an egg white" with ease, as the headnote touted). Apparently I was in over my head.
I've certainly grilled chicken legs before but have never deboned one, and as I eyed the pile of them on my kitchen counter, the task looked increasingly unlikely. Ten minutes later, though, I had a respectable pile of flattened-out chicken legs, and the job was done. Tough kitchen tasks have a way of getting easier as you go.
What's the point of this one? Convenient slabs of rich dark meat crisp up nicely on the grill while staying tender and moist. It's easy enough to buy a boneless, skinless chicken breast and serve it with a simple herb sauce (this one combines parsley, mint, and basil pulsed with mustard, olive oil, and lemon juice), but a darker meat with ample fat and a little skin adds a ton more flavor. If you can find deboned chicken legs or thighs, you're set—but if not, good luck.
Grilled Chicken with Herb Sauce
- serves 4 -
Adapted from Nigel Slater.
Ingredients
4 chicken legs
2 large handfuls flat-leaf parsley
A large handful of mint leaves
A large handful of basil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Olive oil to taste
Lemon juice to taste
Salt and pepper
Procedure
1. Lay the chicken legs on a cutting board and carefully cut a slit down to the bone with a sharp knife. Working with the tip of the knife, remove the meat from the bone and trim away any gristle. Salt and pepper the deboned legs and gloss with a little olive oil.
2. While a grill or grill pan heats, combine the herbs and mustard in a blender or small food processor and chop, then add olive oil to create a barely pourable sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and sharpen with lemon juice.
3. Grill the chicken skin-side down until its golden and crisp, then finish on the other side. Serve with the herb sauce.
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4 Comments:
huh. i never thought of deboning a chicken leg. it makes such a convienient handle. any tips you discovered while doing it? (other than having a presumably really sharp knife) also, if you're not as experienced, is it worth the hassle?
gastronomeg at 4:56PM on 09/08/09
you're a more patient cook than I am. Don't think I will be boning my thighs anytime soon, but I will on the other hand, be making a similar green sauce with a homemade mayonnaise base. This is one of my favorite grilled meat or fish topping of the summer. If you choose not to do your own boning, the whisking is definitely worth it. http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/2009/05/from-my-mothers-kitchen-sarahs-salmon.html
BigGirlPhoebz at 8:44PM on 09/08/09
a nice pesto sauce might be nice too...
Ry Sal at 10:49AM on 09/09/09
I'm no big fan of breast fillet, so I debone legs almost every day - I don't need them in sock-like fullness, just deboned. I slit them legthwise along the thigh bone to the ankle, using a sharp paring or fillet knife, then cut the meat from the bone on both sides, and then start slicing the tendons and connecting tissues away from the 'chicken knee' until i have a flat fillet. Takes maybe 40 seconds. I usually remove the skin but you don't have to. You can split the leg fillet into a thigh and a leg, and you have the basic cut for some great japanese fried katsu or grilled chicken. Cut into smaller bits for stir fry or kebabs. Without the bone it cooks much quicker and more evenly on a grill or fry pan.
zaelic at 1:13PM on 09/09/09