Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Grilled Honey Teriyaki Chicken for TFF

After having been conspicuously absent for the last couple of weeks, I am hoping to start kicking things back into high gear this week! or, at least, mid-gear. I haven't been doing nearly as much cooking as I usually do since the hubs began his love affair with his new grill. That's fine with me, since I know that once the weather gets too cold or we run out of charcoal (whichever comes first) I'll be back in the kitchen full time.
Meanwhile, don't think for a minute that I am not influencing what we are putting on the table. Matt is taking the grilling thing seriously, and he wants to learn all the ins and outs, and try lots of things he has never cooked before. That being said, he's still a picky eater, so we haven't been getting too wild and crazy!
I've been looking for a good recipe to try from Tyler Florence, and while there are lots, we're in that in-between kind of season and I'm having trouble finding anything that really appeals to me. That is, until I found THIS recipe, and it is my submission to Tyler Florence Fridays this week.
I love barbecued chicken, I love grilled chicken, I love teriyaki chicken....and they had ten pound bags of chicken quarters on sale at the store for 69 cents a pound. How could I lose? SO, I planned it for a night that Matt would be home to grill (I specifically asked him, to be sure, since he hunts pretty regularly during the evenings), brined the bad boys, and got the ingredients for the glaze.
While I was still at the store after work, Matt calls (as he does every day on his way home) and asks the question....here's how the conversation went:

Matt: "so, what's for dinner?" Me: "Well, I brined that chicken this morning....you know....like I TOLD you I was going to...."
Matt: **silence**
Me: "What?"
Matt: "So, what are you going to do with it if I go hunting tonight?"
Me: **heated silence**
Me: I ASKED you this MORNING what nights you were going to hunt this week, SPECIFICALLY so I would have a good night to grill this chicken!"
Matt: " I know, but I didn't KNOW this morning, Mark just called and..."
Me: "Well, then either "I" have to grill it on YOUR precious grill, or I have to throw it out. Brined meet does NOT keep."
Matt: **silence**
Me: "SO, when you get home, come upstairs and light the grill, then I'll cook it."
Matt: **silence** (you can tell at this point that he is debating whether it is worth it to go hunting if it means he has to relinquish control of the 'man zone')

In the end, he lit the grill, put the chicken on it for me, then paused in the doorway to our bedroom, me on the deck outside, him in the bedroom, the screen door separating us. I looked him in the eye, grinned an evil little grin and said "You're on the wrong side of that door, aren't you?" and tipped my beer back. "Don't remind me." he says as he glances ruefully at his smoking grill. As he is pulling away, he paused on the road to yell up to the deck and ask how it was going. My response? I raised my beer in the air in "cheers" fashion and left him in the dust.

By the way, the chicken was LUSCIOUS. The flavors were intense and rich, and the chicken was moist and flavorful. I admit that I usually have to amp up the seasonings in Tyler's recipes to make them more to my taste, but this glaze was wonderful just as it is. I am attributing the juiciness of the chicken to the brine. The recipe says to brine for 2 hours, but I pushed the envelope and brined it before I left for work that morning, so it sat all day.
Very, very yummy.... I mean, can't you just TELL? Its making my mouth water just thinking about the leftovers waiting for me in the fridge for lunch today.
Here's the actual recipe:
Grilled Honey-Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
1 whole organic chicken, cut into 10 pieces
Brine:
2 cups water
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 head garlic, unpeeled
4 slices fresh ginger root, gently bashed to open up
2 tablespoons kosher salt
8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cups teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup honey
1 large (1-inch) piece fresh ginger root, sliced and bashed to open up
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
1 teaspoon sesame oil, plus 1/2 cup toasted
Freshly ground black pepper
Scallion threads, for garnish
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Directions
Begin by making the brine. Combine all the brine ingredients in a large resealable bag and swirl to dissolve the sugar.Add chicken pieces and allow to brine for 1 to 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat grill to low-medium heat.
Make teriyaki glaze: In a small saucepan, over medium heat, combine teriyaki sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, and simmer until rich and slightly reduced. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry. Add to a large mixing bowl, drizzle with toasted sesame oil and season with freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat and cook on a low-medium grill for 17 to 20 minutes per side until cooked through.Baste with teriyaki glaze for the last 5 to 7 minutes of cooking.Serve garnish with scallion threads (finely sliced scallions cut on the bias soaked in ice cold water), and toasted sesame seeds.

12 comments:

Julie said...

Yum...my hubby just got a charcoal grill. Think I'll email him this recipe...hint hint...

Anonymous said...

Mmmm. That looks great. Have to try this!

Kim said...

The chicken looks so sticky and yummy. I love it when a sauce really stick on like that and adheres to the meat - yum! I'd love to try this one.

Jhonny walker said...

Lovely! I don't like Teryiaki that much..but will use the rest of the ingredient to make a lovely glaze. Great pictures and demonstrations too :)

NV said...

Mmmmm. Looks fab-u-lous.

pam said...

See, we don't need no man to do our grilling for us!

heatherisathome said...

You had me LOL at your post. You're a little devious when it comes to taking control of the grill. I especially love the conversation with the screen door separating you. :-) Chicken looks delicious too!! I will add this to my list before winter welcomes itself.

NKP said...

I generally amp up his flavours too, I think they dull them down for cookbooks for the general population.
This looks absolutely wonderful! Great colour.

Deb in Hawaii said...

Gorgeous chicken--it looks just perfect!

Arlene Delloro said...

OMG that looks delicious! I think it can even work on WW.

Jenny said...

Sounds great.
In our house, the grill is mine and my husband has rarely touched it (Or was mine, before it died.)

Unknown said...

In my limited experience, brining makes just about everything better! This chicken looks delicious, love the intense color on it.

Good for you for taking over the "man zone"! Why shouldn't we gals learn how to bbq.