Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (214 page)
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Because they have no skin and little fat, plain boneless chicken breasts invariably turn out dry and leathery when grilled. A common solution—marinating them in bottled salad dressings, which are typically laden with sweeteners and stabilizers—often imparts off-flavors. We wanted grilled chicken breasts that would come off the grill juicy and flavorful and we wanted to look beyond bottled salad dressing to get there. To start, we made a simple homemade marinade with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, sugar, and Dijon mustard—and we made a separate vinaigrette to serve with the grilled chicken for extra moisture and flavor. We slowly cooked the chicken breasts on the cool side of the grill until they were almost done. We then gave the breasts a quick sear on the hot side of the grill to finishing cooking and add grill flavor. With a drizzle of our simple vinaigrette, these chicken breasts were moist, tender, and full of flavor.
SERVES 4
The chicken should be marinated for no less than 30 minutes and no more than 1 hour. Serve with a simply prepared vegetable or use in a sandwich or salad.
6 | tablespoons olive oil |
2 | tablespoons lemon juice |
1 | tablespoon minced fresh parsley |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons sugar |
1 | teaspoon Dijon mustard |
Salt and pepper | |
2 | tablespoons water |
3 | garlic cloves, minced |
4 | (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed |
1.
Whisk 3 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, parsley, ¹⁄
4
teaspoon sugar, mustard, ¹⁄
4
teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄
4
teaspoon pepper together in bowl and set aside for serving.
2.
Whisk remaining 3 tablespoons oil, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, remaining 1 teaspoon sugar, 1¹⁄
2
teaspoons salt, ¹⁄
2
teaspoon pepper, water, and garlic together in bowl. Place marinade and chicken in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and toss to coat; press out as much air as possible and seal bag. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, flipping bag every 15 minutes.
3A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL:
Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
3B. FOR A GAS GRILL:
Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s).
4.
Clean and oil cooking grate. Remove chicken from bag, allowing excess marinade to drip off. Place chicken on cooler side of grill, smooth side down, with thicker sides facing coals and flames. Cover and cook until bottom of chicken just begins to develop light grill marks and is no longer translucent, 6 to 9 minutes.
5.
Flip chicken and rotate so that thinner sides face coals and flames. Cover and continue to cook until chicken is opaque and firm to touch and registers 140 degrees, 6 to 9 minutes longer.
6.
Move chicken to hot side of grill and cook until dark grill marks appear on both sides and chicken registers 160 degrees, 2 to 6 minutes longer.
7.
Transfer chicken to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice each breast on bias into ¹⁄
4
-inch-thick slices and transfer to individual plates. Drizzle with reserved sauce and serve.
Substitute lime juice for lemon juice and use an extra teaspoon juice in reserved sauce. Substitute minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce for mustard and cilantro for parsley.
Substitute orange juice for lemon juice and tarragon for parsley. Add ¹⁄
4
teaspoon grated orange zest to reserved sauce.
LIGHT MY FIRE
Don’t even think of using lighter fluid to light your charcoal. Sometimes we’ve found that we can taste the fluid residually on grilled food, especially delicate foods like chicken and fish—and who wants that? Electric starters are fine, but most people don’t have an electrical outlet near their grill. Where does that leave you? A chimney starter. A chimney starter is a metal cylinder with a heatproof handle. Simply dump in the charcoal, light, and wait until the coals are partially covered with a layer of ash. At this point the hot coals can be poured into the grill and arranged as necessary. One thing to keep in mind when buying a chimney starter is the charcoal capacity. We like a large chimney that holds about 6 quarts of charcoal briquettes—just the right amount for grilling most foods in a large kettle grill.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Too often, chicken fajitas need to be slathered with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa to mask the bland flavor of the soggy underlying ingredients. We wanted to go back to the basics, creating a simple combination of smoky grilled vegetables and strips of chicken wrapped up in warm flour tortillas. Marinating the chicken in a high-acid mixture created a bright, unadulterated tang. We created two levels of heat by covering two-thirds of the grill with the coals and leaving the remaining one-third empty, which allowed us to grill the chicken, peppers, and onions simultaneously. We set the chicken over high heat and the vegetables over medium-high heat so they would brown nicely and cook through without burning. We finished the chicken and vegetables with a final burst of fresh flavor by tossing the cooked ingredients in just a small amount of reserved marinade. Six-inch tortillas made the perfect wrappers, and we heated them briefly on the cooler side of the grill until they puffed up and lost their raw, gummy texture.
See “PREVENTING PROPANE TANK PANIC” illustrations that follow recipe.
SERVES 4 TO 6
You can use red, yellow, orange, or green bell peppers in this recipe. The chicken tenderloins can be reserved for another use or marinated and grilled along with the breasts. When you head outside to grill, bring a clean kitchen towel in which to wrap the tortillas and keep them warm. The chicken and vegetables have enough flavor on their own, but accompaniments (guacamole, salsa, sour cream, shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, and lime wedges) can be offered at the table.
6 | tablespoons vegetable oil |
¹⁄ | cup lime juice (3 limes) |
1 | jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced |
1¹⁄ | tablespoons minced fresh cilantro |
3 | garlic cloves, minced |
1 | tablespoon Worcestershire sauce |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons brown sugar |
Salt and pepper | |
1¹⁄ | pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenderloins removed, trimmed, pounded to ¹⁄ |
1 | large red onion, peeled and cut into ¹⁄ |
2 | large bell peppers, quartered, stemmed, and seeded |
8–12 | (6-inch) flour tortillas |
1.
Whisk ¹⁄
4
cup oil, lime juice, jalapeño, cilantro, garlic, Worcestershire, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and ³⁄
4
teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Reserve ¹⁄
4
cup marinade and set aside. Add 1 teaspoon salt to remaining marinade. Place marinade and chicken in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and toss to coat; press out as much air as possible and seal bag. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, flipping bag halfway through marinating. Brush both sides of onion rounds and peppers with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
2A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL:
Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour coals over two-thirds of grill, leaving remaining one-third empty. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
2B. FOR A GAS GRILL:
Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn other burner(s) to medium.
3.
Clean and oil cooking grate. Remove chicken from bag, allowing excess marinade to drip off. Place chicken on hotter side of grill, smooth side down. Cook (covered if using gas) until well browned on first side, 4 to 6 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until chicken registers 160 degrees, 4 to 6 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
4.
While chicken cooks, place onion rounds and peppers (skin side down) on cooler side of grill and cook until tender and charred on both sides, 8 to 12 minutes, flipping every 3 minutes. Transfer onions and peppers to carving board with chicken.
5.
Working in 2 or 3 batches, place tortillas in single layer on cooler side of grill. Cook until warm and lightly browned, about 20 seconds per side (do not grill too long or tortillas will become brittle). As tortillas are done, wrap in kitchen towel or large sheet of aluminum foil.
6.
Separate onions into rings and place in medium bowl. Slice peppers into ¹⁄
4
-inch strips and place in bowl with onions. Add 2 tablespoons reserved marinade and toss to combine. Slice each breast on bias into ¹⁄
4
-inch-thick slices, place in second bowl, and toss with remaining 2 tablespoons reserved marinade.
7.
Transfer chicken and vegetables to serving platter and serve with warmed tortillas.
NO CHIMNEY STARTER? NO PROBLEM.
If you don’t have a chimney starter, simply place enough crumpled newspaper beneath the rack on which the charcoal sits to fill the space loosely; you’ll need about eight sheets. With the bottom vent open, pile the charcoal on the grate and light the paper. After about 20 minutes, the coals should be covered with gray ash and ready to arrange for cooking.
