Honey-Lime Grilled Chicken Legs

So I had big plans to post my BBQ slider recipe, but I made this chicken tonight and had to get the ingredients down on the computer before they were gone from my head! I'm so excited to share this recipe~ I wasn't sure how it would turn out since I was pretty much flying blind after reading several grilled chicken recipes and deciding to scrap them in favor of playing around with some basic ingredients. This chicken turned out juicy...it was the right combination of sweet and spicy with the lime juice lending just the right hint of acidity. A slight char on the outside of the chicken created a deliciously crisp and smoky skin. I think I spent the entire meal sounding like Bubba from Forrest Gump going on and on about the different ways I plan to use this marinade again in the future (if you're interested, pork chops and grilled shrimp topped my list!). The best part is that everything in this recipe can be found on any given day in my kitchen. Those are the best recipes, aren't they?!

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

12 chicken drumsticks

3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup cold water

1/4 cup honey

juice of half a lime

3 large cloves of garlic

3 green onions

1 tbsp. sriracha

pepper

3 tbsp. vegetable oil (or 1 tbsp. sesame oil)

Chopped green onions for garnish (optional)

Assembly:

Soak chicken legs in a combination of six cups of water and 1/4 cup kosher salt for four hours (this is an optional step, but it just adds to the finished chicken's tenderness). Combine soy, water, honey, lime, garlic, green onions, pepper and oil then blend using an immersion blender or Cuisinart. Pour mixture into a large Ziploc bag and add the chicken. Marinate at least 3 hours (up to overnight. Grill over medium high heat (I start out high to get a good sear then reduce to medium to cook the chicken thoroughly). Make sure you watch the chicken so it doesn't burn since there are sugars in the marinade! While chicken is cooking, pour marinade into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Turn down to medium low heat until reduced by about 1/3. Brush reduction onto the chicken in the last 10 minutes of cooking (I repeat about 3 times). Remove from the grill and allow to stand for at least 5 minutes before serving (this allows the juices to redistribute). Top with chopped green onions.

Technique Tuesday: Citrus Tips

I absolutely love cooking with citrus! I make a lot of different marinades and dressings using citrus juice and zest; they can breathe new life into almost any food! Using orange, lemon, lime, and even grapefruit adds so much to a dish. Bright and clean, the flavor of citrus perks up all sorts of salads, sandwiches and entrees. They can be used in a variety of different ways and are relatively inexpensive to purchase (and very easily attainable too!). Below are some quick little tips on making the most out of your citrus in the kitchen.
1. Don't forget to zest!
The zest of citrus fruit is jam-packed with flavor. Make sure to buy a grater or hydroplane (you can get these very inexpensively at a hardware store) and add some zest to anything calling for citrus juice to add extra zing to your recipe. Make sure, however, that you are not zesting past the peel. The white layer under the peel is pretty bitter, so keep this in mind when zesting.

2. Juicing 101
For a citrus fruit that is underripe, you can pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds. You can also roll it around on the counter, breaking up the membranes inside. If juicing by hand, squeeze the fruit upside down to ensure that you aren't getting any errant seeds in your bowl. If you don't have a manual or electric juicer, try biting down on the fruit (this works best for small citrus like limes) to squeeze out the maximum amount of juice (just make sure you're catching seeds).

3. Marinades
The acid in citrus makes it a great candidate for marinades. You want to make sure, however, that you are not marinating proteins in citrus-based marinades for too long, because the protein will begin to 'cook' in the citrus if left for a long time. Particularly great with fish (I love lemon, garlic and oil), citrus-based marinades are a wonderful flavor boosting time saver!

4. Vinaigrettes
I love making vinaigrettes; they're healthy, light and delicious! They pair well with salads and vegetables and can be used as a quick marinade for proteins too. Just swap out the vinegar for some citrus juice and you will have a sure winner.

5. Choosing your citrus
Lime flavor pairs really well with Mexican and Asian foods. Used quite a bit in Thai dishes, limes add freshness and a sweet-sour flavor that is unparalleled. I loved using lime juice in combination with chipotle in adobo for a delicious chicken marinade. Grapefruit is a fun flavor that is often underestimated; try it in a salad dressing and you will be pleasantly suprised by the flavor profile it imparts. Lemons are great for marinating fish and other proteins. I add lemon juice to my shish-kebab marinade and use it for a glaze used on cornish game hens.

Easy marinade for tilapia:
juice and zest of one lemon
salt
black pepper
1 clove of finely minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
splash of white wine

You can make a lemon compound butter by combining room temperature butter with lemon zest and juice to add to the cooked fish before serving. Incredible!

Cilantro-Lime Guacamole

I have a serious weakness for fresh guacamole! It's one of my absolute favorite foods, and I grow fresh cilantro in the summer just for the purpose of adding it to salsa and guacamole. It's a wonderful appetizer with chips and makes a great addition to sandwiches and a variety of Mexican dishes (my recipe for Tequila Chicken Fajitas will post on Saturday!). Whenever I make guacamole, it's gone almost immediately. Creamy and brightly flavored with lime and garlic, this guacamole is sure to be a great addition to your cooking repetoire!

Ingredients (serves 4-6):
2 Haas avocados, cores removed
juice of 1/2 lime
salt, pepper, 1 tsp. minced red onion
1 clove of garlic, finely minced with salt
1/2 serrano chile, minced (use more or less to adjust heat)
2 tbsp. minced cilantro
2 tbsp. diced Roma tomato

Assembly:
Core avocados and remove the pit. Mince the garlic and chile together (this helps ensure that you don't get a huge bite of either...you just get the flavor of each ingredient!). Add lime juice, salt, pepper, garlic, chile, red onion and cilantro to avocado and mash until creamy but still slightly chunky. Stir in tomatoes and serve immediately.