Chicken on the Grill

 For roasted poultry, a nice, relaxing bath in salty and sugary water before it goes into the oven can do wonders for keeping the meat moist and flavorful. But why should the Thanksgiving turkey have all the fun? Couldn’t the chicken on a mid-summer grill benefit from a bit of brine as well?

I learned from a recipe in Cuisine at Home magazine that I clipped a few years ago, that a lazy brine of cola and salt is just what chicken on the grill ordered. The original recipe called for a whole chicken to be cut in half, but I thought I’d try quartering the chicken, partly to make it more easily servable and partly to practice my mediocre chicken dismantling skills. (I’ll spare you the photos.)

Of course, custom-cutting a chicken makes this a two-apron project, since raw chicken isn’t the kind of mess you want to keep around for long. If you don’t want to do it, you could buy a chicken already cut up. The second apron is required after the chicken has brined for a couple hours, when the gloopy rub of salt, brown sugar, spices and vegetable oil gets slathered on.

The rub is highly flavorful, but also highly flammable. I’ve charred the outside of more than one piece of chicken by neglecting to check on it often enough. It can easily drip down into the grill and cause flare-ups that you’ll want to pay better attention to than I did. Fear not, or at least less, however, because the charred skin does not make for a bad piece of chicken. The skin takes the brunt of the abuse and the meat stays flavorful and juicy.

You probably won’t taste anything like cola in your bite of chicken, but it will be moist and delicious. You might taste the extra salt that goes into this dish (I did), so I would suggest serving it with lower-salt side dishes to balance that out a little. Either that or serve plenty of beverages with your meal. Of course you’ll drink them responsibly, whatever they are.


Coke Brined Chicken
from Cuisine at Home June 2007

You could purchase a cut-up chicken (usually 8 parts) if you don’t want to quarter the chicken yourself.

I’ve only made this recipe using a gas grill.

1 whole chicken, cut into quarters
1 liter (about 1 quart) cola (I used Coca-Cola brand)
½ cup kosher salt
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon paprika

1. In a container large enough to hold all of the chicken pieces, combine the cola and ½ cup kosher salt. Add the chicken, making sure all of the pieces are submerged. Refrigerate at least 2 hours (I’ve brined up to 4 hours or so). Stir or shake the container occasionally if some of the salt remains undissolved.

2. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine the vegetable oil, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, garlic powder, black pepper, dry mustard and paprika. Place the chicken on a large platter or in a large bowl. Rub the chicken with the oil mixture getting as much of the skin covered as you can. Let stand 15 minutes.

3. Preheat a gas (or charcoal) grill. Adjust the grill to medium-low heat. If some pieces are much larger than others (for example, the chicken I grilled had large breast pieces) you might want to start cooking them sooner. Place the chicken on the grill and cook over the medium-low flame for 40-50 minutes, turning as needed. Test the chicken for doneness by some reliable method. I prefer to use a thermometer probe and allow the chicken to reach an internal temperature of 165 F.

4. When the chicken is done, remove it from the grill to a platter and cover with foil for at least 5 minutes, or to keep warm a little longer if desired.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Another recipe like this one: Chinese Style Barbecue Sauce and Marinade

One year ago: Rich Chocolate Ice Cream

Two years ago: Lemon Herb Potato Salad

Squash Flowers, Volume 1: Battered and Fried

Fresh and crisp summer produce grown locally and with minimal chemical interference is the epitome of healthy eating. Well, you can’t get much more local than the zucchini blossoms I’ve been growing in a container (that used to be a small trash can) on the patio attached to our apartment. The healthy eating part might not survive the battering and frying.

I read a long time ago that zucchini could be grown for their flowers in a container (I later learned you can grow them for the fruit that way as well, and I might be harvesting two or three soon.) Last year, I had a great deal of dining success with my zucchini flowers, thanks to a recipe in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman for beer battered blossoms. I opted for the club soda variation to keep the flavor light and was on my way.

I like to pick the squash flowers in the morning when they are wide open, which makes them easier to clean and stuff. And clean them you must. Lots of little bugs love the inside of these blossoms, and, unless you really want the added protein, I highly recommend rinsing them away. It’s also better to remove the stamen from the male blossoms (the ones that are attached to thin stalks) and wash away the pollen. I don’t tend to harvest any female blossoms (the ones that are attached to what look like baby zucchini). I try to get them pollinated so I can raise a few zucchini, too. (The fewer questions you ask about that, the better.)

I’ll often clean and save flowers and keep them in the refrigerator. They last a few days and give me an opportunity to fry up a modest-sized batch at one time. Since I haven’t been able to grow or eat enough for a full batch of the batter from the cookbook, I make half a batch, which will probably make about 15 battered blossoms. I’ve also kept the batter in the refrigerator for about a day and it still makes good food, but it really is best right after it is mixed together.

The battering and frying part of the recipe has always worked extremely well. What didn’t go so well were attempts to stuff the blossoms before battering and frying them. Fillings like ricotta mixed with herbs or a sliver of mozzarella or Gruyere cheese were hard to get into the delicate flower without tearing it and they melted and leaked everywhere during frying making for empty blossoms and messy, messy frying medium.

I finally got the idea -and I’m really proud of this one – to stuff a single sage leaf (or half of one if the sage leaves are large and the zucchini flowers are small) in each flower. They don’t have the capacity to melt or leak, they’re easy to stuff into the flower, and if a bit of it sticks out while frying, it just becomes a fried sage leaf. Nothing wrong with that.

And the flavor the sage leaf adds is fantastic! The zucchini flowers have a subtle flavor on their own, reminiscent of the scent of summer squash. The sage is strongly present in all its herby, dusty glory, but still doesn’t overpower the light taste of the blossom. The golden brown and crispy coating doesn’t need my endorsement. You already know that’ll be good. Caloric, yes, and doubly so since I tend to serve it with an aioli (like this one) for a dipping sauce, but oh so delicious. Delicious!

Fried Squash Flowers with Fresh Sage
Based on a recipe in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman

Since I cut a 1-egg recipe in half, I give instructions here for using half of a beaten egg, which are relatively simple. Discard the unused egg or use it in another dish (as egg wash, scrambled eggs, etc.) within a day or two. Keep it refrigerated, of course.

10-15 zucchini or other squash flowers
canola or vegetable oil for deep frying
10-15 small to medium-sized sage leaves, or fewer large leaves (a leaf or half a leaf for each flower)
1 large egg
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
a few grinds of black pepper
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup club soda or more if needed
additional salt (preferably kosher salt) for finishing

1. Carefully clean the flowers, especially the insides. Remove the flowers’ reproductive parts (you should be able to pull them off easily with your fingers). Drain well and pat very dry.

2. Insert one sage leaf or half of a large sage leaf in each flower. Gently twist the top of the flower petals closed over the leaf. Set aside.

3. Beat the egg and measure its volume. Pour half of the beaten egg into a bowl to use it in the batter. The large eggs I’ve been using are about 3-3 ½ tablespoons, so I’ve been using about 1 ½ tablespoons or a little more in the batter. Discard the remaining egg or reserve it for another use. Keep it covered and refrigerated for a day or two.

4. Add the flour, salt, pepper, baking powder and club soda to the egg in the bowl. Whisk together until all the dry ingredients are moistened. If the batter is very thick, stir in more club soda.

5. Pour about 2 inches of oil into a large skillet. I use cast iron. Warm on medium heat to 350 F or until a drop of the batter immediately sizzles in the oil.

6. When the oil is hot, begin to batter and fry the flowers. Hold the flower by the stem end and dip it into the batter. Drag it on the edge of the bowl to remove excess batter. Immediately (and carefully) place the battered flower in the hot oil. Repeat with a few more flowers at a time. Do not overcrowd the pan.

7. Fry the flowers at medium heat until they are golden brown on one side. If they seem to be browning too fast, reduce the heat. Carefully turn the flower in the oil and cook on the other side until brown. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with additional salt while still hot. Repeat the battering and frying until all the flowers are cooked. Serve with Garlic-Parsley Aioli or similar dipping sauce.

Makes 2-4 appetizer servings.


One year ago: Chilled Summer Squash Soup

Two years ago: Pain au Chocolate

Baking with Basil, Volume 2: Citrus and Basil Cookies

The title of this post might lead you to believe that it is my second installment in praise of adding fresh basil to baked goods, despite the warm weather conspiring to keep you away from the oven.  I meant it to be something like that.  But then, I actually ate the shortbread cookies I made with citrus zest and basil.  This post is going to be about how great these cookies are.

I must admit that this recipe didn’t come to me as if in a dream.  It came to me from the pages of the July issue of Bon Appetit magazine. There wasn’t much hoopla on the page with the recipe.  Just something about the “unexpected – and delicious – note” that the fresh basil gives these simple shortbread cookies. The citrus flavors, the tender, crisp, not-very-sweet butteriness of the cookies and the ease, holy cow, the ease at which they can be thrown together got nary a mention. These attributes all deserve a shout-out highlighted with exclamation points!

And then, as if you could handle more, there’s the fresh basil, the one ingredient that makes these cookies deliciously seasonal.  I used a variety known as lime basil that I have growing in a pot on my patio.  It does have a wonderful citrus scent and went oh so well with the lemon and lime while adding just a faint herbal quality that’s not at all grassy.  Another variety of basil will probably yield a slightly different result. I find common Genovese basil to have just a bit of an anise note to it, and Thai basil to have even more.  I’ve also grown cinnamon basil (but can’t remember if it was cinnamon-y or not), and I think that all of the above varieties would be great in these cookies, but may not play off the citrus flavors quite as much as the lime basil did.

Now, here’s where I’m going to get into trouble with this recipe.  As long as I could substitute any kind of basil, what’s to keep me from substituting fresh mint instead? Or adding orange zest and/or juice? Or perhaps rosemary or thyme?  Do I dare take out the citrus and add grated chocolate or liqueur?  Since the dough is made in about a minute in the food processor and the batch is small, I could be trying new things on a continuous basis. Where will this end? 

Shortbread is easy.  Dieting is hard.

Lemon, Lime and Basil Cookies

Adapted from Bon Appetit magazine, July 2011

For best results, remove the zest from the lemon and lime with a Microplane rasp-style grater. The zest will be finely grated and the pith will be left on the fruit.

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup powdered sugar
1 stick (½ cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons sliced fresh lime basil leaves (or other variety of basil)
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon grated lime zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt
additional powdered sugar for pressing the cookies

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly spray cookie sheets with cooking spray, or lightly brush with oil or butter. Place all of the ingredients, except for the additional powdered sugar, in the bowl of a food processor.  Process in long pulses until the dough forms large clumps.

2. Measure a level tablespoon of dough for each cookie.  Roll the dough into a ball and place on a prepared cookie sheet.  Place the additional powdered sugar in a bowl or large measuring cup.  Press the bottom of a smaller measuring cup in the powdered sugar to prevent sticking.  I used a 1/3 cup measure, which happened to be about 2 inches in diameter.  Press each cookie ball into a 2-inch circle with the bottom of the measuring cup.

3.  Bake at 375 F for about 15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned.  Cool the cookies on the pan for 2 minutes.  Remove the cookies from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes about 15 cookies.  Store leftovers in an airtight container for a few days (if they last that long without being devoured!)

Other recipes like this one: Lime Bars with Graham Cracker Crust, Chocolate Cinnamon Hazelnut Cookies (also a food processor dough)

One year ago: Grilled Green or Yellow Beans

Two years ago: Granola

Baking with Basil, Volume 1: Whole Wheat Cornmeal Bread

I know what you’re thinking. It’s hot, the days are lazy, there’s grilling to do and salads to prepare. And you want to bake something. Are you crazy?

First of all, the answer to that question is beyond the scope of this cooking journal. Second, we’ve had a few cooler days recently, and I got in some baking while it was bearable to use the oven. And finally, but most importantly, those obligatory summer tomato sandwiches have to go on something. It might as well be a couple slices of whole grain bread laced with fresh basil.

I also use this bread for toasted cheese sandwiches and thick slices are good alongside soups and, especially, chili. It’s a little coarse and a bit nutty from the whole wheat flour and cornmeal and the flavor of the basil is in every bite. Whether you’ve got a field of basil or just a few sprigs, this is a good place to put it.

The recipe is adapted from The Complete Guide to Bread Machine Baking published by Better Homes and Gardens. I wore out my bread machine years ago, and have been re-adapting my bread machine recipes back into mix-by-hand-and-bake-in-the-oven recipes ever since. The dough for this one, as with many bread recipes with whole grains, is kind of stiff to knead by hand. It might be a good candidate for a heavy-duty mixer with a dough hook, and that must have been how I made it in years past, because I didn’t remember it being such a workout.

I guess if I’m going to make tomato sandwiches slathered with homemade mayonnaise, or toasted cheese (that’s Monterey Jack with buffalo sauce in it in the photo above) I need to find a way to work off those calories anyway. It may not be baking season, but it is basil season. As far as I’m concerned, the great flavors and aromas of this bread are worth getting my apron a little sweaty as well as messy in a hot July kitchen.


Whole Wheat Cornmeal Bread with Basil
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens: The Complete Guide to Bread Machine Baking

I have given directions for mixing and kneading by hand. You could use a heavy-duty mixer and knead using the dough hook.

¼ cup warm water (about 100-110 F)
1 tablespoon sugar
2-2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (about 1 envelope-style package)
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon sunflower or canola oil
¾ cups whole wheat flour
½ cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon gluten
2 cups bread flour, divided
1 teaspoon fine salt
2 tablespoons finely sliced or torn basil

1. In a large bowl, mix together the water, sugar and yeast. Let stand about 5 minutes or until the yeast appears foamy.

2. Warm the milk to about 100-110 F. (I microwave cold milk about 30 seconds. Be sure to test it to make sure it’s not too hot). Add the milk, oil, whole wheat flour, cornmeal, gluten and about half of the bread flour to the yeast mixture. Stir together to make a batter-like dough. Cover with a towel and let stand 15-30 minutes.

3. Stir in the salt, basil and enough of the remaining flour to make a stiff dough. When the dough becomes difficult to stir, turn it out on a kneading surface. Knead until the dough is smooth and only slightly tacky, adding in as much of the remaining flour as you can (or more if needed). If the dough is already stiff and you have more than about ¼ cup bread flour left, add a small amount of water to the dough, 1 teaspoon at a time, and continue kneading in the remaining flour. Kneading should take about 10 minutes.

4. Shape the kneaded dough into a ball. Spray a medium-size bowl with cooking spray or brush it with oil. Place the dough in the bowl and spray or brush the top of the dough. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the dough. Cover with a towel and let rise about 1 hour or until roughly double in size.

5. Spray an 8 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray or brush it with oil. Gently deflate the risen dough and let stand for a few minutes. Shape the dough into a loaf and place in the prepared pan. Cover with a towel and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until about double in size and a gentle press with the finger leaves an indentation without springing back.

6. Preheat oven to 375 F. Remove the towel from the risen loaf and bake at 375 F for 30-35 minutes, or until the bread is done. (It should sound hollow when tapped, or have reached an internal temperature of about 200 F.) Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

Makes a 1 ½ pound loaf.


Other recipes like this one: Multigrain Baguette, Wheat Sandwich Bread

One year ago: Cherry Clafouti

Two years ago: Sauteed Cabbage with Caraway and Cider Vinegar