Cooking Lesson #909: Open Grill Chicken

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? Many years ago a couple of young guys had a dream to open a restaurant in Marina del Rey, California. It was designed to look like an enchanting South Seas warehouse where copra may have been stored during the latter part of the 19th century. The two of us came from the motion picture industry—we were true visionaries. We may have been visionaries in the entertainment industry, but neither of us new a damn thing about restaurants, cooking and providing good service. I was a good eater and my partner had run a lemonade stand when he was eight, but that didn’t deter us… we built it hoping that if we did customers would come. And come they did.
 
Opening night was an auspicious occasion. We prepared to serve 100 guests that first night and managed stumble through over 700 people running out of everything but chicken—Open Grill Chicken. And so, that was the genesis of my first restaurant. We learned a lot that first night and the weeks and months that followed. Soon we were running a finely tuned machine with 2 hour waits to get a seat in our 350-seat, 12,000 square foot restaurant.
 
As sometimes happens the two of us eventually went our separate ways. I went on to open over 350 restaurants and my partner continued to operate the original. The saga has continued through these many years and earlier this year I went back for the first time in 30 years. The menu was different, the service standards had changed, and it wasn’t the shiniest new penny on the block, but despite the passage of years and the ravages of the pandemic the old lady survived and hopefully will be there for many years to come.
 
My recipe for Open Grill Chicken has been a staple in my home for many years and now for the first time I’m willing to share it with you—and you only.  Don’t give away the secret—this is just between you and me.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Marinate time: Let the marinade do its thing for at least 4 hours up to 24 hours
Cook time:  15 to 20 minutes
Yield time:  various—allow 3 pieces of chicken per person
 
Ingredients
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup peanut cooking oil (you can use vegetable oil as well)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning (I prefer Penzey’s spices)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Bone-in chicken pieces (up to 24 pieces)
 
Directions

1. Beat the egg.
2. Add the oil and beat again.
3. Whisk together all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
4. Add chicken pieces and toss to coat.
5. Cover and refrigerate the marinating chicken for at least 4, and up to 24 hours.
6. Remove chicken from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to lose its internal chill. This will allow it to cook more evenly.
7. Place coated chicken on a medium-high charcoal or gas grill.
8. Reserve any leftover marinade.
9. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes flipping and basting the chicken with leftover sauce every five minutes. Basting should be light at first and grow heavier toward the end of cooking.
10. Cook until internal temperature of the chicken pieces reaches 165⁰ F.
11. Let chicken stand for 5 minutes before serving.

​ChefSecret:  You can add any shake-on spice flavors that suit your whims—barbecue seasoning for a Texas touch; za’atar seasoning for a Mediterranean flavor; 5-spice seasoning for a Chinese taste.

Quip of the Day:  Q: Why do chickens make great banjo players? A: Because they are great pluckers!
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Do you have a question or comment?  Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Entree #GrilledChicken #GrilledFoods #SummerFavoriteChicken #MarinatedGrilledChicken #ChickenRecipes #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  
 
                                                                              ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024

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