Tag Archives: Chicken

Spices, Spice Blends and Tips for the BEST Barbecue Chicken.

Barbecued chicken, when done well, is a beautiful thing.

But not every Chef puts the time and effort into making their barbecued chicken EVERYTHING it can be.

Some, think it’s all about their award-winning sauce, when, in effect, that’s only the cherry on the sundae.

What makes a truly exceptional barbecued chicken is focusing on the “ice cream”, that is, the chicken.

No matter if you’re grilling OR barbecuing your chicken, it’s important to remember that unlike some barbecued meats, such as beef and pork, chicken contains very little fat within its tissue, to counterbalance the long slow, or fast hot heat required to bring that internal temperature to the magical 165F needed to fully cook it.

It’s no wonder what so many people complain that their barbecued chicken is dry and or tough.

Of course, the first step in making a delicious, mouth-watering, lick your fingers goodness of a great barbecued chicken, is brining.

This super-hydration of the meat in a solution with salt, a bit of sugar and spices, is, perhaps, your best hedge against dry/tough meat in the end.

Everything from here on out is fighting against you, especially intense, dry heat.

The next best step is pre-seasoning.

The Red Goose Spice Company makes a number of delicious seasoning blends which you can consider, one, being our popular Barbecue Seasoning Rub.

Our recommendation here is to apply is rather liberally and then, allow the chicken pieces to “marinate” for at least 3 to 4 hours in this rub. You may even consider tossing in a bit of oil to this during this time. Not much however, just enough for that bit of oil, plus the juices which will be emitted from the chicken, to give each piece a wet coating.

Again, allow this flavoring to macerate and do its thing.

If you’re wanting to give your chicken a bit of light smoke, do it after this initial marination.

On to cooking.

If you’re smoking your chicken first, in a hot smoker, then your chicken is likely nearly, if not fully cooked through at this point. From there, you can finish the chicken on a rather hot grill, basting your sauce on as you go.

If, however, you’ve smoke them a shorter period of time, in a lower temperature smoker perhaps, then you would want to also set up your finishing grill on a lower temperature, (initially), and without basting them with sauce at first.

Then, once they’re fully cooked, raise the temperature of the grill, and finishing them with your barbecue sauce basting.

If smoking is not part of your method, after brining and then the wet rub marination, all of the initial cooking (from the raw state), can be done either in an oven, or, by Sous Vide if you’re really able to, or, on the grill itself, if it’s set on a low enough temperature at first.

However, barbecuing chicken, from a raw state, from beginning to end on the grill, is, perhaps, the trickiest method, and especially challenging if you’re also cooking for a large group and, on a tight schedule.

One other consideration, is your sauce of choice.

Very sweet barbecue sauces will caramelize/burn on your chicken a bit faster than sauces which are more vinegary and less sweet. That will, with your regulation of the intensity of the heat below, determine when to begin the application of sauce, with sweeter sauces being basted on later in the cooking process.

The end goal, is a piece of barbecued chicken which is both moist and flavorful.

Red Goose Spice, and their parent company Asmus Seasonings, can supply you with choices of both brine mixes as well as a number of barbecue seasonings, for you to choose from to help you make your barbecued chicken EVERYTHING it can be this summer.

Chilaquiles Rojos con Pollo

Chilaquiles are, at their essence, a very simple dish of corn tortilla chips covered (or tossed) with a spiced tomato sauce (or enchilada sauce), then topped with a queso fresco cheese. The dish is usually accompanied with black beans.

This version is a casserole style and adds chicken, onions, peppers and black beans. The cheese is a shredded Monerey Jack/ Cheddar style similar to what is often called a “Mexican” blend.

Chilaquies Rojo con Pollo

Makes 1- Full Steam Table Pan 2 ½” Deep Casserole or 20 to 24 Portions

As needed                   Vegetable Spray

¼ cup                           Olive Oil

2 large                         Sweet Onions

4  medium                   Bell Peppers, Green or Red

To taste                       Salt & Pepper

2 – 10 oz cans             Black Beans, Rinsed & Drained

1 cup                           Cilantro, Chopped

4 – 14 oz bags             Corn Tortilla Chips

2 ½  quarts                  Red Enchilada Sauce (Homemade or Canned)

5 pounds                     Pulled, Cooked Chicken Meat (From 4 Rotisserie Chickens)

3 pounds                     Monterey Jack / Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

 

Sauté the sliced onions and peppers in the olive oil until golden in color then season with salt & pepper.

Spray a full-size steam table pan 2 ½” deep, generously with vegetable spray.

Ladle 2+ cups of the enchilada sauce over the corn tortilla chips and spread evenly.

Lay down the first layer of broken tortilla chips. Cover the bottom completely.

Sprinkle half of the caramelized onion & peppers over chips and sauce.

Sprinkle half of the black beans over the onions and peppers.

Sprinkle half of the pulled, cooked chicken meat evenly over the black beans.

Sprinkle half of the chopped cilantro over the chicken.

Sprinkle 1/3rd of the shredded cheeses evenly over the chicken then a cup of the enchilada sauce over the cheese.

Repeat steps 3 through 9 once again.

Finish with a full layer of broken tortilla chips followed by 2+ full cups of enchilada sauce and the last 1/3 of the cheese.

Place into a 325 F. oven uncovered and bake for approximately 35 to 45 minutes.

Allow to rest 15 minutes and serve.

Note: To ensure that the bottom of the casserole does not burn, it is best to double pan or, to place the steam table pan on a sheet pan and add some water to the sheet pan.

White Bean Chicken Chili

For nearly everyone, when you think of chili, you think of a mahogany red colored stew of beef (and perhaps beans), with both savory and sweet spices.

It can be delicately spiced and very approachable, or it just might burn the leather off the soles of your shoes…, just because.

Whether mild or blistering hot, almost everyone agrees, it’s all about the beef, the tomatoes and the spices.

Chicken? Wait a minute…did you just say chicken?

If orange, is the new black.

Chicken (or turkey), is the new beef.

At least when it comes to chili.

How and when chicken chili came about is certainly a guess but it those extolling the virtues of poultry as a substitute for red meat certainly pushed its popularity to an all-time high in the past decade.

Most everyone agrees that our modern-day Chili Con Carne,  is an American adaptation of a similar Mexican, Canary Island or Moroccan dishes going back hundreds of years.

Being the melting pot that it is, Texans, more specifically San Antonians gradually assimilated these multiple culinary influences within what was their simple peasant style stew of hashed beef and peppers and, over time, turned a local stew, into a nationally renowned, destination worthy dish.

Known locally as a “bowl of red”, it was even the featured dish at the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 at the San Antonio Chili Stand and then eventually made the official state food of Texas in 1977.

Beans.

If you think the subject of using chicken instead of red meat in chili might be sacrilegious to the chili purists, just bring up the subject of beans.

It’s not a matter of which beans or what proportion to meat, it’s a matter of no beans.

No, no, no and #@!*%#! no.

Chili today.

Purists aside, the real “power” behind chili is The International Chili Society, (ICS) which holds the World Championship Chili Cook-off.

It was formed in 1967 and divides the chili competitions into the following categories:

  • Traditional Red
  • Chili Verde
  • Homestyle Chili
  • Veggie Chili

And you might be interested to know that not only does the Homestyle Chili allow the use of ANY meat (you go CHICKEN!) but the recipes MUST have beans in them!

And, well, that’s a good thing because the International Chili Society’s World Cook-Off’s presenting sponsor, is none other than….

Wait for it…..

Bush’s Best beans….

If you’d like more information about the International Chili Society or any of its upcoming competitions, hit the following link with your wooden spoon…

https://chilicookoff.com/

And, as promised, here is the Red Goose recipe for our delicious White Bean Chicken Chili

Makes about 3 quarts.

12 oz  boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 links  chicken Italian sausage

½ stick butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced jalapeno

½ cup  chopped white onion

1 pound  ground chicken meat

½ cup  diced red bell pepper

¼ cup  chopped green onion

¾ cup  diced (seeded) Roma tomato

½ cup   cut corn

2 cups  Northern beans, drained

3 cups  strong chicken stock

2 tablespoons ground cumin

¼ cup  dark chili powder

to taste  ground black pepper and salt

Optional garnish: sour cream, green onions, red bell pepper and fresh jalapeno

  1. Begin my grilling both the 12 ounces of chicken breast and 2 links of chicken Italian sausage, then finish cooking them to 165 F in a 350 F oven. Cool and dice into ½” pieces.
  2. In a small saucepan, cook together the butter and flour over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes, making a roux. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for later use.
  3. In a medium-large sauce pot, sauté the onions, garlic and jalapeno with vegetable oil, over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Add the ground chicken and cook until opaque and fully done.
  5. Add the red bell pepper, green onions and Roma tomato, cut corn, Northern beans, diced grilled chicken and cut chicken Italian sausage. Stir over medium heat for 5 minutes.
  6. Add the chicken stock and the roux and stir together well until it reaches a simmer. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes.
  7. Add the cumin, chili powder, ground pepper and salt to taste. Simmer slowly an additional 20 minutes.
  8. Serve with sour cream, green onions, slivers of red bell pepper and a thin slice of fresh jalapeno.