Jamie Oliver's Barbecue Chicken

This week I seem to be going back to the basics.  Sunday night we had this recipe, Jamie's Barbecue Chicken.  Monday night we had Philly cheesesteaks and last night we had barbecue ribs. Sometimes it's nice to scale it back a bit and enjoy the basics.  They're classics for a reason, right?

Sunday was a gorgeous day and I needed something quick and easy so I settled on grilling Jamie's barbecue chicken.  The recipe below is pretty much a recipe for a barbecue sauce/marinade. I was, however, interested in this recipe because Jamie calls for orange zest in his sauce, which is something that I had never heard of or done before.  I am absolutely crazy about oranges and orange flavor so I decided to give it a go.  Turns out that the small amount of orange zest called for packed a surprisingly strong flavor in the final dish.  The end result was good, just not what I would refer to as traditional barbecue sauce.

 Jamie says:  "Everyone loves barbecued chicken. It’s a feature of pretty much every barbecue all over the country. Here’s how to make it crisp on the outside and cooked in the middle, just the way it should be."

Jamie Oliver's Barbecue Chicken
Adapted from JamieOliver.com
Serves 4
 
zest of 1 orange
1 dried chile
1 ½ heaped teaspoons smoked paprika
1½ teaspoons Dijon or English mustard
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon olive oil 
1/16 teaspoon sea salt and 
freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 x 5-ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts


Jamie’s top tips
• This marinade can be used on other lean proteins such as shrimp, pork tenderloin or flank steak. If the outside of the meat or fish looks a dry, brush a little of the marinade over it whilst cooking.
• When zesting citrus fruit, use a Microplane or similar zester so you only remove the colored zest without digging into the bitter white pith underneath.
• When grilling you need to keep control the heat really carefully so the food cooks through properly before it starts burning on the outside. If your meat starts to char soon after putting it on the grill or in the pan, move it to a cooler part of the grill or turn the heat right down.
• If you’re doing this on the stovetop, it will work best in a well-seasoned cast-iron or non-stick grill pan.
• It’s good to have one side of the barbecue with fewer coals so it’s cooler. The coals are ready when the flames have died down.

To prepare your chicken
1. If barbecuing, light the grill now so the flames have died down and it’s ready when you’re ready to cook.

2. Finely grate the orange zest into a shallow bowl. Crumble in the dried chile. Add the paprika, mustard, honey, ketchup and a splash of olive oil. Season with a small pinch each of the salt and pepper and mix well. Spoon out a few tablespoons of the marinade and set it aside.

3. Add the chicken breasts to the bowl with the remaining marinade. Turn them over in the marinade so they’re well coated, cover with plastic wrap and leave to sit for 5 to 10 minutes or until the grill is ready.

To cook and serve your chicken
4. If using a grill pan, put it over high heat now to get it screaming hot.

5. Use tongs to transfer your chicken breasts onto the grill or grill pan. For chicken breasts about 1 inch thick, cook for about 5 minutes on each side, turning every minute and basting as you go, or until golden and cooked through. Spoon a little of the reserved sauce over each breast.

Serving suggestions:
Lovely served with the Evolution potato salad and a fresh green salad, or delicious sliced in sandwiches in some good-quality bread. Add some leafy lettuce and sliced tomato to give it a good crunch.

Tips from the dietitian:
• Citrus zest, including orange, lemon, and lime gives a dish loads of flavor without adding many calories. Chile also does the same job. Make your marinades ahead of time and store it in a jar so you don’t get tempted to use bottled sauces.
• Skinless chicken breasts are a lean protein - cook up some extras to use in sandwiches and salads for lunch.

Food safety:
• Store raw meat and fish on the bottom shelf of your fridge, and food that’s ready to be eaten whether it’s salad, cheese, dairy or cooked food on the shelves above. This is so the juices from the raw foods can’t drip onto cooked foods and cross-contaminate them.
• Use tongs to move the meat into the marinade and again into the pan. If you flip the meat with a spatula, be sure to wash it before you use it again to take the fillets out of the pan to avoid cross-contamination.

 

Notes/Results:  This was good, but I'm not sure if I would recommend it or not.   If you're looking for a traditional recipe for barbecue chicken, then this is not the recipe for you.  However, if you are looking for something different, and with lots of orange flavor, then give this a whirl.  If you do decide to try this don't be surprised by the small amount of sauce it makes.  It doesn't appear to be enough to cover the chicken, but it all works out.

Don't forget to watch Jamie's Food Revolution Tuesday nights on ABC