
It isn’t the Colonel’s, but I do crave it fortnightly (and this from a girl whose chickennui has been lifelong). As it’s been about three weeks since I last prepared this dish, I’m overdue; it’ll be on the menu again this week, just as soon as the chicken thighs defrost in our colder-than-average refrigerator.
What is this heavenly dish, you ask? It’s something so simple, I can’t believe I never hit upon this particular combination of ingredients before. I’m a big fan of Mark Bittman’s show How to Cook Everything and caught an episode from Napa Valley in which he took on Chef Gary Danko’s fancy-pantsed grilled quail. The marinade sounded simple and the quail were adorable arranged with a bitter greens salad, so I thought I’d give it a go.
Because I didn’t feel like lugging quail home from the city (a matter of potential spoilage, not weight, though my arms aren’t getting me any free passes to the gun show), I picked up Cornish game hens and spatchcocked them good. The process was much simpler than I was expecting, but still more of a chore (and more expensive) than, say, using chicken thighs. (As agnostic as I am about chicken in general, I’m annoyingly evangelical on the subject of chicken thighs, so — fair warning — don’t ever get me started on the subject.)
The whole process was really very simple: The marinade takes one minute to throw together, then the chicken bathes in it for as long as you can stand it — up to a day — and then you slap it on the grill. The results far outweigh any effort you put into it. Because I felt the need to Do More, I also grilled asparagus and threw a foil-wrapped packet of potatoes, garlic, and onions with Cajun seasoning and olive oil on there with everything else.
There happened to be a gorgeous chive blossom squatting in my new herb garden, so I sprinkled that on the salad for a little color:

And there you have it. The chicken was juicy and bursting with flavor, especially after I drizzled a little balsamic vinegar on it when it came off the grill. Mmmmm … wonder if those thighs have defrosted yet.
If I can get excited about chicken, you know it’s a good recipe. Try it and let me know what you think.
recipes after the jump:
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