Grilled Southwestern Chicken with Summer Succotash
As I sit writing this, I cannot believe that I haven’t shared this recipe with you before. It’s my absolute favorite marinade for grilling chicken, and I usually triple the recipe and freeze for whenever the mood strikes. When my niece Ari was little, this was just about the only chicken she would eat (except for chicken strips from what she called ‘Burr-Burr Ville). We made it for her every year during our annual sister’s beach getaway, and it still brings smiles to everyone who tries it. She named it ‘Dick’s Chicken’ because he was in charge of the grill, and the name stuck. It’s rich and smoky from the dried chilies, with a hint of citrus to brighten it up. It’s just so darned good on the grill with a little char. Let’s make some thyme-infused succotash with colorful peppers, edamame and corn. Starting to sound like summer to me!!
Ingredients
- FOR THE SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN
- 3 cups boiling water
- 6 dried Ancho or Guajillo chilies or a combination of both, seeded and halved
- ½ cup apple juice
- 6 cloves garlic put through a garlic press or finely chopped
- 9 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 9 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate thawed
- 6 tablespoons grated lime zest or a combination of lime and orange zest
- ¾ cup honey or agave
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 9 tablespoons lime juice
- 9 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1-2 teaspoons salt
- 1- teaspoon black pepper or big pinch of cayenne
- 6 Boneless skinless chicken breasts, or 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (If using chicken breasts, it works best to slip them into a zip lock bag and pound them until flattened to the same thickness all over. This helps them grill evenly, and if you happen to be in a bad mood, pounding with a meat hammer or other such thing helps to work some of that aggression out).
- FOR THE SUCCOTASH
- 2 large orange peppers washed, and seeds removed. Slice into 1-2 inch slivers.
- 2 large yellow peppers washed, and seeds removed. Slice into 1-2 inch slivers.
- 1-2 cups of frozen corn thawed and drained (you choose how much depending on how big of a corn fan you are)
- 1-2 cups of frozen edamame rinsed and thawed (you choose how much depending on how big of an edamame fan you are.
- 3-4 sliced green onions
- 4-5 garlic scapes sliced (optional)
- 1- tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- Approximately 1-tablespoon olive oil
- Balsamic Vinegar of your choice amount to your own taste, but this dish can use the vinegar punch to stand up to the chicken
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
- FOR THE SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN
- Pour the boiling water over chilies in a medium bowl, and let sit for about 20 minutes. Discard the water and cut chilies into ½ inch pieces.
- Place the chilies and all of the remaining ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour 3/4 of the marinade over the amount of chicken you have chosen to use until chicken is covered. I like to marinate at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. Reserve the remaining marinade and freeze if you aren’t going to use right away.
- NOTE: Granted, this marinade is a lot of work, but the recipe I gave you is enough for two dinners. It freezes beautifully, so I usually just multiply the recipe by three and make a ton since I've got all of those ingredients out anyhow. That way, I've got the perfect marinate at my fingertips for the whole summer.
- Grill chicken over medium high heat until done.
- FOR THE SUCCOTASH
- In a large Dutch oven or deep skillet, heat some oil until shimmering.
- Add the peppers and garlic scapes (if using), season with salt and sauté only until softened.
- Stir in the thawed corn and edamame, and heat over medium low heat until the corn and edamame have warmed up.
- Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in the fresh thyme leaves and slivered green onion.
- Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
- Serve room temperature – use as a base for the Southwestern Chicken, so arrange the succotash on a platter and then place the chicken over the top. Drizzle any remaining grilling juices (if you grill on foil like we do you'll have some great juices on the bottom of the foil) and the rest of the reserved marinade from the chicken will flavor the vegetables and you might even cry it’s so good.