During the summer, it’s really difficult for me to do any cooking indoors. Who wants to be stuck inside using the stovetop or the oven, heating up the kitchen on a sunny, warm day? Not me. Of course, on rainy days it’s necessary to return to the kitchen, because despite my fondness of outdoor grilling, I have an aversion to grilling food outdoors while holding an umbrella—and I never risk pushing the grill into the garage or up next the house under the overhang of the roof.
Yesterday was one of those days that really wasn’t suitable for outdoor grilling, but since I was invited to a friend’s house for dinner, it made no difference to me. They did serve grilled chicken, but they cooked it indoors on their built-in grill. They called the chicken dish, “San Diego Chicken,” and it was fantastic. The recipe features honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, lime juice, ginger, pureed mango, and ground toasted pecans that are used as a marinade for the chicken prior to grilling.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ to 2 lbs. of chicken pieces
- 1 ripe mango
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ cup pecans, toasted
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Put the toasted pecans into a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Set aside.
- Cut up the fruit of a mango; then put it into a blender or food processor and liquefy.
- Pour the pureed fruit into a large saucepan. Add the honey, brown sugar, lime juice, cinnamon, and ginger. Cook on low heat for 8 to 12 minutes until thickened. Stir often. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool.
- Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels.
- Place the chicken into a large zip-locking bag; then add the marinade mixture and the toasted pecans. Make sure all of the chicken is covered with the sauce.
- Refrigerate the chicken in the marinade for 2 to 4 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the bag and discard the marinade.
- Grill the chicken until it reaches the proper doneness (170º F. on a meat thermometer.).
My friends made extra marinade to use as a basting sauce for the chicken during grilling. (You should never reuse a marinade for any purpose once it has been in contact with the raw chicken, which is why they made extra.) The sauce made the crispy grilled chicken skin irresistible. You’re going to love this great chicken recipe.
