» Chicken of the Week – Chicken Thighs with Mexican Flavors

Chicken of the Week – Chicken Thighs with Mexican Flavors

As I’ve mentioned before, in our home we don’t say burned, we say caramelized. So when you look at this out-of-focus photo, please remember that looks aren’t everything. And it didn’t taste burned. It just looked like it was.

A few weeks ago, I brought home a copy of Mark Bittman’s Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times cookbook and marked about a dozen recipes to try, including this one. I had most of the ingredients on hand except for the lime and the orange which went on my grocery list.

Then life got the better of me and three weeks later, I got an email from the library saying the book was overdue. So I thawed out a package of chicken thighs, bought a new lime and orange (the ones I already had were well past their prime), made this recipe and returned the book to the library.

I will say that the recipe was worth the wait. I only marinated it for about 1/2 hour and I really think it should go at least a couple hours to better infuse the flavors. It was very easy to prepare and the next time I cook it, I’ll make sure its a nice evening so I can grill it.

Chicken Thighs with Mexican Flavors

from: Mark Bittman’s Quick and Easy Recipes from The New York Times

4 garlic cloves, peeled

1 medium onion, quartered

1/2 tsp. oregano

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. cayenne

pinch ground cloves

salt & pepper

2 T oil

2 T fresh orange juice

2 T fresh lime juice

2 pound bone-in chicken thighs (or 1 1/2 pound boneless)

Preheat a grill or broiler to moderately hot and put the rack at least 4 inches from the heat source. Combine the garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, cayenne, cloves, salt, pepper and oil in a blender or food processor and blend until fairly smooth. Add the juices, taste and adjust the seasoning.

Smear the mixture all over the chicken. Marinate at least 30 minutes. For bone-in thighs, cook a total of 20-25 minutes (or until done) turning chicken over halfway through the cooking time.