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Thursday, February 2, 2012

Grilled Chicken with Tamarind and Coconut Glaze



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We had a glorious day today. Our sky was the color of the aquamarine I wear around my neck and the clouds that could be seen held no hint of rain. It remained chilly but the cold spoke to sweaters rather than ski parkas or slickers and umbrellas. At some point, after a lunch that I had planned to feature here tonight, I had a thought that refused to be dismissed. My brain, keenly attuned to the day's weather, kept urging me to grill. Now that is not as crazy as it may sound. The climate here is such that, save for heavy rain, there is nothing to prevent us from grilling year round, and I have, on occasion, been seen tending the grill with a fork in one hand and a golf umbrella in the other. As it happened, this was a perfect day to fire up the grill. I had clipped, actually copied, some recipes the last time I was at the library and there was one of them that I was especially keen to try. The recipe had been developed by Bonnie Stern, a prolific Canadian food writer, and I thought it would be a perfect match for the ingredients I had sitting in my refrigerator. She uses a marinade made with tamarind concentrate and coconut milk to flavor boneless chicken thighs. I had both on hand because I do so much Asian cooking and that meant I could proceed without a trip to the store. The marinade comes together in about 5 minutes, though the chicken needs to soak in it for a considerable amount of time, that can range from four to eight hours. Even with the long marination, I could have dinner on the table at a sensible time, so I decided to proceeded with the chicken. The only change I made to the original recipe was to cut back on the amount of cayenne pepper it called for. Now I hope you are ready for a recipe alert. I'm not always a fan of grilled food but this chicken made my socks go up and down, and I really think that those of you who try this will love it. Instructions for cooking it indoors are included in the recipe below, so those of you who are still shoveling snow from your driveways won't have to wait for spring to enjoy it. I served the chicken with steamed snow peas and a pineapple rice. I'll post the recipe for the rice sometime next week. This chicken is really, really good. Here's the recipe.

Grilled Chicken with Tamarind and Coconut Glaze...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Bonnie Stern via Friday Night Dinners

Ingredients:
3/4 cup coconut milk or unflavored yogurt
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon garam masala or ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne (I used 1/4 teaspoon)
12 boneless chicken thighs (with skin or skinless)
1 lemon, cut in wedges
Sprigs of fresh cilantro

Directions:
1) In a large bowl, combine coconut milk, tamarind paste, garlic, salt, garam masala and cayenne. Add chicken and turn to coat well with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for
4 to 8 hours.
2) Grill chicken for 8 to 10 minutes per side. (You could also brown chicken in a skillet on stove, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and finish cooking in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked.)
3) Garnish with lemon wedges and cilantro. Yield: 6 servings.







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40 comments:

  1. Hi Mary! My kids would love this chicken especially knowing it has a coconut glaze. Even though it's been unseasonably warm here this winter, we have not fired up our grill. By the time my husband gets home from work it's dark and he is not a fan of grilling in the dark. We live off the grill in the summer though and I will save this recipe for then!

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  2. This looks delicious! My brother bought me some tamarind for my birthday (he's always getting me "unique" kitchen things) and I've been wondering what to make with it. Have a great week!

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  3. You're so lucky to be able to grill outdoors,Mary!It will be at least 2 months before I dare attempt here..Very tasty sounding recipe,the finished product looks amazing!!

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  4. I've never cooked with coconut milk or tamarand, so this will be very interesting. The photo sells this recipe, for sure.

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  5. Oh, this looks SO good!!!! I have a post to do on grilling. Do you know that around here, people even grill in almost three feet of snow...no kidding! I hope your husband is doing better....I am praying for full recovery!!

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  6. Hello Mary, that combination in your marinade sounds wonderful. Happy Grilling. BAM

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  7. That first barbecue of the year is such a treat! And this chicken looks so good - what a great use for store-cupboard staples.

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  8. This looks delicious! So tasty, so delicious... nhac nhac :P
    Kisses Mary :*

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  9. I'll need a couple of things to make this, but that can be solved. Beautiful recipe, Mary. And I hope the Silver Fox is recovering well.

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  10. It sounds exotic and yummy!Great recipe as always,dear Mary!

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  11. You know how much I love to grill, so this is the perfect dish to me!! Looks lovely.. and I'm so glad to hear the weather was so nice for you all. It's hard to remember that everyone else in the country is still suffering through winter when it's 75-80 degrees here!!

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  12. O M G! The chicken looks perfectly done and so so delicious. Love those wonderful flavours. Can't wait to try it in my kitchen.

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  13. Wow Mary! This chicken looks so good, I would be glad to taste it. In fact, i'm saving this recipe in my favorites!

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  14. You know I have to try the ones that get the socks moving!! LOL! Thank you, Mary! blessings ~ tanna

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  15. thanks so much for this recipe - I wanted to make tararind chicken and now here it is - yum :)
    Mary x

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  16. Sounds wonderful! Although we are in Colorado, we grill year round--golf umbrella, show boots, whatever it takes when the mood strikes and we need a reminder of the warmth of summer.

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  17. Oh, grilling! On a day like today here, too, it seems just right. I love chicken thighs; they're just richer. I have everything but the tamarind paste. Soon, then.

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  18. I can't wait to try this flavorful sounding recipe. I will make this on the gas grill on our stove...not the same as what yours must have tasted like but still good.

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  19. Bonnie Stern - man, you've brought me back to my Canadian roots. She's pretty darn incredible and so is this chicken! Your photo is so fabulous I can taste it - I'll be putting this on the grill asap.

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  20. Mary, this really sounds delicious. I am bookmarking this for warm outdoor grilling days. (I am enjoying the image of you in my mind with fork in one hand and golf umbrella in the other)
    Laura

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  21. I want to see your socks go up and down. I also want to grill. Love the Indian flavors - they would hold up well to the grill.

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  22. Another amazing recipe! Now to find the tamarind - I love a culinary quest!

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  23. Great recipe! Love the Asian flavors and as usual your picture is wonderful.

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  24. Oh Mary, that coconut glaze looks and sounds marvelous. I'm thinking of lots of different ways to use it too!
    I've begun to use coconut milk in place of milk in many desserts I make. Adds such a nice richness to the recipe.

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  25. Oooo I've never seen a marinade with tamarind paste before, I will have to give this a try! Thanks for the tip on stove/oven instructions since we don't have a grill :)

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  26. I LOVE, no LOVE tamarind. I have been known to drown a perfectly delicious Indian meal by going crazy on the stuff. I am tickled pink to try this.

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  27. Just pinned on my cooking board, I love everything about this recipe, Mary!

    and I do have all ingredients, including the elusive tamarind paste, so I'm all set...

    beautiful photo too..

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  28. mmm, it's about time i incorporate more flavors like this into my food, YUM.

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  29. Mary,

    This sounds so delicious. Do you know if the tamarind paste has sugar in it?

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  30. Mary...I am smell and taste the flavor from your description :) Wonderful recipe and I am going to try this out as I have the ingredients in my refrigerator too :)Have a nice day :)

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  31. My roommate is a serious tamarind lvoer and she's turned me into one as well! Love the sound of that glaze!

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  32. Dear Mary, My daughter would love this chicken dish. Blessings, Catherine xo

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  33. I'm SO glad you had such a glorious day, Mary. It sounds beautiful!! This glaze sounds so savory and special.

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  34. This chicken sounds so simple and delicious! I'm always looking for new ways to do chicken. So good.

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  35. This sounds so delicious! I use a lot of tamarind in my cooking (living in India, that's natural!), but I have never tried it in a grilled chicken marinade! Sounds really interesting and delicious! Thanks for sharing, Mary!

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  36. I'm pinning (I love Pinterest!)this to save and try some time soon! It looks fabulous, Mary!

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  37. Amazing..!SO beautiful! Keep up the good work. Very good post, highly appreciated.
    http://all4payday.com

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  38. This was delicious! Thank you :)

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