Chile-Mustard Chicken

This chicken recipe is pretty easy to accomplish if you have a V-slicer or a mandolin and poultry shears, but can still be made without those devices.  We chose to do a whole chicken marinade but you could just as easily use your favorite chicken pieces, skin or not.  The spiciness level of this dish can also be tweaked to your own liking or depending on your audience.  We used a poblano pepper from a plant that has cross fertilized with a jalapeno plant and is pretty spicy actually.  You could use any pepper of any spice level you fell comfortable with.  Peppers are awesome like that.  There is one for every taste, mild to wild.

So without further ado let's start cooking. Well, marinating actually...

Step 1: Marinade and Prep

Lets start by making the marinade.  You will need to gather:

• 1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 2 or so slivered and/or chopped jalapenos( the more little pieces the more the flavor and heat will permeate the chicken.  Think surface area coverage and what kind of flavor you are going for.)

After Marination, to sprinkle on top and all over meat:

• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all these ingredients in a bag and shake and manipulate the bag to mix everything together.  The kind of bag needed will depend on how much and what type of chicken you are using.  We went with a whole chicken we cut the back out of and were going to grill, but it rained and those plans were...a wash. The whole chicken required a gallon bag, but if you are making less you might only need a quart bag.  You could also use a bowl with a lid or any other number of things as long as it holds your chicken and seals.

Step 2: Removing the Chicken Back

If you are using a whole chicken you will need to remove the back from the chicken to ensure even cooking.  This is pretty easy assuming you have kitchen shears.  Just feel around for the spine of the chicken, take your shears and cut from the posterior to the anterior end( tail to head) on either side of it.  We have included a video of this process.

http://youtu.be/qrMIf8gyUzg

Step 3: The Wait.

Since we used a whole chicken the task at hand is to take the marinade and work it under the skin to increase the permeation of the marinade.  Just get your hands a little dirty and do this with your fingers.  Try not to completely rip the skin off while working the marinade under the skin onto the meat itself.  Then you can just throw it in the bag and shake it a little to cover the rest evenly. 

Once the chicken is covered in the marinade your ready to wait for a few hours while it rests in the fridge.  The longer you wait, the better your flavor is going to be.  Its up to your situation and how much time and prep you are wanting to put in.  If you opt for a full eight hours I would recommend you go and adjust/shake the chicken a little to keep things fresh and working. 

Step 4: Roasting/Grilling

We put the chicken on a baking sheet covered in foil to protect it.  Be sure to place the chicken with the skin side up. Some of the sugars in this marinade will undoubtedly burn onto the pan if you are cooking this in the oven; using the foil will save you a lot of not fun scrubbing or even the pan itself in some cases. Grilling is neater and you wouldn't have to worry about messing up the grill plates/grates.  

We roasted it for 45 minutes at 400degrees Fahrenheit, until the internal temperature reached 180 degrees Fahrenheit.  You really should cook your chicken until it is this temperature or you run some pretty serious risks.  But hey, to each their own!  I can't stop you from eating undercooked chicken but I can try to warn you not to do it... 

That's It.  While this recipe is originally for a grill it worked really well in the oven tonight, so it is a pretty versatile recipe that can be used in multiple situations and cooking possibilities.  We had it with rice and peaches but it would go with pretty much anything and is pretty easy to make to your own liking.  Enjoy!