If Your Chicken Went on a Vacation.....

Good morning!  Happy Tuesday!  How was your weekend?  Mine was fine.  We drove back to California to make a couple of deliveries.  It was super exciting to deliver to new stores!  I dropped off an assortment of products at The Royal Rooster in Clayton, CA.  If you haven’t been there, you have to go.  It is, seriously, the cutest store ever.  If you are ever needing to get someone a gift….this place is perfect.  We also dropped off BBQ sauces to Piedmont Grocery.  This store is right on Piedmont Ave. in Oakland.  It is a really nice, local gourmet grocery store.  Super cute store in a super cute area.  Do I win the prize for saying “super” the most times ever in a single paragraph?;)

Nothing else new going on here…..Addy got about 6 inches cut off her hair.  She has a sassy little short ‘do now.  I would post a picture, but that would probably embarrass her.  She is totally turning into a 13 year old girl already.  You know…when everything embarrasses you?  Who really needs her hair cut is me!  The ends of my hair look like a shark chewed on them.  Aren’t they the ones with multiple layers of teeth?  Anyhair, enough about me;)  Onto the food!

I was trying to come up with some different options for my Gourmet Rooster BBQ sauces.  Obviously, I think they are fantastic on their own, but I wanted to mix it up a little.  I took my Smokehouse Bacon BBQ sauce and jazzed it up with some pineapple, amongst other things, and it felt kind of tropical and Polynesian to me.  I could totally be making the Polynesian thing up, but they eat large amounts of pineapple, right?  Is that stereotyping?  Anyway, it was amazing.  I served it with my coconut rice, which I will also show you how to make.  If you don’t have Gourmet Rooster sauce, first of all….go get some.  If that just isn’t feasible, use whatever sauce makes you happy;)  I call this “If Your Chicken Went on a Vacation…Polynesian Chicken”.  Long name, easy recipe.

I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and some drumsticks.  Stop looking, the drumsticks aren’t pictured.  I broiled the chicken since barbecuing isn’t an option yet at my house.  It would require me digging the BBQ out of the snow. I pre-heated the oven to “broil”, which is about 500 degrees. 

I sprinkled my chicken with Asian seasoning.  I have one that is similar to Chinese 5 Spice, but I think it is not as heavy on the star anise….which I am not a fan of.  At all.  You will see what I used in my next picture.  I didn’t marinate the chicken in BBQ sauce because that will burn in the broiler if it cooks too long. 

My chicken cooked for 10 minutes to start.  It will cook for a total of about 20 minutes.

For the sauce, I used the aforementioned Asian Spice blend (the bottle with Emeril’s face on it….Bam), Gourmet Rooster Smokehouse Bacon BBQ sauce, minced ginger, crushed pineapple and soy sauce.  This sauce will be on the spicier side because the Smokehouse Bacon sauce already has a kick to it.  If you want this on the not-so-spicy side, try Gourmet Rooster Whiskey Apple BBQ sauce.

The pineapple and ginger lend a very tropical feel to this sauce.  I like to imagine sitting on the beach, chicken wing in hand, sauce smeared on my face.  I paint a pretty picture, don’t I?

If you can’t find the Asian spice blend I use, try Chinese 5 spice.  You can get it in any grocery store.

I dumped all the ingredients in a pot and simmered them together while the chicken broiled.  This sauce smells like a little bit ‘o heaven;)

After 10 minutes of broiling time, I took the chicken out and flipped it over.

After the flip, I basted the chicken with the sauce.  I put them back in to broil for 5 minutes.  Then, I took them out again….flipped and basted.  I put them back in for another 5 minutes.  At this point, you need to boil the sauce for at least 4 minutes because the basting brush has introduced raw chicken juice.  Gross.  So please, boil your sauce if you want to serve it on the side…..which you will because it is that good.  Muy importante!

As for the rice….

I love this rice.  It has coconut milk in it, which makes me very happy.  I am a huge fan of the flavor of coconut, but not the texture.  I do top this rice with toasted coconut, but I leave that off mine.  I just find the texture to be weird, but I know most people don’t.  Besides the coconut milk and toasted coconut, I also use rice (duh), water and green onions.  And butter!  (I forgot to take a pic of that)

I start by melting the butter in a pot.  I add the rice and stir it around till it is all coated in the butter.  I find that butter is totally necessary in this recipe.  The coconut milk will stick like nobody’s business if you don’t use butter or oil.  Seriously, you will have to kiss your pot goodbye if you forget butter because you won’t ever get the rice off. 

I then added the coconut milk and water, and some salt.  You can make as much or as little rice as you want.  The ratio is 1:2…..i.e. 1 cup rice to 2 cups liquid.  I use half coconut milk and half water.  Put a lid on it and cook it for 20 minutes.  Don’t peek.

While the rice is cooking, I spread some coconut out onto a baking sheet.  I tossed this in the oven to broil with the chicken.  It will toast up in about 4 minutes.  Watch this closely because it will go from toasty deliciousness to burnt quickly.  Don’t walk away, don’t make a phone call, don’t take a nap….pay attention to your coconut.

Perfect.

Once the rice is cooked, I stir in the green onions and top it with toasted coconut…..except on mine, but we already covered that.

Mmmmmmm….I topped my chicken with the extra sauce.  This recipe will make you think you are in Hawaii, or Fiji, or Samoa, etc.  You get my drift;)  This will be a great recipe for grilling too!  Summer can’t come fast enough for me!!

If Your Chicken Went on a Vacation Polynesian Chicken

Chicken of your choice, (drumsticks, thighs, breasts, mix of all, etc.)

12 ounces Gourmet Rooster Smokehouse Bacon BBQ sauce

8 ounces crushed pineapple

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon minced ginger

1 Tablespoon Asian Spice blend

Broil chicken in a pre-heated oven till it is halfway done.  For boneless thighs, this is 10 minutes.

In the meantime, stir all the remaining ingredients together in a medium sized pot.  Simmer, over medium heat, while chicken cooks.

Remove chicken from oven, flip and baste with sauce.  Broil additional 5 minutes for boneless thighs.  Remove from oven and baste again.  Broil for another 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and let chicken rest for a few minutes.  Juices should run clear when chicken is cooked through.

                -drumsticks will need to broil for a total of about 30 minutes

                -breasts will need a total of about 20-25 minutes.

Bring remaining sauce to a boil.  Boil for at least 4 minutes to cook out raw chicken juices.  Serve with chicken.

Coconut Rice

1 ½ cup uncooked rice

1 ½ cup coconut milk

1 ½ cup water

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup green onion, chopped

1 cup grated coconut

Melt butter in saucepan, over medium heat.  Add rice and stir until rice is coated in butter.  Add liquid and bring to a boil.  Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat and stir in green onion.

While rice is cooking, spread coconut on baking sheet.  Broil for 4 minutes or until slightly browned.  Top rice with toasted coconut.