Photo by James Scherzi

 

Recipe for the Month of August 2001
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Oven-Roasted Mojito Chicken
From the Cookbook "Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, An American Roadhouse"
by John Stage and Nancy Radke
Courtesy of Ten Speed Press

Home cooking doesn't get any easier than this. So if you're serious about getting maximum flavor for a minimum amount of effort, this Cuban way of preparing chicken is for you. The onions and Mojito Marinade melt together into a tasty sauce that mingles well with some of our Perfect Rice.

— SERVES 4 to 6 —

THE CHICKEN:

• 1 chicken (3½ pounds), cut into 8 pieces

• 1 cup Mojito Marinade (available at GourmetMagic.com)

• 1 large onion, sliced into ½" rounds

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley or cilantro

THE GARNISH:

• Lime Wedges

THE ACCOUTREMENT:

• Perfect Rice - Recipe to Follow

PREPARATION:

SPREAD the chicken out in a baking dish, and pour the Mojito Marinade over it. Get personal with the pieces and rub some of the marinade right up under the skin. Marinate the chicken for 4 hours, or overnight, in the fridge.

TURN the oven on to 375 degrees. Scatter the onion slices over the bottom of a roasting pan, and put the chicken on top, skin side up. Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken and onions, and pop the pan into the oven. Roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes, till the chicken is golden and cooked through.

LIFT the chicken pieces out of the pan and arrange them on a platter. Stir up the pan juices, adding a bit of fresh Mojito Marinade (if you have it) to wake up the flavors. Spoon the onions and pan juices over the chicken. Sprinkle with parsley or cilantro and garnish the dish with lime wedges. Get everybody to squeeze some lime over their portion for added flavor. Serve some Perfect Rice on the side.

Perfect Rice

Rice acts as a base for many a saucy dish, so you should never take it for granted. It's gotta be every bit as good as the food you serve with it. Rinsing the rice before cooking gets rid of the floury starch that clings to the grains and makes cooked rice sticky and lumpy, and adding some garlic boosts the flavor.

— SERVES 4 —

• 2 cups water

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

• 1 cup long-grain rice

PREPARATION:

COMBINE the water, olive oil, salt and garlic in a saucepan. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, put the rice in a sieve and rinse under running water till the water loses its milky look and runs clear. Add the rice to the boiling water, cover the pan, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and cook a bit more if it seems too moist.