Broiled Lemon Chicken

This recipe is for those of us who don't own outdoor grills. This is the second, successful time I've cooked chicken this way. The timing is everything, and maybe also the level of heat and the distance from the flames (if you also have a gas oven). Let's just say that the first time I did this and used the cook times one would use on an outdoor grill, the chicken turned out a bit more charred than I would have liked. I used two packages of chicken drumsticks, or roughly 10 drumsticks. Also, my oven has an adjustable heat setting for the broiler.

Heat: 500 F
Time: 10 minutes one side, 15 minutes other side
Distance: 2nd rack slot from the top

Marinade Ingredients

juice of one large lemon plus its zest
1/4 c olive oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1-2 lbs organic chicken parts, with or without skin on

Marinade chicken for 20 minutes or longer. Place chicken in a single layer on a foil-covered baking tray. Reserve marinade. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, Flip the chicken over and brush/spoon marinade on top of chicken. Return to heat and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until a meat thermometer reads 160 F in the thickest part of the chicken.

Sweet Garlic Grilled Chicken

Yes, two sets of directions on the same recipe means that I've done this recipe twice. Once on an outdoor gas grill and again using a gas oven broiler.

TheFoodeningBlog - sweet grilled garlic chicken

Chicken Marinade

6-8 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c brown sugar
2 tbsp raw honey
1/3 c light soy sauce
3 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 c water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 lbs organic chicken parts (I used drumsticks)

Marinade chicken for 30 minutes or overnight. 

The leftover marinade is quite watery. You can reduce it to a 'sauce' by adding 1-2 tsp cornstarch and simmer it until it thickens. Then use this sauce to baste the chicken as it cooks.

Heat: 300 F
Time: 30 total (15 minutes each side)

Above heat/time is for an outdoor gas grill.

To broil in a gas oven:

Heat: 500 F
Time: 10 mins one side, 10-15 mins reverse side
Distance to flame: 2nd rack from the top

Oven Broiled Chicken Thighs

Fire + Meat = Good

I would like to believe that adding fire to the cooking of meat somehow brings us back to our more primal nature of being apex predators with intelligence. Plus, I love a meat that bastes in its own fat.

The Foodening Blog - Broiled Chicken Thighs

A woman's alternative to not having a grill is using the oven broiler to achieve a similar effect. Charred meat (and peppers). Some nutritionists out there would have you believe that a single serving of meat is less than 4 ounces, without the skin. I suppose I should save the bones from this in the freezer to make broth later.

My simple gas stove/oven allows you to set the temperature of the broiler. Since I already roast chicken at 425 F it seemed like a good temperature to broil chicken at which is how I got to using that temperature for broiled chicken parts.

The most basic preparation is as follows:

sea salt and black pepper on both sides
squeeze of fresh lemon or lime (optional)

Broil bone side up for 10 minutes. Flip chicken over. Broil skin side up for 15 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes. Internal temp should be at least 160 F.

AB Broiled Artichokes

For this dish, broiling is not a good substitute for a grill. The roasting time and amount of heat exposure for the first crop of artichokes this season is too little and too much at the same time. The artichoke certainly takes on a toasted look but even after 8 minutes with the cut-side up and 5 mins on the reverse, the artichokes were still not cooked all the way through. And, despite only having the added flavors of salt, freshly ground black pepper, olive oil and lemon juice; tasters noted hints of nutmeg and Worcestershire sauce. The heart parts were pretty tough. I think steaming or parboiling the chokes before placing them in the broiler would be good for the next time.

Ingredients

2 large globe artichokes, halved with choke removed
up to 1/4 c. olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
juice of one lemon

Directions

Preheat oven with broiler set on high. (AB's instructions say to just turn the broiler on but the one I'm using has two settings: high and low.)

1. Halve and clean artichokes, taking the thistle (hairy) part of the choke out of the vegetable and trimming off the spiky tops of the top part of the artichoke with a sharp knife. Immediately put the cut artichoke into cold water with some lemon juice to help prevent the artichoke from browning. It really doesn't matter much after you roast it since the ideal color is slightly charred (if grilling) or lightly browned (if broiling/baking).

2. Drain and spin the artichokes dry in a salad spinner. Then put into a large bowl with olive oil, salt, and black pepper.

3. Place artichokes on a Silpat-lined or greased baking tray and place in the oven for 5-6 minutes, then flip over for an additional 3 minutes. 

4. Remove from heat and eat.

Broiled Basil Chicken

This chicken entree was supposed to have more Thai flavor. The key ingredient of real Thai basil was the missing flavor essence from the marinade. I used boneless, skinless organic chicken thighs for this dish. I suppose you could use other cuts of poultry, and the cook times will be different. Better Homes and Gardens has an easy to use time table by cut for broiling.

broiled basil chicken, hot from the oven

As far as meal prep goes, this one is pretty simple if you have all the ingredients on hand. I used a large resealable container to marinade the chicken.

Ingredients

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/4 chopped fresh basil, preferably Thai basil
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp (up to 1 tbsp) chili sauce (I used a basic sirracha sauce)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp brown sugar

Directions

0. Combine all ingredients together in a resealable container and marinade for at least an hour, several hours, or overnight.

1. Place chicken on a broiling pan, or a lightly greased baking pan if you don't have a broiling pan.

2. If you need to move oven racks so that the meat is about five inches from the flame (if using a gas oven), you should do so now before turning the broiler on.

3. Let the oven heat up. Most modern ovens will tell you when the temperature is right. I have never measured the ambient oven heat when using the broiler, so the only test for doneness is by using a meat thermometer and checking the thickest part of the meat. Internal temp for thighs should be 180 degrees F, for breasts it is 170 degrees F, and for patties it is 165 degrees F. Keep in mind that the chicken will continue to cook after you remove it from the oven.

4. Broil chicken thighs for 20 minutes total, 10 minutes each side. Remove from heat and serve with hot steamed rice.