Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless, cut in 1/2 lengthwise
- 24 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
- 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Butter lettuce leaves, to serve
- Peanut-Red Chile BBQ Sauce, recipe follows
- Red Cabbage Slaw, recipe follows
- Fresh mint leaves, for garnish
- Chopped roasted peanuts, for garnish
Directions
Skewer each half chicken thigh with 2 skewers so that they lay flat. Place the chicken in a large shallow baking dish.
Whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, honey, oil, chili powder, and garlic. Pour over thighs and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 4 hours.
Preheat grill to high or grill pan over high heat.
Remove thighs from the marinade and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until just cooked through.
Remove chicken from skewer, place in a butter lettuce leaf, drizzle with some of the peanut-red chili sauce, and top with slaw, mint, and chopped peanuts.
Peanut-Red Chile BBQ Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups Mesa BBQ Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought BBQ sauce
- 2 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons chipotle in adobo puree
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in medium saucepan over medium heat; add the ginger and cook until soft. Increase heat to high, add the BBQ sauce and chicken stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half. Whisk in the soy sauce, peanut butter, chipotle puree, and honey and cook until thickened, 20 to 30 minutes.
Mesa BBQ Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 large Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 3 cups canned plum tomatoes and juices, pureed
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
- 3 tablespoons pasilla chili powder
- 2 to 4 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, pureed (depending on how spicy you like it)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Add the onions and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and water, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for an additional 30 to 40 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally.
Transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool at room temperature. Sauce will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator stored in a tightly sealed container.
Yield: 4 cups
Red Cabbage Slaw:
- 1/2 head red cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup freshly squeeze orange juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place cabbage and onion in a large bowl. Whisk together the vinegar, orange juice, oil and honey and pour over the cabbage. Add the cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.
SERVES: 6 (does not include garnish); Calories: 519; Total Fat: 28 grams; Saturated Fat: 4 grams; Protein: 22 grams; Total carbohydrates: 50 grams; Sugar: 34 grams; Fiber: 6 grams; Cholesterol: 60 milligrams; Sodium: 1,516 milligrams
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By Nikki_Food
San Francisco, CA
on June 26, 2011
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AMAZING! We've made these three times in the past two months and I can't stop thinking the combination of textures and flavors. They're a little messy to eat but definitely worth it.
By purplenailpolis...
Newport Beach, CA
on May 13, 2011
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FOR SLAW ONLY!!!!
I love this recipe for red cabbage. It works well with any meal!
By phillcarissa
IN
on May 06, 2011
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We really enjoyed this recipe. It was a bit time consuming, but I managed to pull it off with no problems with 5 kids (3 that are 4 and under. I did use a bottled bbq sauce to cut down on the prep time, but did everything according to the recipe. My husband and I both loved it.
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