This recipe for Haitian Style Grilled Chicken caught my attention as the photo was enticing, and the original recipe had ‘My Favorite’ in the title. This recipe did not disappoint, it is delicious and it convinced me to try roasting chicken directly on the grill.
Ingredients
- 1 3 lb medium sized chicken cut into serving sizes, bone in, skin on
Marinade
- 1/2 cup olive oil extra for oiling the grill racks
- 1/2 cup fish sauce
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 4 stalks lemon grass stalk chopped or 3 tablespoons of prepared lemon grass paste
- 1 small bunch cilantro stems chopped leaves reserved for garnish
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup whole black peppercorns
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds or 3 tablespoons of ground coriander
- 8 cloves garlic
Instructions
Gather all ingredients before starting recipe.
- Cut 1 3 lb medium sized chicken into serving sized pieces.
- Combine 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup fish sauce, 1 tbsp kosher salt, 4 stalks lemon grass stalk, chopped into 1" pieces, 1 small bunch cilantro stems chopped, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup whole black peppercorns, 3 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp coriander seeds, and 8 cloves garlic in a food processor. Pulse contents until it forms a coarse purée.
- Place chicken pieces in a plastic resalable bag and add about 1/2 to 3/4 of the marinade. Message chicken pieces in the bag to make sure that all the pieces are evenly coated.
- Marinate the chicken for 3-4 hours or up to overnight.
Grilling
- Remove chicken from refrigerator an hour before grilling.
- Pre heat grill to 500 °F
- Oil the BBQ grill using a pair of tongs and a paper towel generously drizzled with olive oil.
- Remove chicken pieces to paper towel and pat dry.
- When the grill has reached 500 °F, place chicken pieces on the grill, skin side down, and grill for 5-6 minutes. Do not try to turn the chicken before the time is up.
- Heat reserved marinade in a small pan. I used an aluminum tin that I placed on the grill next to the chicken.
- After 6-8 minutes, turn the chicken pieces. Brush with reserved warm marinade, close the grill cover, and grill for 8-10 minutes.
- Turn the chicken again after 8-10 minutes, skin side down again, and grill for another 4-5 minutes.
Author Notes
The chef, Gregory Gourdet, details this recipe with ingredients which showcase healthy eating. Many of the ingredients are specialty items so I have, with all due respect, modified his recipe to use more commonly sourced ingredients. I don't believe that these substitutions hinder the flavors.
Chef Gourdet also mentions that you should grill the chicken until it's black, but just short of burning and charring.
I tried grilling directly on the grate of my electric grill for this recipe and found that oiling the grates and grilling without interrupting the grilling process actually produces the results that he talks about.
