Ingredients
2 jars Caribbean Hot Pepper Sauce (mine – reduced to the appropriate amount below). DON’T use a regular high capsaicin hot sauce or you’ll be swearing at me for a good few hours while your tongue burns
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or bone-in. Preferably get the butcher to skin them and give you the bones to make chicken stock)
Sunflower oil or other high-heat oil
Directions
Cut a few slashes in each chicken leg. Pour over the marinade and mix in with your hands, getting the marinade into the slashes to penetrate the meat. Let marinate in a covered dish in the fridge for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
Heat a cast-iron skillet or grill coated with oil over medium-high heat (sunflower is my high-heat oil of choice – about 1½ tbsp. Don’t use olive). Cook a few minutes on each side, until browned, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook about 5 minutes more, or until chicken is cooked through (use a meat thermometer to be sure, inserted in the thickest part of the meat).
The important things: Don’t crowd the pan. Do this in batches if you have to, adding all the chicken back to the pan when you lower the heat.
My ultimate way of doing this is to brown the chicken, then transfer to a slow-cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8. You’re guaranteed perfectly tender results as long as you didn’t over-brown the chicken too, too much.
Make sure to eat all the bit of marinade that fall off the chicken and burn slightly to the skillet. Those are the best, probably carcinogenic parts.
Serve with rice and peas if you can. If not, just some rice cooked with chicken stock, a little salt, thyme, and oregano. OR, as I did, with a sweet gluten-free dinner roll (recipe forthcoming) and a mixed green and sprouts salad. Perfect spring/summer fare.
Caribbean Hot Pepper Paste
10 green cayenne peppers, stems removed (you could remove the seeds, but it’s not worth the effort. It would take away some of the pure heat but leave the flavour)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp apple cider, rice wine, or white vinegar (unpasteurized apple cider vinegar keeps the recipe 100% raw)
1/4 cup cilantro, cut into rough 1″ pieces (since you’re just blending it anyway)
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 whole lemon or 1/2 whole ripe lime, visible seeds removed
Juice of 1/2 to 1 lime (to taste. Start with half and work your way up)
1/4 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
Blend all ingredients (yes, entire quartered lemon or lime pieces with peel and pith). Add more vinegar if you want to make it thinner or it doesn’t blend. Add more cayennes or use other peppers if you prefer, but know that the green Lufa Farms Fresh Basket cayennes aren’t as hot as habaneros, scotch bonnets, or many other chilies available. And they’re sweeter than jalapenos.
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