Brined, Spiced Chicken Breasts

 Brined, Spiced Chicken Breasts

CHICKEN & BRINING INGREDIENTS:

• 2-3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 8 cups water

• 3 tablespoons salt

• 2 garlic cloves, whole

• 1/2 tablespoon coconut aminos or homemade substitute

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds

• 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

• 2-3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

BRINING DIRECTIONS:

1

Put water in a large ziplock bag and add the salt, garlic, coconut aminos, bay leaf, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and peppercorns. Let the salt dissolve.

2

Add the chicken breasts to the bag. This will look gross; ignore it.

3

Put the bag in the fridge and forget about it for 2 hours.

4

Remove the bag from the fridge; ignore that it looks even grosser.

5

Rinse the chicken well. Think about something else as you do this so as not to notice that you’re holding raw chicken.

6

Place in a sieve to drain/dry while you move on to Secret #2.

Secret #2: Spice Blend

There are commercial blends out there, and there are certainly other things you can mix together, but this one is a crowd-pleaser. Promise! This makes enough for about 2-2.5 lbs. of chicken—tastes good on pork, too. (Also makes a nice sprinkle for sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and acorn squash.)

SPICE BLEND INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

• 1 tablespoon curry powder

• 1 tablespoon chili powder

• 1/2 tablespoon ground allspice

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

SPICE BLEND DIRECTIONS:

1

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well with a fork. Preheat a gas grill on high heat, with the lid closed, about 10 minutes.

2

Coat the chicken pieces with the mixture; massage and pat it on lovingly. You want the pieces pretty densely coated.

3

Place the chicken smooth side down on the preheated grill, close the lid, and cook for 4 minutes. Flip the chicken, cook for an additional 3-4 minutes with the lid closed, until the chicken is browned and cooked through.

Note: If you roll the meat in the mixture, you need to throw away any remaining spice blend. Don’t re-use it on vegetables or think you can save it for later. It’s once and done when raw chicken is involved.

Secret #3: Moroccan Dipping Sauce

Kinda like salad dressing, this is also very good drizzled on raw cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, and onions. It really makes the chicken sing. It’s also great way to get an extra dose of healthy fats.

MOROCCAN DIPPING SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 1 medium clove garlic, crushed

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/4 teaspoon paprika (sweet, hot, or smoked)

• pinch cayenne pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons minced cilantro or parsley

• salt & pepper to taste

MOROCCAN DIPPING SAUCE DIRECTIONS:

1

Whisk the lemon juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and salt & pepper together in a small bowl. Inhale and rejoice that you have a nose.

2

Gradually whisk in the oil, then stir in the fresh chopped herbs.

3

Serve at room temperature.