This blog was inspired by Memorial Day weekend string of outdoor celebrations in which booze and barbeques must be present. While I intended to drop you the Drunken Chicken pre-Mem Day, I was distracted and deterred. My bad. I hope I made up for it by creating a whole spirited meal, I mean a meal inspired by spirits?
Rediscover the naughty tingles of underage drinking when you craft this boozy barbeque. Delight in juicy roasted chicken, crisp veggies and fluffy brown rice, each in its own savory blend of flavors, originating from your favorite party favors. You always get points for being able to cook, and here’s an impressive meal even a benchwarmer chef can whip up without stressing out. I’m even gonna let you ‘drink and fry.’ As always, with your waistline in mind, this recipe has been concocted free of gluten and refined sugar and is low in fat.
Recipe serves 4 so double, triple, etc if you’re expecting a party. Give yourself about an hour and a half to enjoy cooking this.
INGREDIENTS:
Chicken:
1 whole chicken (about 3lbs)
3/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp fresh ground pepper
12 ounce can of your favorite beer (I sugggest Hefeweizen’s complementary fruity flavor)
1/2 cup Newman’s Own Low-Fat Italian Salad Dressing
1 juicy lemon
Kebabs marinade:
1/2 cup orange juice (or squeeze/mash another orange
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp Sriracha or Tabasco sauce
2 tbsp molasses
1 clove fresh garlic (minced) or 1 tbsp wet garlic from a jar (no powder!)
1 tbsp fresh ginger or 1 tbsp wet ginger from a jar (no powder!)
1/2 tsp pepper
Kebabs:
1 large orange
Wooden skewers
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 red onion
Large head broccoli
12 bite sized mushrooms
12 cherry tomotoes
Rice:
1 1/2 cups slow cook brown rice
3 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup beer or white wine
DIRECTIONS:
Open beer start to drink. Soak wooden skewers in a shallow dish filled with water. In a large glass or ceramic dish, mix orange juice, olive oil, wine, soy sauce, Sriracha or Tabasco sauce, molasses, garlic, ginger and pepper. Cut orange, peppers, onion & broccoli into large bite-sized chunks (at least 1″ thick) and place in the dish. Add mushrooms and tomatoes. Stir veggies in marinade to coat. Cover and refrigerate while you prep chicken.
Warm outdoor grill to medium heat. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towel (toss that towel!). In small bowl mix mustard, salt and pepper. Brush chicken with mustard mixture. Wash your hands and go stir those veggies so all sides absorb the marinade. When beer is half empty, refill can with salad dressing and squeeze in juice from 1/2 lemon. Put can on a disposable baking sheet. Place upright chicken on can like a stand, inserting can into cavity of chicken. Carefully place chicken atop can on rack of the preheated grill. Cover. Set your time for 1 hour.
Start on a second beer or that remaining white wine. In a medium saucepan, pour rice, water, and 3-4 splashes of your beverage (about 1/4 cup) into medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stir and reduce heat to low. Cover with lid and cook for 25-30 minutes.
Back to the kebabs. Remove veggies from fridge and using the sharp end of the skewer thread various veggies onto 6-8 skewers.
Check rice: It’s done when all liquid is absorbed but before it starts sticking to the bottom of the pan. Turn off heat under the rice and let it be until you serve.
Go back to grill and bring kebabs. You should be at about an hour on the chicken. Carefully slice in to see meat has gone from pink to white. Remove from grill. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes so you don’t burn the hell out of yourself cutting it into pieces for your guest(s). In the meantime throw kebabs directly on the grill. Flip ’em over after about 8 minutes to get the other side and allow to cook for another 5-8min. Kebabs are done when veggies are al dente (softened but still firm). Turn off grill.
Place rice in a serving dish, and chicken pieces and full skewers on a platter. Remove skewers only if you’re serving kids or really drunk companions who shouldn’t be challenged with sharp objects. Squeeze remaining lemon juice over chicken. Don’t fuss. Let people serve themselves.
Eat, drink and be merry!
| Calories | Carbs | Fat | Protein | Sugar | Sodium | |
| Drunken Chicken | 369 | 5 | 25 | 29 | 1 | 940 |
| Chilli’s Margarita Grilled Chicken | 400 | 42 | 14 | 24 | 12 | 1550 |
| Calories | Carbs | Fat | Protein | Sugar | Sodium | |
| Veggie Kebabs | 160 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 414 |
| Potato Salad | 358 | 28 | 21 | 6 | 22 | 1323 |
