Thai Grilled Chicken with Peach Salsa

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It is still peach season! Use the peaches any and every which way you can. Here I paired a tangy, garlicky flavoured Thai Grilled Chicken with a sweet and savoury Peach Salsa. Just do it, you will love it! Also try THIS Jerk Chicken recipe using this peach salsa as a side kick.

This chicken uses super simple ingredients, each packing a huge flavour punch.  Using the cilantro roots add a really interesting and complex flavour.  You are only using the white roots of the fresh cilantro plant and a little stem but no leaves, so if cilantro is not your thing, you will likely still love this chicken.  Check out the photo here, this is all you want to use.  Make sure you clean the roots well, they can be pretty dirty.

Thai Grilled Chicken

Carolyn Cohen
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Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Course Main Course
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tsp coarsely ground pepper

  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 2 bunches cilantro ROOTS and STEMS (no leaves)
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 3 tbs fish sauce
  • 1 chicken cut in eight pieces, a whole semi-boneless flattened chicken (as pictured above) or the equivalent in pieces (boneless or bone-in).

Instructions
 

  • In a food processor blend pepper, garlic, cilantro roots/stems and salt.  Blend until a paste is formed.  Add fish sauce and pulse to mix.
  • Spread the mixture all over the chicken and marinate all day or overnight.
  • To cook the chicken on the BBQ:  Preheat the grill to high for 15 minutes.  When the grill is good and hot, change the temperature so that one part of the grill is turned to low while the other part of the grill is at med or med-high.  Put the chicken, SKIN UP on the cooler part of the grill (the chicken will be cooking with INDIRECT heat so that it does not burn and stays juicy).  If you have too much chicken and you can’t build a multi-level fire, cook the chicken on med-low.  It will take longer, but it won’t char the skin and the chicken will be MUCH juicier. 
  • Cook the chicken on the first side for 20-25 minutes, flip, and cook on the second side for 15-20 minutes.   The chicken should release easily from the grill; if it does not, allow it to cook for another minute or so.
  • To cook the chicken in the oven:  Adjust the oven rack so that the rack is in the second from the top position. Preheat the oven to broil, preheat your cooking vessel, either a roasting pan on cast iron grill (one that you would normally use on the stovetop).    When the oven has preheated (about 15 minutes), remove the HOT pan from the oven and place the chicken, SKIN UP on the pan.  Place in the oven, cook 12-15 minutes, flip the chicken pieces and cook another 12-15 minutes.

Notes

If you use boneless chicken pieces, only cook the pieces for 5-7 minutes on each side.

Peach Salsa

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Ingredients
  

  • 3 peaches, pitted and diced
  • 2 tbs finely diced red onion
  • 1/2 fresh red chili pepper, sliced in thin rounds
  • 6 mint leaves, julienned
  • 1 tbs lime juice
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 pinch salt and a few grinds of freshly ground pepper

Instructions
 

  • Mix all the salsa ingredients together, serve!