Recipe: Calypso Chicken Breasts

Cookbook

Calypso Chicken Breasts

A splash of Caribbean hot sauce and a little rum add punch to peaches, and together the trio makes chicken chirp a fruity, tropical tune.

Serves 4 to 6

Calypso Marinade
2/3 cup light rum
1/2 medium onion, minced
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

6 large boneless, skinless individual chicken breasts, pounded 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick

Burnin' Peach Relish
1-1/2 cups chopped peaches, fresh or frozen
2 tablespoons rum
Zest and juice of 1 lime
Splash or 2 of Caribbean hot sauce (see Technique Tip)
Pinch of salt

Salt
Lime wedges, for garnish

At least 1-1/2 hours and up to 8 hours before you plan to grill, prepare the marinade, combining the ingredients in a small bowl. Place the chicken breasts in a plastic bag, pour the marinade over them, and refrigerate.

Prepare the relish, combining the ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate until needed.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator, drain it, and discard the marinade. Salt the chicken lightly and let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Fire up the grill, bringing the temperature to medium (4 to 5 seconds with the hand test).

Grill the chicken uncovered at medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes per side, until opaque but still juicy. If grilling covered, cook for 9 to 10 minutes, turning once midway.

Serve the chicken hot, with spoonfuls of relish on the side, and limes for squeezing over the top. All-Star Pickled Starfruit can add another festive note to the plates.

Technique Tip:

Caribbean hot sauces generally share a foundation built on fragarant, super-hot habanero or Scotch bonnet chiles, often with a hint of mustard in the background. The sauces vary in the amount of chile, but generally have enough firepower to use by the drop or splash rather than the tablespoon. Many good brands can be found throughout the United States today.

Recipe from:
Born to Grill
by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison
The Harvard Common Press
1998, Hardcover, US $27.95
Recipes & photos reprinted by permission

Born to Grill

Recipes

The electronic Gourmet Guide launched in 1994 and later merged into the Global Gourmet website in 1998. This is an edited archive of one of those early pages.