Description
Apologies to those of you who have been waiting for this recipe since Juneteenth!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
- 3 chipotles in adobo sauce
- 1 bunch of cilantro (about 1 cup)
- 2 C (16 oz) sweet chile sauce
- 2 C (16 oz) fresh pineapple, cubed*
- 1/2 C water
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt, to taste
- 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp hot pepper powder, optional
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke, optional
Instructions
- Grab your blender – or food processor, if it’s large enough. Add the pineapple, sweet chile sauce, chipotles in adobo, water, avocado oil, cilantro, kosher salt, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and liquid smoke and hot pepper powder, if using. Blend on high until the pineapple has broken down and the marinade is completely smooth. Give it a taste and if it seems bland, add more salt.
- Pour two cups of the marinade into a small saucepan. Place that saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
- While waiting for the marinade on the stove to come up in temperature add your chicken and all* of the remaining marinade to an airtight container or plastic bag. Place in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
- When the marinade on the stove has come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover with a lid. Allow to simmer until reduced and thickened into a syrupy consistency. Cool and pour into an airtight container. Refrigerate until ready to grill.
- About 30-45 minutes before you’re ready to begin cooking, pull the chicken and marinade from the refrigerator – we want the chill to come off so it cooks evenly.
- Grill Instructions: Oil your clean grill grates and place them in the grill. Turn it on to high and close the lid. Allow the grill to preheat for 10 minutes. Place the chicken directly on them, basting the top side with the reduced marinade. Let cook undisturbed for 4-5 minutes, then flip. Baste the other side and continue cooking until the chicken is 165°F internally. After you have the grill lines you like, you can flip as much as you want to for the rest of cooking basting each time.
- Oven Instructions: Place an oven rack in the highest slot and preheat your oven to 425°F. Arrange the marinated chicken on a wire rack over a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast the chicken until cooked through, about 15 minutes – remember the internal temperature in the thickest part is the important piece.
- Pull the cooked chicken from the oven and switch the oven to the broiler function. Baste the chicken lightly with the reserved marinade, then place it under the broiler just until slightly charred on the edges, about 3 minutes. Alternatively, you can attack it with a kitchen torch. Dassit!
Notes
- You can swap out the fresh pineapple for an equal amount of frozen (thawed and drained) pineapple, or canned pineapple in any consistency. Refer to the post above the recipe for more advice and suggestions.
- If you’re using less chicken and don’t need all of the marinade, transfer it to an airtight container. The marinade can be refrigerated for up to two weeks, and frozen for 6 months. You can also freeze uncooked, marinated, chicken.
- Prep Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
