Grilled Chicken – A Taste of Argentina

I enjoy cooking dishes from around the world. It fulfills my travel bug and satisfies my taste buds at the same time. This year for Passover, I found a recipe in the New York Times archives from Argentina. The recipe (Argentine Roast Chicken with Vegetables and Chimichurri Sauce) had me at the ingredient list, which included: cumin (my favorite spice), fresh oregano, lots of garlic and red pepper flakes. The recipe earned rave reviews from friends and family. I made a couple of modifications to Joan Nathan’s adaptation of Naomi Sisson’s recipe (see link above) – adding one sliced onion to the roasting pan and replacing the red pepper with sliced mushrooms.

The chimichurri marinade is the key to this dish. To celebrate spring and enjoy this dish year-round, I’ve further modified the recipe to make a fabulous grilled chicken entree – perfect for a weekend BBQ or a quick weeknight dinner.

Grilled Chicken with Chimichurri Marinade

Adapted from Naomi Sisson/Joan Nathan

Time: 50 minutes, plus overnight marination

Serves: 6

• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• 6 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 cup  vegetable or olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• bone-in chicken breasts, one per person
• cooking spray

1. Combine vinegar, cumin, paprika, hot pepper flakes, crushed garlic and oregano in a small bowl. Whisk in oil. Or swirl together in a food processor until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place chicken in a non-reactive bowl or zip lock bag. Pour sauce over chicken, rubbing skin well. Cover with plastic wrap or seal zip lock bag, and refrigerate overnight (or for at least one hour).

2. When ready to grill, pre-treat the grill with cooking spray, and preheat grill on high. Reduce heat to medium on one side of the grill and low on the other side. Place marinaded chicken breasts bone-side down on the grill side with the low heat; shut the lid and allow to cook for 20 minutes. Do not lift the lid.

3. After 20 minutes,  then turn chicken pieces over, and continue grilling, about 20 minutes more with the lid closed. Test the internal chicken temperature with a meat thermometer when the temp is 165 degrees and the juices run clear, the meat is done.

Mama Says Serving Suggestion: Baked potato, green leafy salad and your favorite vegetable.

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Enjoyed this post? See these:

1. Soy Sauce Chicken – a great family treat
2. Seven-Vegetable Couscous and Moroccan Chicken
3. North Georgia Brook Trout – grilled to perfection

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Tags: Argentine chicken, chimichurri sauce, grilled chicken, Joan Nathan, Naomi Sisson, Passover, roast chicken

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 at 10:57 am and is filed under Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.