Grilled Chipotle Chicken Recipes

SLOW-GRILLED CHIPOTLE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Mix together the vegetable oil, chipotle and sauce, smoked paprika, honey, oregano, cumin, garlic, lime zest and juice, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Rub some under the skin of the chicken breasts and thighs, and then all over the outside of the chicken. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Prepare a grill for low indirect heat: For gas grills (with 3 or more burners), turn all the burners to medium-high heat; after about 15 minutes turn off one of the middle burners and turn the remaining burners down to low. For charcoal grills, bank one chimney starter-full of lit and ashed-over charcoal briquettes to one side of the grill. Set up a drip pan on the other side to avoid flare-ups. (Be sure to consult the grill manufacturer's guide for best results.)
• Place the chicken breast-side up on the indirect side. Cover and cook, rotating the chicken periodically, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh (avoiding the bone) reads at least 165 degrees F, 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes. (If using charcoal, you might have to add more charcoal during cooking.) Let the chicken rest 20 minutes before carving.
• Meanwhile, increase the grill to medium-high heat. Drizzle some oil on the scallions and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until softened and darkly charred in spots on all sides, just a few minutes. At the same time, warm up the tortillas on the grill, about 1 minute per side; stack grilled tortillas and wrap in foil to keep warm.
• Serve chicken with warm tortillas, charred scallions, lime wedges and salsa.

CHIPOTLE MARINATED GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place the chipotle peppers, garlic, cayenne pepper, paprika, black pepper, cumin, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, honey, vinegar, and olive oil into a blender. Puree until no pieces of garlic remain. Pour 1/4 of the marinade into a small dish and set aside. Rub a pinch of kosher salt into each chicken drumstick and place into a resealable plastic bag. Pour in the marinade, shake, and seal. Marinade at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Remove the chicken from the marinade and shake off excess. Discard the remaining marinade.
• Cook the chicken legs on the preheated grill until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 8 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Once the legs are completely cooked, baste well with the remaining marinade, cover the grill, and cook and additional 2 minutes per side to glaze.

SMOKEY CHIPOTLE CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a blender, combine the chipotles in adobo sauce, white onion, jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice. Add a pinch of salt and pulse until combined. Remove to a large non-reactive bowl. Fold in 2 cups of mayonnaise. Taste and adjust seasonings. If it is too hot, add more mayonnaise. Reserve about 1/2 cup marinade for serving.
• Add the chicken pieces to the remaining marinade, cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to overnight, turning occasionally.
• Preheat half of a grill to medium-high heat.
• Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and place the chicken, bone-side down, in the center of the cooking grate. You do not need to turn the chicken pieces as they cook. Grill, with the grill cover down, until the breast meat near the bone registers 165 degrees F and the thigh meat registers 180 degrees F, about 45 minutes. If you don't have a meat thermometer, cook until no longer pink and the juices run clear.
• Remove the chicken from the grill using tongs and a spatula to preserve the crust on top. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes before garnishing with whole cilantro leaves and serving with the reserved marinade and lime wedges alongside.

CHIPOTLE MARINADE FOR GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Add all ingredients into the work bowl of a food processor.
• Process until pureed.
• Transfer mixture to a bowl or ziploc bag, add chicken, and let sit in marinade overnight.
• Grill chicken for 6-8 minutes per side.

CHIPOTLE-LIME GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Prepare grill for cooking over direct heat with medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas).
• While coals are lighting, stir together lime juice, oil, Tabasco, and salt in a liquid-measuring cup. Put chicken in a large sealable bag and add 1/3 cup marinade (reserve remainder in cup). Seal bag, forcing out excess air, and marinate chicken at room temperature, about 15 minutes. Stir honey into remaining marinade until dissolved to make sauce.
• Grill chicken (discarding marinade in bag) on lightly oiled grill rack, covered only if using a gas grill, turning chicken over occasionally and moving it to avoid flare-ups if necessary, until just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes total.
• Brush both sides of chicken with some of reserved sauce, then continue to grill, turning over once, until lightly browned, about 1 minute more. Serve chicken drizzled with remaining sauce.

CHIPOTLE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place the first 12 ingredients in a blender; cover and process until pureed. Transfer marinade to a large bowl or shallow dish. Add chicken; turn to coat. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight., Drain chicken, discarding marinade. Grill chicken, covered, over medium-high heat or broil 4 in. from heat until a thermometer reads 170°, 6-8 minutes on each side. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

GRILLED MAPLE-CHIPOTLE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine chicken breasts, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, chipotle powder, oregano, paprika, cayenne, and celery salt into a marinating container and mix well. Let chicken marinate at least 1 hour.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Place marinated chicken breasts on the center of the grill, reserving remaining marinade. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, spreading remaining marinade over chicken using a basting brush every few minutes to properly glaze. Flip and continue to cook and baste until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear, 10 to 15 minutes more.

SPICY CHIPOTLE GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine chipotles in adobo, olive oil, and garlic cloves in processor; puree until paste forms. Add chopped onion, chopped cilantro, paprika, ground cumin, chili powder, and salt; process until onion is finely chopped. Transfer 1/4 cup chipotle mixture to small bowl; cover and refrigerate. Arrange chicken pieces in 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Spread remaining chipotle mixture all over chicken pieces. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Grill chicken until cooked through, moving to cooler part of grill as needed to prevent burning and brushing with reserved marinade during last 5 minutes of grilling, about 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter and serve.
• *Canned chipotle chiles in adobo are available at some supermarkets, at Latin markets, and from mexgrocer.com.

GRILLED CHIPOTLE LIME CHICKEN BREASTS - OR THIGHS

Steps:

• Preheat grill to moderate heat for gas or medium indirect heat for charcoal and AWAY from fire, lightly oil or spray COOL cooking rack for easy cleaning.
• Mix minced pepper, adobo, lime juice,garlic, oil and pour half into resealable bag. DO NOT add the honey. That comes later. Reserve the rest for basting.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper- sometimes we use season salt or lemon pepper for a twist.
• Add chicken to bag and allow to marinate for 15 minutes. No need to refrigerate for this short time.
• Remove chicken from marinade and place on preheated grill. Discard USED marinade.
• Grill chicken about 4-5 minutes then flip over and cook another 4-5 minutes.
• Now add the honey to RESERVED marinade and baste chicken. Immediately flip chicken and baste the unbasted side. Grill until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
• Remove from grill and pour any remaining RESERVED sauce on top.
• Note: This can be done on an indoor grill as well. Make sure you spray or oil it before heating grill.
• OAMC: If freezing ahead: Put ingredients in a ziploc bag and place in freezer, flattened. To cook from frozen: Thaw in refrigerator. Cook as directed above.