Zunzi Conquistador Chicken Recipes

GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS IN SPICED YOGURT

Steps:

• Whisk together 1 cup yogurt, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, salt, and spices, then add chicken and turn until coated well. Marinate at room temperature 20 minutes.
• While chicken is marinating, prepare grill for cooking. If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom of grill, then light charcoal. Charcoal fire is medium-hot when you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 3 to 4 seconds. If using a gas grill, preheat burners on high, covered, 10 minutes, then reduce heat to moderate.
• While grill is heating, whisk together remaining 1 1/4 cups yogurt and 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice and salt to taste.
• Grill chicken (discard marinade), covered only if using gas grill, on lightly oiled grill rack, turning over occasionally, until just cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes total. Transfer chicken to a platter.
• Toss together mint, shallot, and remaining tablespoon oil in a small bowl. Drizzle chicken with yogurt sauce and top with mint salad.

ZUNI CAFé CHICKEN

Steps:

• Season the chicken 1 to 3 days before serving (for 3 1/4- to 3 1/2-pound chickens, at least 2 days): Remove and discard the lump of fat inside the chicken. Pat the chicken very dry (a wet chicken will spend too much time steaming before it begins to turn golden brown).
• Slide a finger under the skin of each of the breasts, making 2 little pockets, then use a fingertip to gently loosen a pocket of skin on the outside of the thickest section of each thigh. Push an herb sprig into each of the 4 pockets.
• Using about 3/4 teaspoon sea salt per pound of chicken and pepper to taste, season the chicken liberally all over with salt and the pepper. Sprinkle a little of the salt just inside the cavity and on the backbone. Twist and tuck the wing tips behind the shoulders. Cover loosely and refrigerate.
• When you're ready to cook the chicken, heat the oven to 475 degrees. Depending on your oven and the size of your bird, you may need to adjust the heat to as high as 500 degrees or as low as 450 degrees during roasting to brown the chicken properly.
• Choose a shallow flameproof roasting pan or dish barely larger than the chicken, or use a 10-inch skillet with an all-metal handle. Preheat the pan over medium heat. Wipe the chicken dry and set it breast side up in the pan. It should sizzle.
• Place in the center of the oven and watch for it to start sizzling and browning within 20 minutes. If it doesn't, raise the temperature progressively until it does. The skin should blister, but if the chicken begins to char, or the fat is smoking, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees. After about 30 minutes, turn the bird over (drying the bird and preheating the pan should keep the skin from sticking). Roast for another 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size, then flip back over to re-crisp the breast skin, another 5 to 10 minutes. Total oven time will be 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Remove the chicken from the roasting pan and set on a plate. Pour the clear fat from the pan, leaving the drippings. Add about a tablespoon of water to the hot pan and swirl. Slash the stretched skin between the thighs and breasts of the chicken, then tilt the bird and plate over the roasting pan to drain the juice into the drippings. As the chicken rests, tilt the roasting pan and skim the last of the fat. Place over medium-low heat, add any juice that has collected under the chicken, and bring to a simmer. Stir and scrape.
• Cut the chicken into pieces and pour the pan drippings over the chicken.

CHICKEN CONQUISTADOR

Steps:

• Wash and pat dry the chicken pieces.
• Rub each with a small quantity of Green Mountain "South of the Border" Spice Rub.
• Place a chili on each of the chicken pieces.
• Wrap each of them up in a piece of bacon and spike in place with a toothpick. I've heard the rumor for years that the dye in toothpicks of color will harm you, but I figure the FDA would never let that happen. Plus, there would be a whole lot of people in the hospital suffering from TDS (Toothpick Dye Syndrome) and somehow word of this would have gotten out. So use the they are a lot stouter than the regular ones, and they're much easier to find when you drop yours on the ground!
• You've thought ahead on this one and already have your grill going and stabilized at 275°C.
• Put the chicken pieces on the grate and cook for 80-90 minutes or until done. Turn the pieces a few times while they cook and spritz with apple juice when you do. The bacon usually finishes at the same time as the chicken unless you've skimped again and bought bacon so thin you can shave with it.

ZUCCHINI BOATS WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Cut zucchini in half and remove the seeds. Set aside.
• Place chicken, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese in a mixing bowl and mix well; season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture into zucchini halves; place on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until zucchini boats are tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
• While zucchini bakes, heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Saute mushrooms in the hot oil until soft, about 5 minutes.
• At the same time, pour mushroom soup into a pot and cook over medium-low heat until warmed. Stir sauteed mushrooms into the soup. Spoon mixture over baked zucchini boats and serve.