Fauzia’s Kitchen Fun

Braai Chicken

Fauzia's Kitchen Fun

Servings : Serves 4-5

The word Braai is Afrikaans for ‘barbecue’ or ‘grill’ and can also be used to refer to the act of barbecuing/grilling. It is a common term and custom in South Africa as well as some other countries in the southern parts of Africa. This yummilicious charcoal-grilled chicken recipe is perfect for those casual outdoor ‘braais’ where everyone gets together over a lovely barbecue meal.

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces (I use without skin, but you can leave the skin on if you like)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • 2 tsp garlic paste
  • 2 tsp ginger paste
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or coriander
  • 2 whole red chillies
  • 2 tbsp red/brown vinegar
  • juice of 2 limes (or 1 lemon)

Instructions

To get the maximum moistness and succulence in your chicken and to infuse flavour into the meat, take a container big enough to hold the chicken pieces. Add 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, half cup of white vinegar, juice of 1 lemon, throw in some roughly chopped fresh herbs like corander or parsley. Then add COLD water and swirl/mix everything together. Now add in your cleaned chicken pieces, they should be completely immersed in the water. Cover the container and refrigerate it for 1-4 hours. Then drain out the liquid, rinse out the chicken quarters properly to get rid of any excess salt and proceed with the marinating.

Clean the chicken and make a couple of shallow slits on each piece. Put all the remaining ingredients in a blender or processor and blend until smooth. Pour this marinade onto the chicken and massage it on each piece, making sure it gets into all the slits. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or, even better, overnight.

Remove the chicken from the fridge half an hour before you need to grill it to allow it to come to room temperature. Fire up your BBQ grill and cook the chicken over MEDIUM heat, making sure to turn the pieces regularly so that the chicken is evenly cooked. This should take about half an hour or so (pieces like the drumsticks and thighs will take longer than breast and wings). You can check to make sure the chicken is cooked by cutting a piece open, the meat should be white and tender and the juices should run clear.

Once done, cover loosely and allow the chicken to rest for about 10 minutes before serving. You can add about half a cup of water to the leftover marinade and cook it down into a thick sauce to serve with the braai chicken, along with some salad and whatever other accompaniments that you may like with your grilled chicken.

Enjoy!

 

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