Fire Day Friday: Sambal Grilled Chicken

 

Next to Sriracha, Sambal Oelek is my favorite condiment.  Mix one or the other with Ranch dressing and you’ve got yourself one of the best sauces around.   Oh crap!  Did I just type that out loud?  Uhmmm.. never mind about the Ranch, I was only kidding.  Unless you think that sounds good, then I’m not kidding at all and you should go make it and dip whatever you can in it!!!

But I digress…you came here for a real recipe, didn’t you?  Ok, ok… Sambal Grilled Chicken.
 
This is a REALLY simple and REALLY flavorful dish.  I found this recipe in one of my latest Food Network Magazines.  It was actually for Sambal shrimp, but I don’t use a lot of shrimp when I cook, so I figured, why not try it on chicken?  It turned out to be one of my favorite chicken marinades.  I will say that the recipe calls for a lot more sesame oil then I think was needed.  I cut it in half and the sesame flavor was still a bit over powering.  I have adjusted to what I think will work best.  My suggestion – start with a small amount, you can always add more!


Sambal Grilled Chicken
Adapted from Emeril Lagasse, Food Network
Printable Recipe 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Sambal Oelek chili paste
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients except for the chicken.  Stir until well combined.  Set aside and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Place the chicken in a resealable bag and pour the marinade over it.  Let marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat grill to 375-400 degrees.  Remove chicken from bag and discard the marinade.  Rub the grill grates with oil and place the chicken directly over the heat.  Grill for 8-10 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked (165 degrees F).  Remove from grill and – Enjoy!

Chris

I am going to get some of this at our Sunshine Grocery (Asian market) this weekend.

And am thinking about using that ranch/sambal dip for wings, how yum would that be?

Great chicken dish, Jenn!

Andrea the Kitchen Witch

This is some tasty lookin’ chicken! I’m a huge Srirracha fan – must get some sambal now too 🙂 Excellent idea on the ranch/sambal mix, I am married to a dude who would coat everything in that stuff, must tell him this great idea!