Caribbean Chicken (with Updated Pics)

I first started making this recipe many, many years ago, round about the time when dinosaurs still walked the face of the earth. This is a sweet and savory recipe and makes for an unforgettable dining experience. So, I got a whole chicken, cut it up, and slapped it on the grill. Don't need no seasoning at this point.



And just like magic, it changes color



Time to get serious and bring out the heavy artillery-- the cast iron skillet, an old Griswolds that's been in my family... well, since the Iron Age.



Okay, now to season the birdie. Just like with chili, I imagine there are countless recipe variations for this. I am hooked on this one. Check out the ingredients-- dark corn syrup, butter, lemon juice and lemon rind, seasoned salt, oregano, pepper, and always a splash of white wine, in this case, Sauvignon blanc.



Let it simmer a spell. And there you have it, ready to plate up, nice and sweet with a fresh lemony twist. How I wish I could do that, but I have to hold it for several hours as my company has been delayed. As soon as I can I will post the pic. I plan to plate it with rice (goes very well with this meal), and green beans that are imported from France. Meanwhile, good eats to all!




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At last! Sorry about the delay. First, in case anyone is interested in the imported French green beans, here is what they look like in the package. You'll notice I got mine from my local Trader Joe's, so perhaps they are in your area too.



And here is a different view of the chicken plated.

beercuer,

mmmmmmmmmm, that sure looks goooooooooooooooood I would be interested in how much of the spices you added when the chicken went into the skillet.

Thanks for sharing,

Thank you kindly, Jimmy. Your wish is my command.

This recipe is classic, predating a zillion other newfangled ones out there. It makes as a great dipping sauce for the chicken as well. Stir together the following ingredients.

1 cup dark corn syrup
Zest of one good size juicy lemon
All the juice you can from that lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt (Lawry's is a good choice)
1/2 teaspoon crushed oregano
Up to 1/4 cup a white wine you like
Black pepper to taste (that's 1/2 tsp coarse pepper for me).
Add 2 Tablespoons butter to simmer

That is a killer looking skillet of chicken. Sounds great, beercuer. Wonder if a splash of rum (maybe dark rum) would work well with it? Kinda add in another island flavor. I'd like to pick up some Griswolds some day if I ever stumble upon any.

So bak in the day when you made it, did you use pterodactyls?



You brought that on yourself mentioning dinosaurs.

Thank you so much, Griffin

Great insight on the rum. I'm sure it would work famously for some folk, but it might be a bit overwhelming for others. I cannot do rum anymore as once I overdid it on the Bacardi 151, after several shots of Wild Turkey and beer chasers. Talk about sick!

Yeah, the Griswolds are gold if you can find them. I like how smooth they were finished compared to say, the modern day Lodge. Perhaps Ebay?

Oh no, no, no... You see, chickens were originally brought here by the extraterrestrials who left me in charge of their care until it was safe to introduce them to the environment (Some dinosaurs would luv to eat chickens). So I had to wait until the dinos went extinct. As for me, I also am from outer space.

So anyways, I still used chickens, as pterodactyl meat is just too tough and gamey.

Hahahaha....you brought a tear to my as well as almost causing me to spit a mouthful of water onto the screen I was laughing so hard.

I was thinking a dark rum, like Meyers, but I understand your point.

From what I hear, Griswolds have been discovered and people know about their worth so prices can get a bit high on ebay. I wouldn't really know, never looked. I was thinking more along the lines of if I stumble upon one at a garage sale or if I get drug to a consignment store by my wife. I'm not actively looking for one as I have a 5 or 6 pieces and I can't even use them on my stupid glass top stove in our rent house.

That's an interesting approach, BC. Cooking unseasoned meat seems so unusual now! How do you think the ingredients would work as a marinade?

I take it Griswold cast iron is no longer manufactured.

Definitely an interesting looking dish. I bet it was fantastic!

Brad-- Yes, Griswold is extinct. Although the sauce has the ideal acids of lemon and wine going for it, my gut feeling is that it works better as a baste or grilling sauce instead. You know how hard it is to get a marinade flavoring into skin-on chicken. Teriyaki is the only truly penetrating marinade of which I have tried. So, I'm sold to use th is as a simmering and dipping sauce.

Kenny!-- Sure is good to hear from you again, Brother! So sorry about your tribulations with the hurricane. Thank you, it was fine dining fantastic!-- sweet and succulent, lemony, buttery, and memorable. The recipe is such a unique way to do chicken.

Wonderful job on the chicken beercuer! I'm sorry you didn't get to enjoy it right away, that must've been torture waiting for your guests arrive. The whole meal looks wonderful I'm sure was well worth the wait.

I was curious about Griswold cast-iron myself and googled it, where I found the pans were manufactured from 1865 up until late 1950s. One piece mentioned the pans are so well made that you can still use them and it doesn't adversely affect the value of the pan. Amazing!

Jim

jfm0830 wrote:

Wonderful job on the chicken beercuer! I'm sorry you didn't get to enjoy it right away, that must've been torture waiting for your guests arrive. The whole meal looks wonderful I'm sure was well worth the wait.

I was curious about Griswold cast-iron myself and googled it, where I found the pans were manufactured from 1865 up until late 1950s. One piece mentioned the pans are so well made that you can still use them and it doesn't adversely affect the value of the pan. Amazing!

Jim

Thank you for the compliment, Jim. Oh yes, I was quite disappointed about the dinner delay. And what made it most worthwhile is that this is one of my brother's favorite recipes that I make. It's wonderful to eat with happy campers. Also, I was curious about those imported beans. Man, they was good!-- my favorite green bean ever, even if they were frozen.

My feeling is that a well used pan is even more desirable than a new one. It just seems that a well used pan imparts more of a "seasoned" flavoring than a sharper (metallic?) I don't know if that's an illusion or imagination, but it's real to my experience.

Beecuer, that chicken looks absolutely delicious. Excellent job.

WOW....I'm going to steal your recipe and give this a go. I'm thinking some Capers would compliment the flavors nicely too. Nice!!!

Why thank you, SG and Dyal!

Dyal-- I am most glad to hear that, as I'm pretty sure you'll love it. Please be sure to put some sauce in your plate as a dipping bath for the chicken. And if you make rice, the sauce elevates that, too. My sense is that capers will really add a touch of class. Great idea!

Now that’s great looking and sounding chicken!!
I like grilling methods that combines grilling with cast-iron cooking.