Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
Complexity: average
Servings: 4

You might think that chicken is chili powder Alton Brown's recipe is very spicy. Don't be fooled. The chicken is coated in a honey marinade and then sprinkled with chili powder and cocoa powder before cooking, effectively marinating in two different marinades. The combination of chili and cocoa is typical of Mexican cuisine. The chicken is then pre-seared over direct heat to coagulate the surface proteins and preserve the juices, and finished over indirect heat.

Ingredients:

• 1 broiler chicken for frying (1.8-2.2 kg)
• 1 liter of water
• 1/2 cup honey
• 100 g coarse salt, about 3/4 cup
• 1 tbsp. curry powder
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon adobo powder without pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin (zira)
• 1 tsp hot smoked paprika
• Additional equipment: 2 pieces of newspaper, vegetable oil, 0.9-1.3 kg of charcoal, a chimney starter, 2.5 m of thick aluminum foil, 2 aluminum pans for draining fat and preventing burning.

Substituting ingredients
Measuring containers used

1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Recipes with similar ingredients

chicken, cocoa, chili seasoning, curry, paprika, cumin, honey

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Preparation:

Step 1
• Place the chicken breast-side up on a plastic cutting board with the neck facing you. Remove both wings at the joint between the wing and shoulder. Remove the thighs by making a slit on each side of the lower end of the breast.
  
  Grasp the legs, twist the joints that attach them to the back, and turn the carcass over. Separate the thighs and drumsticks by making cuts where they connect to the back.
  
  Take the thigh and drumstick, feel for the slight depression where the joints meet, and make cuts along the overhanging joints. Place the thigh and drumstick on a cutting board and cut in half. Repeat with the other piece. Turn the carcass over again, breast-side up, place the knife against the breastbone, and cut along the rib cage, cutting the breast fillet off the bone. Freeze the remaining bones and spine for broth or discard.
Step 2
• Place the poultry pieces in a 1-liter resealable plastic bag, add water, honey, and salt. Seal the bag and shake vigorously for 1-2 minutes to distribute the honey evenly and dissolve the salt. Place the bag in a watertight container and refrigerate for 1.5 hours.
Step 3
• While the meat is marinating, in a 1-liter resealable plastic bag, mix the curry powder, chili powder, cocoa powder, adobo powder, cumin and hot smoked paprika.
  
  Pat the meat dry with paper towels. Do not rinse.
  
  Place the chicken in a bag with the spice mixture and shake to coat. Place the chicken on a wire rack set over a baking dish. Let rest for 30 minutes.
Step 4
• Lightly spray two pieces of newspaper with vegetable oil and place them in the bottom of a chimney starter. Fill it with charcoal (0.9-1.3 kg) and place it on the grill grate. Let the charcoal sit until hot and covered with ash, about 15-20 minutes. Make a ring of heavy-duty aluminum foil with a center diameter of 23 cm. Wrap this ring around the chimney starter and place it on the grill grate.
  
  Carefully and evenly distribute the hot coals around the outside of the ring. Place an aluminum pan in the center of the ring to catch any excess fat. Replace the grill rack and let it preheat for 2-3 minutes.
Step 5
• Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the chicken pieces, skin-side down, on the grate over hot coals. Rotate the legs 1/4 of the way every 3-4 minutes. Turn the thighs, wings, and breasts over after 4-5 minutes. The skin should be blistered and browned. Reduce the heat by rotating the grill grate if necessary, allowing other pieces to reach cooler or hotter coals to prevent flames from starting.
  
  After 9-10 minutes of cooking, transfer the breasts to the center of the grill and cover with a second aluminum pan. After 10-11 minutes, transfer the wings to the surface of this pan to prevent burning. Place the thighs and drumsticks against the sides of the aluminum pan so they are exposed to indirect heat.
  
  Turn every 2 minutes. Place the cooked pieces on top of the pan. After 18-20 minutes, check the temperature with a candy thermometer by inserting it into the meatiest part of each piece. The temperature should be 70°C.
  
  Transfer the chicken to a clean medium bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately.

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