Grilled Hot Chili Chicken Thighs
Skys out, thighs out! Grilled Hot Chili Chicken Thighs are heating up our spring evenings and prepping us for summer.
Servings: 4 people
Cost: $50
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 8-10 Chicken Thighs bone in
- 1 Lemon charred for garnish
- Chopped Cilantro for garnish
- Honey for drizzle
Hot Chili Paste:
- 6-7 Dried Chiles Chipotle, Guajillo, Ancho or NM Chiles, rehydrated
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 6-7 Garlic Cloves
- 2.5 tbsp of Red Wine Vinegar
- 8 oz of Tomato Paste
- 2 tsp of Smoked Paprika
- 1.5 tsp of Sea Salt
- 1.5 tsp of Black Pepper
- 1.5 tsp of Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp of Cinnamon
- 1 tsp of Caraway Seeds
- 1 tsp of Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp of Dried Oregano
- 1.5 tbsp of Olive Oil
- 1 Lemon juiced
Instructions
- In a blender, add all the ingredients for the hot chili paste. Blend until thickened. Save 1/4 of the paste for basting the next day. Add your chicken thighs to a bowl along with the rest of the paste. Mix thoroughly and set in the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours but ideally overnight.
- Preheat your grill for a two-zone grilling/smoking method at medium high heat (around 350F). Make sure to clean and oil your grates thoroughly.
- Pull your chicken out and discard of the excess marinade. Add the chicken skin side down over the direct heat to sear for 1 minute. Flip them over and sear for another minute on the other side. Once seared to your liking, pull all the chicken to the cool side of the grill and smoke for another 1-1.5 hours until 170F internal.
- As the chicken are about to come off, glaze the outside of the chicken in the reserve paste. Pull off your chicken to rest for 5 minutes and char your lemon.
- Garnish your chicken with a honey drizzle, cilantro and the charred lemon. Enjoy!