A clever marinade made with our Creamy Garlic Sauce tenderizes the chicken before it goes on the grill. Once it’s cooked, add charred onions, tortillas and fresh tomatillo salsa to make the meal.
Ingredients
¼ cup Armanino Creamy Garlic Sauce
1 tablespoon ground chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
2 teaspoons kosher salt
6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup fresh lime juice
6 lbs chicken-thigh quarters (8 or more pieces)
4 large bunches knob or spring onions
olive oil & kosher for the onions
corn tortillas & tomatillo salsa for serving
Directions
In a large bowl, add all the ingredients for the marinade – creamy garlic sauce, chile powder, oregano, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, vinegar, olive oil, lime juice – and whisk to combine.
Add the chicken to the bowl and toss to coat in the marinade.
Refrigerate for 1-2 hours but no more as the acids in the marinade will break down the chicken and make it mushy.
Preheat grill to medium and oil the grate to prevent sticking. For a charcoal grill, when the charcoal is fully lit and covered in gray ash pour the coals across half of the grill and leave the other half empty. For a gas grill, turn half the burners to medium. If your gas grill only has one set of burners, turn to medium-low.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and place the chicken over the cool side of the grill, skin side down. Cook covered for 10 minutes. Pour the excess marinade into a small bowl and reserve for basting.
After 10 minutes, brush the backside of the chicken with the reserved marinade, flip and baste the top. Discard any excess marinade. If the chicken sticks to the grill when you try to turn, gently slide a spatula under to release.
Cook, covered, for another 20 minutes until cooked through and an instant read thermometer reads 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh.
Remove the chicken from the grill and allow to rest, tented with foil, for 10-15 minutes.
While the chicken is resting, brush the onions with olive oil and season with salt.
Place the onions over the hot side of the grill (or increase the single burner gas grill to medium) and cook until tender and lightly charred, about 5 minutes per side. If the greens are browning too quickly, position the onions so the greens are more on the cooler side of the grill.
Serve the chicken hot or room temperature with the grilled onions, warmed corn tortillas and tomatillo salsa.
Chef’s Tips
Can’t find spring onions? They’re usually easily found in Hispanic markets but don’t let that stop you – scallions or red onions cut into wedges are equally delicious.
Rather than use a bowl to marinade the chicken, combine the marinade and chicken pieces in a zipper type resealable plastic bag.
While the grilled chicken is resting, warm the tortillas on the grill for a little bit of charred flavor.
