10 November 2008

Royal Foodie Joust -Coffee Brined Chicken with Honey Coffee Barbeque Sauce

Coffee-Brined Chicken with Honey Coffee Barbecue Sauce
There are a couple of blogging events that I try not to miss each month. One of these would be the Royal Foodie Joust. Jenn over at Leftover Queen is one of the very first blogging friends I ever made in the blogosphere so how could I miss it. She is relatively newly married to her "knight in shining armor" Roberto and is living happily ever after in Florida. She is the founder of The Foodie Blogroll which you will find in my sidebar as well as the Royal Foodie Joust. Thanks Jenn for continuing with this event and keeping our thinking caps on!



As time goes on this event becomes more of a challenge to our creativity as more and more talented cooks enter with their increasingly complex and delicious dishes. This is definitely the Iron Chef competition of the blogging world!!! It's fun just to enter the competition and come up with a dish using the 3 ingredients.
The premise of the Joust lies on the shoulders of the previous months winner who chooses three ingredients; we create a dish using these three key ingredients and then submit it to the forum for voting by our peers.

Last months winner was fellow British Columbians TS & JS of Eating Club Vancouver . The 3 ingredients for this month they chose are:

coffee, black peppercorns and honey

Yes, that's right, this chicken breast is brined in a coffee mixture. For those of you who feel that chicken breasts are too dry you will appreciate this method of cooking to ensure tender and juicy breasts. But don't worry the flavor of the coffee is a small addition to all the other flavors in this recipe and does not overpower the dish. Grill the chicken breasts at a high temperature and quickly to keep them tender and moist.

I paired the grilled chicken...can you believe I am still grilling in November???????????????????? with a Southwestern Rice dish that stood up very well with the chicken breasts. The rice dish is a variation of a rice dish from Canada's own Michael Smith .

**Coffee Brined Chicken with Honey Coffee Barbeque Sauce**

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 cups water
3/4 cup coffee
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 lemon cut into slices
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon coriander seeds

In a small saucepan bring one cup of water to a boil. Add salt and sugar stirring until dissolved. Add coffee, lemon slices, peppercorns, mustard and coriander seeds. Pour into a shallow baking dish or resealable bag. Add chicken breasts, making sure they are covered in the brine. Refrigerate for about 2 hours.

Preheat grill. Remove chicken breasts from brine and place on hot grill. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until done. Brush with Coffee Honey Barbecue Sauce (recipe below).

**Honey Coffee Barbecue Sauce**

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup tomato sauce
3/4 cup honey
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
cayenne pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute until it turns a golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the coffee, vinegar, tomato sauce, honey, soy sauce, cayenne pepper and black pepper and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool.

Makes 2 cups

Tip: The sauce can be made up to 2 weeks in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container

**Rice and Beans**

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chipotle powder
Salt
1 cup brown or short grain rice
1 cups dried black beans, soaked in cold water overnight, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
1 ( 28 oz can) chopped tomatoes

Place pot over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic and red pepper and sauté until they are fragrant and soften. Add the chili powder, cumin, chipotle powder, salt, rice, soaked beans, water and tomatoes and stir. Once the mixture comes to a boil turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 25 to 30 minutes. Turn the heat off and let rest for 15 minutes. Stir well and adjust seasonings.

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.
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39 comments:

  1. A beautiful dish! and perfectly wonderful use for leftover coffee!

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  2. This absolutely sounds delicious and looks it too!

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  3. Wow Val! I'm really impressed with that brine mixture. How very different and unusual! I bet it tasted great. Great flavours in this dish in general. Good luck in the joust.

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  4. That's a very original recipe! I've never used coffee with savory food, but I'm sure I'd love such a combo! Really scrumptious looking!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  5. Terrific,nice way to use the leftover coffee as long as it does not dominate the chicken flavor.

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  6. Now this is interesting---from "coffee brined" to "coffee BBQ," I don't think I've tried either of these flavor combinations to date. Must step up my game!

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  7. Great entry Val!!! That dish looks incredible!

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  8. Very nice combination. I have brined chicken in tea, so why not try coffee sometime?

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  9. That chicken looks delicious!Maybe I should give brining a shot.

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  10. What a fantastically creative dish, Val! I'm totally intrigued by the coffee brine.

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  11. You got out of the gate real quick with this Joust entry! I'm diggin' the South-western flavours, good luck.

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  12. What an amazing combo Val! Wow I would have never guessed to have chicken and coffee in the same dish!
    Very daring, chica!

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  13. It looks amazing. I'd say you did a great job with this one!

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  14. Hey! You changed your header, Val! I like it :)

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  15. Sounds and looks delicious. We grill all year round-the grill is on the deck and we shovel a small path in the winter-I can't live without the grill!

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  16. Can this brine be used for meat? We've been thinking to brine our home-killed chickens and then smoke them. I love a slow preparation of food like this, tastes so much deeper than those cooked faster. Lovely entry for Joust. I always forget that this event is still running :)

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  17. Wow Valli! Thanks so much for all your comments! Isn't it fun to think back on when we were all "young bloggers"? Ah, those were the good ol days huh?

    Well I love the look of this chicken! Anything brined in coffee is right up my alley - I think I might be brined in coffee I drink so much of it! LOL!

    Best of luck in the Joust - this is truly inspired!

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  18. Wow, you really got a head start this month Val! Your dish looks delicious. Good Luck!

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  19. What a great way to use the ingredients! I'm very intrigued by the coffee brine: need to try that one of these days.

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  20. Yes chicken can be too dry, this is a wonderful idea and genius at that. I think you should win.

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  21. That sounds good I like to grill in the winter too.If you want more recipes or if you want to take a look at the collection of tips I have for grilling you can visit www.cookingandgrillinoutdoors.com

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  22. That sounds good I like to grill in the winter too.If you want more recipes or if you want to take a look at the collection of tips I have for grilling you can visit www.cookingandgrillinoutdoors.com

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  23. Never would have thought to include coffee in a brine -- what a wonderful idea. I'm bookmarking.

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  24. Wow, what a flavor punch this dish provides. That BBQ sauce sounds terrific, and I bet it tasted so good on that brined chicken! And I love the rice and beans ... a lot! Even with the rainy weather the Pacific Northwest is famous for, I still grill year round (gas grill). I get such a kick out of the rain drops hitting and sizzling dry on the grill hood! Great recipe!

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  25. Thanks for your support guys. The three ingredients this month were a challenge but it sure tasted delicious!!!

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  26. The early bird catches the worm! Great recipe Val and good luck at the Joust! This month's ingerdients are really challenging.

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  27. The sauce sounds really good, lucky you to be grilling in November!

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  28. niiiiiice! when i saw those ingredients for the joust, i was stumped, but you've created something unique and undoubtedly delicious. bravo!

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  29. This sounds so delicious and different. I'm impressed!

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  30. I was wondering what you guys will come up with...those were tough ingredients. You, once again have not disappointed me. This is an amazing meal, Val. Good luck with the joust!

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  31. Val,

    yum, this looks like a winner recipe to me.

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  32. What a unique chicken recipe. It sounds and looks great.

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  33. Looks really delicious. Good luck!

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  34. Great use of some ingrediants that would surely stump me. It lloks great.

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  35. I particularly like the rice and beans under your chicken. A complex and delicious-looking mix of flavors, well done jousting!

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  36. This looks fab, I love black beans and with rice a real winner.

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  37. Now that IS unusual... and a crazy coincidence because just this week I have been eyeing out a recipe I clipped ages ago in South Africa for roast lamb in coffee. Maybe it's a sign that I should have a go!

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  38. Sounds great, coffee! I will try that on ribs.

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Welcome to my home. Thank you for choosing to stay a while and for sharing our lives through food. I appreciate all your support, comments, suggestions, and daily encouragement.

Val

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