Cooking With Rania: Grilled Lemonade Chicken Legs
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Rania Harris, of Rania's Catering, is making recipes for summer picnics and parties all month long.
Grilled Lemonade Chicken Legs
Ingredients:
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters (each about 12 ounces
- 4 cups store-bought lemonade
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Canola or vegetable oil, for the grill
- 4 large lemons
Directions:
Place the chicken in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Whisk together the lemonade, garlic, mustard, oregano, dried onion, cumin, 1 tablespoon salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste in a large liquid measuring cup until combined. Divide the mixture in half, leaving two cups for a later use in the recipe.
Pour 2 cups of the marinade over the chicken, and wrap the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Prepare a grill for medium heat, and lightly oil the grill grates. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard. Place the chicken on a paper towel-lined baking sheet and pat dry. Sprinkle the chicken on both sides liberally with salt and pepper and arrange the pieces, skin-side down on the grill, leaving some space between each. Cook until the skin is lightly charred and releases easily from the grill, about 2 minutes. Rotate the chicken pieces about 90 degrees so the skin won't burn and cook another 2 minutes. Slice three of the four lemons in half and grill them, cut side down and set aside for serving. Keep warm until serving time.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven o 375 degrees. Place the grill marked chicken on a parchment lined baking pan and roast the chicken in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the thickest part of each thigh registers 160 degrees. Once fully cooked, transfer the chicken to a serving platter.
While the chicken is roasting, transfer the reserved in a saucepan and cook on top of the stove until it has reduced by half and is slightly thickened. Finely grate the zest from one of the lemons and sprinkle over the chicken. Squeeze the juice from the lemon you zested over the chicken. Garnish the platter with the six grilled lemon halves, pour a little of the cooked marinade over the chicken and serve the remaining marinade along the side of the chicken. Serve immediately.
Serves: 4 - 6