As usual I was duty chef at Watercooler HQ last night. The Management had decided we would have Rick Stein’s Pollo Alla Diavola (Devilled Chicken). This is one of my favourites. The chicken ( I use thighs) is marinaded in olive oil, lemon juice, crushed black pepper, crushed dried chillies and crushed garlic. It is then grilled or barbecued.
I started the chicken off under the grill but thought I’d finish it on the BBQ for extra flavour. As it was a warm evening and we were dining outside I thought this would add to the experience. It did.
Suffice to say that the BBQ in a bag – ready in 15 minutes – was still not up to temperature in 45 minutes. Despite this, I was surprised to find the chicken was still pink in the middle and had to be returned to the heat. Always wary about over-doing the chilli and pepper, this time I’d been too careful and it lacked punch. The salad chosen to accompany it didn’t work as well as my more normal green beans. It goes really well with Sauvignon Blanc. But neither of us was that keen on the one I’d selected.
And half way through the meal it poured with rain.
David, I tend to oven cook my chicken first to make sure they are cooked and then bbq for flavour, but hey practice makes perfect and I bet you can produce some lovely results on the bbq!
Nicky, my usual view is that a BBQ is a great way to spoil otherwise excellent food. Saturday evening just confimed that view! And we almost got caught in the rain on Sunday. Building clouds suggested lunch inside would be a good idea. Our caution was proved wise as the first drops started to fall while we were taking aperitifs outside.