Grilled Citrus Chicken with Tropical Grilled Fruit

Recipe provided by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger

Watch the preparation video for this recipe.

• Difficulty: Easy
• Serves: 6 people

Ingredients

• 7 pounds chicken pieces (excluding wings), cleaned and dried
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup dark rum
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 chipotle chiles (canned or soaked in vinegar)
• 3 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 large mangos, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 3 ripe bananas, peeled and cut diagonally into thick slices
• 1 pineapple, peeled and sliced
• Juice of 1 lime
• Vegetable oil for grilling
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

1. Place the chicken pieces in a baking dish. In a blender, combine the orange, lime, and lemon juices, dark rum, garlic, brown sugar, chipotles, red peppers, onion, cider vinegar, and olive oil; pulse gently until blended. Pour the marinade over the chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, turning once. Remove chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.
2. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
3. Arrange the mango chunks, banana slices, and pineapple on a sheet of foil. Brush the fruit with the juice of 1 lime and set aside.
4. Brush the grill grate with vegetable oil and season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chicken pieces on the grill, cavity side down, and grill for 10 minutes. Flip the chicken and baste with the reserved marinade; continue grilling another 10 minutes. Then baste and turn every 5 minutes for an additional 1520 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
5. Lightly brush the tropical fruits with the melted butter. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, place the foil packet on the grill (poke a few holes to let heat in, then fold into a loose sealed packet) and cook until the fruit softens and is slightly charred.
6. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and arrange the grilled fruit around the edges.

1997 M.S. Milliken & S. Feniger. All rights reserved.