South American·Main Course
Churrasco-Style Grilled Chicken
A vibrant South American-style barbecue chicken featuring a robust marinade of garlic, Fresno chilies, and citrus. These bone-in thighs are partially deboned for a better eating experience and grilled until smoky and charred.
Prep
20m
Cook
15m
Total
875m
Serves
8
Method
- 01
Place the sliced garlic, Fresno chili, and coarse sea salt into a mortar. Use a pestle to bash the ingredients into a coarse paste. You can use a blender, but manual crushing extracts more flavor.
Watch · 0:36
- 02
Add the lemon zest, dried oregano, paprika, and cumin to the mortar. Continue bashing and mashing for another minute to release the oils. Stir in the lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil until the mixture is emulsified.
Watch · 1:00
- 03
Prepare the chicken by making two very shallow parallel cuts across the skin. Flip the thighs over and carefully remove the thigh bone by cutting along and under it, trimming away any excess cartilage or connective tissue while leaving the skin intact.
Watch · 2:37
- 04
Place the chicken thighs in a large zip-top bag and season with additional kosher salt. Pour in the marinade and use tongs to ensure every nook and cranny of the deboned meat is coated. Squeeze out the air, seal, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or ideally 14 hours (overnight).
Watch · 3:46
- 05
Preheat a grill to medium-high heat (ideally over charcoal). Place chicken skin-side down and grill for 2 minutes. Flip to the meat side and cook for about 5 minutes. Flip back to the skin side for 1–2 minutes to finish browning and charring until cooked through.
Watch · 4:44
- 06
Transfer the chicken to a platter and drizzle over any accumulated juices from the resting plate. Serve immediately, optionally with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a side like chimichurri potato salad.
Watch · 6:40
From Chef John
“You are after all the Leanne rhymes of your marination times.”
“If it's not meat or skin, you can get rid of it.”
“I like to play with my food.”