Today marks the start of National Barbecue Week which will hopefully see many of you sizzling away on the barbie over the weekend – maybe with this chicken ciabatta.
This recipe is a long-time barbecue favourite of grill master and founder of National Barbecue Week, Brian George, who says it is “seemingly easy but can be deceptively difficult to get perfect!
“A fruity, slightly exotic recipe that I created following a somewhat rambling tour around Tuscany – one too many Sangioveses and you’ve burnt the ciabatta!”
This is a delightful fusion of sweet and sour which is an inventive way to show off your barbecue skills to your friends during the barbecue week celebrations. Just don’t tell them we gave you the recipe.
And remember if you have missed any of the other recipes in our Summer Sizzlers series, you can find them by clicking here.
Summer Sizzlers: Classic Chicken Ciabatta
Serves 2
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 1 bird’s eye chilli, finely chopped and deseeded
- 12g grated ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- ½ lime, juiced
- 5ml white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp mixed turmeric and paprika
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
For the sauce:
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 5g brown sugar
- 225ml mango juice
- 1 mango, coarsely chopped
- Splash Worcestershire sauce, to season
For the main dish:
- 2 skinless chicken breasts
- 15g sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 large ciabatta
- 25ml extra virgin olive oil
- Handful of rocket
- A few basil leaves
Method
- For the marinade: Mix half of the chilli, ginger and garlic with three-quarters of the lime juice and vinegar plus half of the oil and add a pinch of turmeric/paprika, black pepper and sea salt.
- For the sauce: Use the rest of the chilli, garlic and ginger and add half of the toasted sesame seeds and half of the brown sugar. Mix with remaining lime juice into a paste and slowly add the mango juice and chopped mango. Season with Worcestershire sauce.
- Marinate the chicken and refrigerate for at least one hour, remove and sprinkle the remaining sesame seeds and sugar over chicken.
- Slice sundried tomato in strips and cut the ciabatta lengthways, coat the cut face of the ciabatta with olive oil.
- Coat the chicken with sauce and sear both sides on the hottest section of the barbecue, then remove to medium heat, basting with sauce. Turn occasionally.
- Oil the grill bars, then place the ciabatta cut face down on medium heat to warm through.
- Top the chicken with sun-dried tomatoes and return to the hottest section. Also, transfer the ciabatta to the hottest section and sear outside.
- Remove the ciabatta, drizzle with oil and place chicken on top. Add the remaining sauce and sun-dried tomato, garnish with rocket and basil, and add the top of the ciabatta.
More in this series…
Summer Sizzlers: Add a Scottish twist to a Turkish classic with these lamb and haggis kofta kebabs