Recipe: Glazed Broiled Chicken with Chipotle-Orange, Honey Pecan, or Curried Apricot Glaze

GLAZED BROILED CHICKEN

"Glazes, like barbecue sauces, are a quick way to add flavor to broiled chicken. Like barbecue sauces, they should be brushed in the last minutes of cooking so that they caramelize, but don't burn. For optimum browning, brush parts very lightly with vegetable oil before broiling."

FOR BRINING (optional):
3/4 cup kosher salt or 6 tablespoons table salt, plus more to taste
3/4 cup sugar
1 quart water

FOR THE CHICKEN:
1 chicken (3 to 3 1/2 pounds), rinsed, patted dry, and cut into 8 pieces
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Ground black pepper
1 recipe glaze (recipes follow)

IF BRINING THE CHICKEN PIECES:
In a gallon-size sealable plastic bag, dissolve the 3/4 cup salt and sugar in 1 quart of water. Add the chicken, pressing out as much air as possible, seal and refrigerate until fully seasoned, about 1 1/2 hours.

TO COOK THE CHICKEN:
Rinse the chicken pieces well and pat dry. Arrange the chicken pieces on a broiler pan, skin side up, so that the wings and legs are around the perimeter of the pan and the thicker breasts and thighs are in the center. Brush the chicken with oil and lightly season with salt and pepper (be generous with salt if you have not brined the chicken).

Adjust the oven rack so that the chicken will be no closer than 8-inches from the heating element and preheat the broiler.

Broil the chicken until the skin is a rich brown color, about 12 minutes. Turn the chicken over, continue to broil until the juices run clear. The wings and legs should be done in about 7 minutes, remove them to a plate, cover with foil, and continue to broil the thighs and breasts for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

When the remaining pieces are cooked, remove the broiler pan from the oven, turn the thighs and breasts skin side up, return the wings and legs to the pan skin side up, and brush each piece with a little of the glaze. Return the chicken to the oven, broil until the glaze begins to brown and bubble, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve.

GLAZE RECIPES:

CHIPOTLE-ORANGE GLAZE
Makes enough to coat 8 pieces of chicken.

"This recipe combines the sweet-tart flavor of oranges with the smoky heat of chipotle chiles. Adobo chipotle chiles are available in many supermarkets and Latin groceries.

1 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 canned chipotle chile in adobo, finely chopped
Salt and ground black pepper

Bring the orange and lemon juices to a boil in a small saucepan and reduce to 1/3 cup, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the chile and salt and pepper to taste (use salt sparingly if chicken was brined). Cool to room temperature. Use in step 4 of the Master Recipe for Glazed Broiled Chicken.

HONEY-PECAN GLAZE
Makes enough to coat 8 pieces of chicken.

"A few simple pantry staples become a quick glaze for broiled chicken. Maple syrup may substitute for honey and walnuts or almonds may be used in place of pecans, depending on what you have on hand."

2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup pecan pieces, finely chopped
Salt and ground black pepper

Combine the honey, mustard, nuts, and salt and pepper to taste (use salt sparingly if chicken was brined) in a small bowl. Use in step 4 of the Master Recipe for Glazed Broiled Chicken.

CURRIED APRICOT GLAZE
Makes enough to coat 8 pieces of chicken.

"The intensity of this hot-sweet glaze can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the quantites of curry powder and hot red pepper flakes."

1/2 cup apricot nectar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and ground black pepper

Bring the apricot nectar, lemon juice, and apricot preserves to a simmer in a small saucepan, and reduce to about 1/2 cup, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste (use salt sparingly if chicken was brined). Cool to room temperature. Use in step 4 of the Master Recipe for Glazed Broiled Chicken.

Makes 4 servings
Source: The Cook's Illustrated Complete Book of Poultry by the Editors of Cook's Illustrated