No fuss spicy grilled chicken. This is easy and delicious.
This spicy grilled chicken recipe could be made with any cut of chicken but I prefer the leg and thigh. The meat is tastier.
Thigh and leg meat may not be has pretty as breast meat but they are the meat of choice for this one! The cooked chicken can be cut into nice small pieces and filled into tortillas and salsa. What an easy and fantastic meal! I made my own tortillas and will be sharing that recipe shortly but you could also just through some shop bought tortillas or chapatts on the grill which works really well too.
Spicy grilled chicken! The leg and thigh meat is the tastiest. Delicious with the salsa.
Forward preparation for this spicy grilled chicken.
You can make the salsa and marinate the chicken the day before cooking. In fact, this little bit of forward preparation will let all those flavours mature. Your meal will be better for it.
Do I have to cook the meat on the bone?
Nope! But I like to do this. I then cut all the meat off the bones and use them to make chicken stock for another meal. The chicken stock can be used in soups and sauces and it is so much better than what you get from stock cubes.
Do I have to cook this spicy grilled chicken on a BBQ?
Not at all. You could bake the chicken in a 400f/200c oven for about 25 minutes and get spectacular results. I love my Kamado Joe BBQ so will be using it a lot over the next few months. But feel free to use your oven for this spicy grilled chicken recipe.
Just call it spicy baked chicken instead. 🙂
This is the only outdoor cooking kit you’ll ever need! I love my Kamado Joe. Couldn’t be without it now.
If you are a fan of outdoor cooking, you might like to try some of these recipe too.
Tandoori stuffed chicken kebabs
Gai Yang – Thai Style Chicken BBQ
Pla Pao – Thai style salted crust fish
Spice and Lime Roasted Corn on the Cob
Tandoori Broccoli, Cauliflower and Onion
Tandoori Chicken Lollipops
Easy Pakistani Chicken Tikka
Grilled Double Lamb Chops
Cover the chicken with the lemon juice and salt and rub it on and under the skin.
Add the remaining marinade ingredients and again rub them on and under.
Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Blend the salsa ingredients together.
I made this spicy grilled chicken using easy to find ingredients which I had on hand. I used frozen chicken. I don’t like freezing meats but in times like these I do.
To be perfectly honest, the meat froze perfectly well. It was so juicy.
I like my chicken charred. If you don’t, place it over the cooler part of the grill and cook for longer.
Baste the spicy grilled chicken with leftover marinade from time to time as it cooks.
Perfect wrapped up into a tortilla with some of the hot salsa.
Dig in!
Spicy Grilled Chicken with Easy Tomato Salsa
Ingredients
- 4 chicken legs with thighs
- FOR THE MARINADE
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp honey
- 70ml (¼ cup) fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
- 4 cloves garlic - finely chopped
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp dry oregano
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- FOR THE SALSA
- 400ml tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1 small onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic - smashed
- 4 green chilli peppers - chopped (more or less to taste)
- 1 small bunch chopped fresh coriander
- Juice of two limes
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Start by making the salsa. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth but still a bit chunky. Place in the fridge until needed.
- Mix all the marinade ingredient in a large mixing bowl and add the chicken.
- Rub the marinade all over the meat and under the skin. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes while you fire up your BBQ.
- Set up your BBQ for direct heat cooking. When your coals are white hot, spread the charcoal out so that 2/3 of it is on one side and the other third on other. This will give you a cooler grilling area should you need it.
- You're ready to cook when your hand become unbearably hot when you hold it over the grill for 2 seconds.
- Place the chicken on the grill and cook for about 5 minutes before turning. Flip the chicken and continue doing so regularly until the meat is cooked through, basting with excess marinade from time to time as you do.
- When cooked through, sprinkle with flaky salt to taste and serve with the salsa and shop bought or homemade tortillas.