Chicken Entrees
Spicy Chicken and
Plantain Skewers
with Tomato Salsa
For the skewers: 1/3 cup white wine 1 tablespoon ketchup 1 tablespoon peanut butter 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce 1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt 2 whole chicken breasts (2 pounds total), skinned, boned, and cut into 1-inch pieces 2 ripe plantains, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces For the salsa: 2 large tomatoes 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 small red onion, finely chopped 1 red finger chile pepper, seeded, veined and finely chopped 2 cloves minced garlic 1/2 lime Salt and pepper Vegetable oil for brushing skewers To make the skewers: In a small saucepan combine wine, ketchup, peanut butter, soy sauce, paprika, ginger, and salt. Bring to a boil. Let cool completely. Place chicken and plantain pieces in separate resealable plastic bags. Pour ½ of marinade in each bag; close bags. Marinate in refrigerator 1 hour. Meanwhile, make the salsa: In a small aluminum foil pan place tomatoes, stem side down. Place pan on cooking grate. Grill 15 to 20 minutes or until blackened. Remove and discard tomato skins. Mash tomatoes; set aside. Heat oil in small saucepan. Add red onion and chile; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add garlic and mashed tomato; simmer 5 minutes. Keep warm until skewers are ready. On 12-inch skewers, alternately thread chicken and plantain pieces, leaving space between pieces. Squeeze lime juice over skewers; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brush skewers with oil and place in center of cooking grate. Grill 10 to 12 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time. Serve with warm Tomato Salsa. Makes 4 servings. Notes: Plantain ripen slowly, so buy them several days ahead of time if you can’t find them ripe in the store. (Unripe ones are green in color, semi-ripe ones are mottled yellow and black. Ripe ones are black.) If using wooden skewers, soak in water 30 minutes before using so ends won’t burn during grilling time.
