Sixteen-Spice Chicken with Caramelized Mango and Roasted Garlic Sauce
Kicked up bbq chicken
Adapted from Bobby Flay: Chapter One
I created the "sixteen spice" rub for this chicken years ago, and frankly, it works on everything. But chicken made it famous. The spices are a mix of sweet, spicy, earthy, and warm flavors that combine into one cohesive taste. A sauce with savory roasted garlic and sweet mango completes the dish, but sometimes I skip it and just enjoy the spice-rubbed chicken on its own.
Ingredients
Caramelized Mango Sauce
- 1 small red onion, diced
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup chicken stock (see page 304)
- 8 cloves of Roasted Garlic (page 303), peeled and
- 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and very finely diced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sixteen-Spice Chicken
- 4 (6-ounce) boneless, skin-on chicken breasts
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- 14 cup Sixteen-Spice Rub (recipe follows)
- ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions (green parts only), for garnish
Sixteen-Spice Rub (~2 cups)
- 3 tablespoons ancho chile powder
- 3 tablespoons pasilla chile powder
- 3 tablespoons ground cumin
- 3 tablespoons ground coriander
- 3 tablespoons ground ginger
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon ground fennel
- 1 tablespoon ground allspice
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½2 teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon chile de árbol powder
Instructions
- Make the caramelized mango sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the onion, both vinegars, and the sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the sugar from burning. When the sugar has dissolved, carefully stir in the stock. Increase the heat to bring the liquid to a boil and cook until the sauce has reduced to the consistency of maple syrup,
MEAT
about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the roasted garlic. Gently stir in the mango and remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Make the chicken: Heat a grill to medium-high (about
375°F).
- Brush both sides of the chicken breasts with the olive oil and season with salt. Rub the top side of each breast with a few tablespoons of the spice rub and place on the grill, rub-side down. Grill until golden brown and slightly charred, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn the breasts over and grill until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes longer.
- To serve, place the chicken on a platter, rub-side up. Spoon caramelized mango sauce on each breast, garnish with scallions, and serve immediately.
Sixteen-Spice Rub
- In a small bowl, stir together all the ingredients. Transfer to an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.