AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums About Belize Culture Food, Drinks & Recipes Guava Chicken

Ingredients

3 limes, divided
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tb cumin
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 whole chicken, cut up
1/4 c guava jelly
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c apple juice

Method

To begin, combine the juice of two of the limes in a dish with the extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin and garlic. Whisk those together and set aside for a moment. Halve the breast of the chicken if they are very large. Place the chicken in a large zip-lock bag and pour in the marinade. Press out as much air as you can, and seal the bag. "Squish" the chicken around to coat it thoroughly. Let this marinate over night, up to 24 hours in your refrigerator.

In a small sauce pan, combine the guava jelly, brown sugar, apple juice and the juice of the remaining lime. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Now grab your bag of chicken, and drain out the liquid. Pat the pieces dry with a paper towel. Light one side of your grill, and heat to high heat (between 400-500 degrees.) Arrange the chicken on the unlit side of the grill skin side up and cook for 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reads 150 degrees. Now for the glaze. Once your chicken is up to temperature, brush the glaze all over. (If the glaze has thickened up too much, just heat it for a minute on the stove. Once you brush the chicken, cook it about 30 more minutes or until the meat thermometer reads 180 degrees in a thigh, or 170 in a breast. Brush additional glaze on every 10 minutes while it does that final cooking.

Guava Glazed Cornish Game Hens



Ingredients

2 Cornish hens, cut in half
2 tsp granulated onion
2 tsp garlic powder
� tsp chili powder
� tsp black pepper
1 � tsp salt

Guava Glaze

1/3 cup guava paste
� cup water
1 tbsp crushed garlic
� tsp cumin
� tsp black pepper
Juice of 1 lime
2 tsp Kikkoman soy sauce

Method

Season Cornish hens with granulated onion, garlic powder, chili powder, black pepper and salt; rub all over then place in a large ziplock bag and let sit for about 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Remove the Cornish hens from the fridge and let stand until it comes to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, place all the ingredients for the glaze in a small pot and bring to a boil. Use a spoon to break up the guava pieces. Simmer on low for about 15 minutes until the mixture has thickened a little.

On a preheated grill, place the chicken skin side down over direct heat and grill for about 5 minutes, until the skin is browned but not burnt. Flip the Cornish hens and cook over indirect heat until done or about 20 minutes. Next glazed the Cornish hen and cook for an additional minute. Place on a serving tray, and serve warm.

Tips: To cut the Cornish hens in half, using a sharp knife or kitchen shears cut along the back bone. Then cut down the middle of the breast bone and this should give 2 even pieces. When grilling always have one side of the grill that has no coals underneath. It is important to have a side with direct heat (over the coals) and indirect heat (no coals underneath). If the meat is burning, move it away from the direct heat over to the section where there are no coals for it to continue cooking. Any glazes that contain sugar will burn very quickly so it is best to add it in the last 5 minutes of cooking.

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Guava BBQ Marinade and Glaze for Chicken



Ingredients

2 Split Chicken Breasts
� cup lime juice
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 jalapeno pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
1 16 oz can guava nectar
� cup rum (optional)
1 cup guava jelly (available in Latin section of supermarket)

Method

1. Combine all ingredients, except Guava jelly, whisking until smooth.
2. Place chicken in a bowl and pour marinade on top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Preheat grill to medium heat.
4. Remove chicken from marinade and place on plate.
5. Pour marinade into a saucepan and add guava jelly, stirring and heating to a boil.
6. Simmer, uncovered about 10 minutes, until thickened.
7. Place chicken breasts on grill, and grill for approximately 15 minutes on each side.
8. Brush guava glaze onto chicken for the last 10 minutes of grilling.