Caramelized Coffee Chicken

Coffee Chicken? Yup, you read that right. I know it’s not a combination that you hear every day, but hear me out. This recipe creates delicious grilled chicken that’s just a touch spicy, has a hint of coffee and is full of flavor.

This recipe combines several of my favorite things coffee, grilling and chicken. I also discovered a new favorite ingredient – jalapeño jelly. First time that I’ve used it a recipe and hopefully it isn’t the last.

Special credit goes out to my friend Faith Respler for helping me out with this recipe. She actually found the original version of this recipe, did most of the work and allowed me supervise and pay special attention to the coffee aspects.

Ingredients

• Four skinless boneless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt and pepper
• Olive Oil

Brine Ingredients:

• ½ a cup of coffee. For best results use a dark roast coffee brewed strong. We used Cafe Bustelo and the results were great.
• ¼ cup of kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds or Dijon mustard
• 3 cups of cool water

Sauce Ingredients:

• 3 slices of cooked bacon, diced
• ½ onion, minced
• 1 cup of coffee
• 1 cup of beef stock
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons of cornstarch
• ¼ cup of jalapeño jelly
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the ingredients for the brine. Stir until the salt and sugar is dissolved.
2. Carefully pour into a ziploc bag and add chicken breasts. Remove as much air as possible, then seal the bag and refrigerate for at least one hour. For best results keep it in the refrigerator for two to three hours.
3. Cook the bacon in a skillet at medium heat. Remove the bacon fat then add in the onions. Cook until the onions are soft.
4. Add the coffee and beef stock. Cook until the mixture is reduced to about one cup.
5. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and lemon juice. Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved.
6. Add the jalapeño jelly, brown sugar and mix until it’s fully incorporated.
7. Remove the chicken from the bag and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly rub the meat with olive oil. Season it with salt and pepper.
8. Grill chicken for four to six minutes per side. Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked, season to taste and serve with the sauce.

If you live in an area where it’s already too cold to grill, you can cook these on your stove top at medium to medium-high heat. Just extend the cooking times slightly longer.

As a coffee fanatic, I wouldn’t complain if I could taste more coffee, but it really balanced out well with some of the spicier flavors in this recipe.

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Photo by Another Pint Please….

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