Baking with Olivia and Caroline

Here’s something for your July barbecue. Our family has a delicious sounding name for it: green chicken. The origin of the name is somewhat muddy, but my oldest daughter, Claire, desperately wanted it for a birthday dinner one year. We hadn’t had it for a while and the only way she knew to describe it was by referring to it as “the green chicken.” Now, this chicken is not green, but it does have a tinge of color from the marinade. So after many questions, we all knew exactly what she was talking about. It is called by no other name than green chicken now.

Meant to be shared

Green chicken is simple, juicy, and easy to prepare. We thought about keeping this recipe in the family, but recipes are meant to be shared. That’s how we ended up with it after all.

Every recipe we share tends to have some sort of story behind it, and this recipe is no different. This is an oldie from the kids’ late paternal grandfather. Unfortunately, they never got to meet him, but they know he would have loved them dearly. 

Caroline was born on the anniversary of his death in July. He was an owner-operator of a trucking company and a big-time foodie. He loved to cook and eat! We aren’t exactly sure where he picked up this recipe, maybe in the south or Midwest as he drove through there a lot. He traveled to just about every state in the country. It doesn’t really matter where it came from. We are bringing it here to our little neck of the woods!

Marinade ingredients
1 cup oil (vegetable or canola)
1 pint vinegar
3 tbs salt
1 tbs poultry seasoning
1 tbs pepper
1 egg, beaten
Couple shots of Worcestershire sauce
1 ½  tsp dry mustard

Instructions

We always pre-bake our chicken in the oven first and then marinate it. To do so, preheat the oven to 300 degrees and bake uncovered for an hour or until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees. We recommend using bone-in, skin-on chicken; a combination of thighs, breasts, wings, and drumsticks.

Mix all the marinade ingredients together and place in a large resealable plastic bag or a glass or ceramic dish. Don’t use aluminum containers; they can create unpleasant metallic flavors.

When the pre-baked chicken has cooled, add it to the container you are using for your marinade and spoon the liquid over it. Seal it if using a plastic bag, or cover it if you are using a large bowl or dish. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least eight hours, up to 24 hours. It is best if all the pieces of the chicken are submerged in the marinade. 

Periodically rearrange the pieces during the marinating time for full coverage.

Prepare your grill for high heat. Once the grill is hot, reheat the precooked chicken and baste, baste, baste! Grill until the chicken is heated through  (5-10 minutes), flipping it to grill evenly on both sides. While you are basting, the oil from the marinade does tend to create flames, so be careful. 

Happy BBQ-ing! •

Olivia and Caroline are enthusiastic foodies and bakers who are constantly in the kitchen, as well as explorers who create their own adventures in our area – and did we mention they are mother and daughter? Follow Olivia on Instagram to see her many creations at @oliviawvalentine.