Bloody Mary Chicken
Someone recently commented on one of my recipes and said “Girl you’re nuts and I love it” and that validation is exactly what inspired this crazy delicious recipe.
Although, it’s not all too crazy if you think about it. The main components of a bloody mary — tomato, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, horseradish, celery, black pepper, lemon, they all complement chicken.
Even Vodka plays a part in this recipe (it’s an essential ingredient in this dish!) to deglaze the pan after crisping the chicken thighs. The alcohol evaporates out so the dish isn’t boozy but what it does is lift all the flavour collected at the bottom of the pan and create a super amazing sauce.
Plus, bloody mary salsa works to really solidify those bloody mary flavours lost in the cooking process. Charred tomato and onion, chopped, with the same ingredients from the marinade establish a bloody mary presence so vibrant it’s difficult to ignore.
Ingredients:
3-4 chicken thighs
50 ml vodka, plain unflavoured
Bloody mary marinade:
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp cholula, or any hot sauce
juice of half a lime or lemon
1/2 tsp celery salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp horseradish cream
Bloody mary salsa:
3 tomato, halved, grilled, then chopped
1 white onion, quartered, grilled, then chopped
1 tsp oil
1 tsp cholula, or any hot sauce
1/2 tsp celery salt
pinch of flakey salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp horseradish cream
juice of half a lime or lemon
Method:
Prepare the marinade by mixing all ingredients together in a large bowl until incorporated. Smother the marinade onto the chicken thighs on both sides and leave to marinade in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the ingredients, or longer if you can prep this step ahead of time. The longer the better!
Using the broiler setting in your oven, preheat to 230C/445F. Arrange the oven rack closer to the top of the oven, rather than the middle of the oven.
Slice tomatoes in half, quarter the onion and drizzle with oil. Set in the oven to broil for 10-15 mins, this really depends on your oven. You want the tomatoes and onions to char on the top. Once charred, remove from the oven and let cool.
Preheat a skillet over medium-low heat. Once hot, place marinated chicken thighs in and weigh down with a cooking weight such as a burger press. Set a timer for 10 minutes and allow the chicken thighs to cook. Once the timer goes off, flip the thighs and set another timer for 4 minutes, weighing this side down with the weight press again. After 4 minutes, pour in the vodka and immediately place in the oven, under the broiler. Allow it to char under the broiler for around 3-5 minutes. Remove from the oven and test for done-ness.
Chop the tomatoes and onions and mix together in a medium mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until incorporated. Taste for salt and adjust based on your preferences.
Enjoy your bloody mary chicken with bloody mary salsa overtop.
