Sue Freeman posted 12-14-98 5:00 PM
Smoked Chicken Breasts (Tea Smoked)
Graham Kerr's Smart Cooking
4 large skinless and boneless chicken breasts (7 to 8 oz each)
Marinade:
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 whole cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp fresh grated gingerroot
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 sprigs fresh thyme
freshly grated nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper
The smoke:
2 Earl Gray Tea Bags
2 T brown sugar
2 T brown rice
1 cinnamon stick
Cinnamon Sauce:
1 medium sweet onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 T brown sugar
1 tsp extra light olive oil with a dash of sesame seed oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 cinnamon stick
1 sprigs thyme
Put the chicken breast in a bowl. Pour the marinade ingredients on top of the chicken breasts and marinade for at least 30 minutes.
For the smoke::
Fold several layers of foil into a platform that will hold the smoke ingredients about 1 inch off the bottom of a solid cast aluminum or cast iron Dutch oven. Place the ingredients on top of the platform in the bottom of the pot.
NOW COOK:
For the sauce: Place the onion slices in a saucepan along with the brown sugar and oil. Cook on medium heat until caramelized. Add the chicken broth, cinnamon stick and thyme
sprigs. Bring to a boil and reduce the volume by 1/3.
Puree the reduced sauce in a food processor and strain into saucepan and keep warm.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and set aside.
Add marinade to the sauce and bring back to a boil and continue reducing.
Start smoking the chicken. Put the dutch oven "smoker" lid on over high heat. In about 6 minutes it will start to smoke. Set a steamer basket over the smoke. Set the chicken on it and smoke for 10 minutes. It will be a lovely dark brown. Remove Dutch oven from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
NOTE: When you tke the chicken out, it is a good
plan to take the aluminum foil and smoke ingredients out to the garbage immediately! This rids your home of any potential for residual smoke smell.
Serve smoked chicken with a lovely rice such as a saffron rice.
Pour cinnamon sauce over chicken and garnish with fresh thyme with veggies on the side.