And so, to our grilled chicken. I want you to know that I am not passing on a recipe but so much more. I don’t want you to cook a meal, or even to appreciate good food. No, that is not my intent, not here, not ever. Instead I want you to understand that this meal is not what I want you to create. That can be done anywhere at any time. what I want you to create my friends, is an experience!
Without experience life would be dull, mundane and boring. But remember Bonofee Pie? We all love bonoffee pie. And the reason we love bonofee pie is not because of its wonderful sweet taste, but because it was such an experience that we wanted more. And every time we get bonoffee pie, we compare it to that experience and it must come up to scratch, because the experience has set the precedence for the taste of this most wonderful desert. – This my friends, is what we must aim for in our chicken. Not to replicate great taste, not to make a delicious meal, but to create an experience by which all other grilled chicken meals we be judged and struggle to compare.
Ladies and gentlemen – our grilled chicken.
Not to many ingredients:
Chicken (medium sized breast is ideal)
Thyme (fresh if possible but this has been created with dried thyme in mind)
Oxo cube (red box - sad I know, but essential)
Onion
So let us begin.
The chicken - the chicken must not be too large as it will only lead to problems later. As suggested, fillet breast. It MUST be clean, and at the point of deciding that the chicken is clean enough, if you cannot look at this chicken and decide that you would like to bite it – raw. Then this is not the chicken suitable for this experience. Allow me if you will to compare our chicken to that person you slept with but did not have a relationship with. Our that job you got but couldn’t wait to get out of.. it was ok, but its not what you WANTED!
Our chicken must be up to scratch. Its tone must be appealing its texture must make you want. You must be prepared to see your chicken and have the thought across your mind that this chicken is fine as it is and you do not need the other ingredients. You must enjoy the chicken in its most naked of states. I have had many jobs in my time, but none feed my soul in the way my current job does. All other professions seem boring in comparison. I have had the best sex with women I wanted to be with. And on both accounts, every day is an experience.
This MUST be your chicken. – rich in tone tender in flesh. And good enough to eat.
The onion. – the onion, though simple is essential to the experience. I want you to consider the onion as those elements in life we take for granted but without them we would always believe there is something missing. I don’t mean something as extreme as a hand or a foot, not even a car. No, but consider your favourite piece of music.. now that out the bass guitar! See! Its ok but its not the same. Its like like having friendships that don’t allow you to be you. You can do them but.. well they are just not the same. And its not the friendships as such, but the fact that you cannot be yourself and to that end, you are incomplete in the process of that friendship. Or another comparison. In the rush to be on time for work you forget to brush your teeth! You can perform your usual duties but knowing you have arse breathe means that something is missing and you yourself are not complete. This is the onion my friends. Essential to the experience, and though a only background flavour in the final scenery of our experience. It is still very much all-essential. Its like going on holiday and having mild weather – in Barbados!
Our onion must be crisp and full-flavoured and at the time of cutting must release its essence into the air. It must be fresh and full of juice, its scent must fill the air and your eyes must water as though you have lost a close relative.
It must be thinly sliced and use plenty of it – ones teeth can never be over brushed for a smile, and the best friends allow us not only be open, but to be totally ourselves.
If it is only some of these things – this is not our onion.
Remember my friends, it is not a meal we are creating.
Without experience life would be dull, mundane and boring. But remember Bonofee Pie? We all love bonoffee pie. And the reason we love bonofee pie is not because of its wonderful sweet taste, but because it was such an experience that we wanted more. And every time we get bonoffee pie, we compare it to that experience and it must come up to scratch, because the experience has set the precedence for the taste of this most wonderful desert. – This my friends, is what we must aim for in our chicken. Not to replicate great taste, not to make a delicious meal, but to create an experience by which all other grilled chicken meals we be judged and struggle to compare.
Ladies and gentlemen – our grilled chicken.
Not to many ingredients:
Chicken (medium sized breast is ideal)
Thyme (fresh if possible but this has been created with dried thyme in mind)
Oxo cube (red box - sad I know, but essential)
Onion
So let us begin.
The chicken - the chicken must not be too large as it will only lead to problems later. As suggested, fillet breast. It MUST be clean, and at the point of deciding that the chicken is clean enough, if you cannot look at this chicken and decide that you would like to bite it – raw. Then this is not the chicken suitable for this experience. Allow me if you will to compare our chicken to that person you slept with but did not have a relationship with. Our that job you got but couldn’t wait to get out of.. it was ok, but its not what you WANTED!
Our chicken must be up to scratch. Its tone must be appealing its texture must make you want. You must be prepared to see your chicken and have the thought across your mind that this chicken is fine as it is and you do not need the other ingredients. You must enjoy the chicken in its most naked of states. I have had many jobs in my time, but none feed my soul in the way my current job does. All other professions seem boring in comparison. I have had the best sex with women I wanted to be with. And on both accounts, every day is an experience.
This MUST be your chicken. – rich in tone tender in flesh. And good enough to eat.
The onion. – the onion, though simple is essential to the experience. I want you to consider the onion as those elements in life we take for granted but without them we would always believe there is something missing. I don’t mean something as extreme as a hand or a foot, not even a car. No, but consider your favourite piece of music.. now that out the bass guitar! See! Its ok but its not the same. Its like like having friendships that don’t allow you to be you. You can do them but.. well they are just not the same. And its not the friendships as such, but the fact that you cannot be yourself and to that end, you are incomplete in the process of that friendship. Or another comparison. In the rush to be on time for work you forget to brush your teeth! You can perform your usual duties but knowing you have arse breathe means that something is missing and you yourself are not complete. This is the onion my friends. Essential to the experience, and though a only background flavour in the final scenery of our experience. It is still very much all-essential. Its like going on holiday and having mild weather – in Barbados!
Our onion must be crisp and full-flavoured and at the time of cutting must release its essence into the air. It must be fresh and full of juice, its scent must fill the air and your eyes must water as though you have lost a close relative.
It must be thinly sliced and use plenty of it – ones teeth can never be over brushed for a smile, and the best friends allow us not only be open, but to be totally ourselves.
If it is only some of these things – this is not our onion.
Remember my friends, it is not a meal we are creating.
Thyme. A herb which is grossly understated in cooking. And to me, this is the new garlic (which I never use). But what of herbs and spices. In this case we must understand that the herb is only there to enhance our meal. Very much in the way that a car enhances our life or exercise enhances our physicality. But it is not life itself as exercise is not our physical being. Too much herb is like too many drinks, is like overstaying your welcome, is like going to fast on the motorway. The result could be ruinious. – you have been warned.
It is important that we enjoy these things, even to the extreme, but not to excess. Herb creates the best of times, too much herb creates horror stories. Negative experiences. So how much is too much as not enough can lead to the bland and boring. Liberal sprinkling – no more, no less.
The Oxo. – please bear in mind that this will provide a salt taste to our chicken, and should also be sprinkled liberally, more so than the thyme. It is not to be watered down but applied dry. When you think back to last summer a a time when you were smiling, but nothing was particularly good, life was just of and, well, you were smiling, this is the oxo. It is that feeling that everything is ok. Nothing is going to ruin your day, and you have no great plans, and you just seem to smile. This is Oxo.
So lets put is together.
First, we take our chicken and sprinkle our thyme. Then we sprinkle our oxo. The thyme should disappear under the blanket of oxo and a faint vision of our chicken colour should just show through. Now we cover with onion.
All this should be applied to both sides but the onion is more important on the underside as it will burn under the grill heat eventually. So if you wish to apply more on the underside than the top, that fine but the top is essential too.
Place under the grill, and begin.
Low heat, low heat, low heat!!!! This is no time to blow it, especially after all the hard thought you have put in. The low heat does 3 things:
1/ it allows much of the flavour to stay in the chicken as it holds it newly flavoured moisture inside.
2/ it will stop our chicken going dry
3/ it allows our chicken to cook properly!
I have no idea of grill settings but I suggest half of a full blast should do it. Our cooking time is 45 mins to an hour. And our chicken should be turned every 5 mins for the first 20 mins, and then every ten mins for the remaining time. – stand there and watch it. This is a labour of love but know that you will not be eating a meal once done, but having an experience which other experiences must match. Stand, watch and love your creation.
During this process, The mixture on top of the chicken will burn, you must turn before this happens completely at all stages of the cookong, and underneath the chicken, the mixture will be wet from the juices of the chicken allowing longer cooking times after the first turn.
Once it is cooked, have it with a small side salad, cherry tomatoes, red onion, lettice of your choosing and enjoy my friends. Do not enjoy the meal, but savour the experience you go through as you taste to full flavour of each bite of the juicy grilled chicken.
Hopefully there have not been too many spelling mistakes or grammatical errors for you and full meaning (and i mean the real meaning) is understood. As with all Alchemy, we must search for the gold in life and I have given you a small piece of mine. Enjoy. :o)
