At Riot BBQ, former Top Chef contender Manny Barella teams up with pitmaster Patrick Klaiber to serve bold, border-crossing flavor. And this two-day recipe is worth every minute.
Chicken Loco
Ingredients
- 1 gal. water
- ½ c. kosher salt
- 2 c. brown sugar
- 2 whole chickens (halved)
- 4 c. orange juice
- 4 c. pineapple juice
- 2½ c. lime juice
- 20 garlic cloves
- 13 tbsp. kosher salt
- 1½ tbsp. ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp. paprika
- 1 tbsp. red pepper flakes
- 3½ c. canola or avocado oil
- 1 tbsp. turmeric
- corn tortillas
- salsa of your choice
Directions
- On the morning of day one, combine water, salt, and sugar in a pot to make the brine.
- Heat until sugar and salt have dissolved, remove from heat and let cool.
- Submerge chicken into the brine and refrigerate overnight, but no longer than 12 hours.
- Remove and pat dry.
- In the evening of day one, blend garlic, red pepper flakes, and fruit juices to create the marinade.
- Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in the remaining ingredients, ensuring everything is fully submerged.
- Marinate overnight.
- On day two, remove the chicken from the marinade and grill over high heat, turning every 2 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees. Residual heat will carry it to a safe 165 degrees.
- Rest briefly, then shred and pile onto warm corn tortillas.
- Serve with salsa.
“Riot BBQ is our love letter to the precise techniques and traditions of barbecuing— the combination of my Monterrey roots and Patrick’s Texas barbecue expertise. Dishes like our Chicken Loco celebrate the union between these two disciplines, and it’s pretty damn good.” —chef Manny Barella, Riot BBQ
