Excite Me Tonight! Chicken!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs or 1 whole chicken, butterflied or 6 small rock cornish game hens or 6  broiler chicken halves

For a Lebanese Marinade

• 4-6 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1/4-1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (depending on how much you like lemon!)
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, fresh
• 1/2 cup olive oil

For a Turkish Marinade

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large lemon, juice of
• salt (to taste)
• fresh ground pepper (to taste)

For a Moroccan Marinade

• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted or olive oil
• 1 large lemon, juice of
• salt (to taste)
• fresh ground pepper (to taste)

For an Egyptian Marinade

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons ground coriander
• 1 onion, grated
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

1. 1

   If using boneless chicken pieces, cut into 1 inch cubes and place in a shallow non-reactive container; if using whole birds, butterfly them; if using broiler halves, leave whole; select one of the marinades, then combine the ingredients for it in a bowl and pour over chicken; cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.

2. 2

   Bring the meat to room temperature; meanwhile prepare your gas or charcoal grill or preheat broiler.

3. 3

   Remove the meat from the marinade, reserving the marinade; if using chicken cubes thread onto skewers; place skewers, butterflied or halved birds on the grill rack or a broiler pan and grill or broil until cooked through, basting with the reserved marinade.

4. 4

   Cooking time will depend upon size of poultry pieces; do not let meat become dry;.

5. 5

   Whole fryer (3-4 pounds) 60 - 70 minutes; Whole Roaster (5-7 pounds) 22 minutes a pound, Butterflied whole chicken (3-5 pounds) 45-50 minutes; Whole Cornish hens (18-24 oz) 45-55 minutes; Whole capon (4-8 lbs) 15-20 min a pound; Breast half, bone in (6-8 oz) 10-15 minutes a side; Breast half, boneless (4 oz) 8-10 min a side & (6-8 oz) 10-15 minutes a side; leg or thigh (8 or 4 oz) 10-15 minutes a side; Drumstick (4 oz) 8-12 minutes a side & (8-16 oz) 10-15 minutes a side; wings or wing drumette (2-3 oz) 8-12 minutes a side – Remove from oven when meat thermometer reads 175°-180°F; temperature will continue to rise as it stands.