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Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup apple juice
- 1 cup V-8 juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 whole chicken, skinned and cut into 8 pieces (legs, thighs, breasts, and wings)
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
- 1 10-ounce can tomato puree
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- dash ground black pepper
- dash garlic powder
Details
Servings 4
Cooking time 40mins
Adapted from topsecretrecipes.com
Preparation
Step 1
This fast-growing West Coast chain is another popular contender in the home meal replacement biz, which includes Boston market and Kenny Rogers Roasters. In 1990, shortly after Kenneth Berg sold his mortgage banking business for $125 million, he came across a little two-unit chicken chain in Los Angeles that seemed to attract clientele from an income bracket above that of typical burger chain customers. Kenneth discovered that the chicken served in these stores was not only delicious but also prepared with a secret marinade and baste that allowed the chicken to be cooked in a more health-conscious way - without skin. The owners of the restaurants, brothers Michael and Raymond Badalian, had created a marinade of juices and spices that kept the chicken moist and juicy inside. The company claims the chicken is marinated for up to seventy-two hours in this secret concoction and then brushed with a tangy baste when grilling. Just three months later, Kenneth purchased the chain for $2.5 million - ten times what it was earning each year - and expanded into other Western states, growing the restaurant to around forty units strong. that's about the time the company merged with Family Restaurants, the corporation behind the El Torito and Chi-Chis Mexican food chains.
1. Combine all of the ingredients for the marinade in a medium bowl. Mix well.
2. Add chicken to the marinade and leave it for at least 24 hours. It's even better if you let the chicken marinate longer, for as much as 48 to 72 hours.
3. Sometime before the chicken is done marinating, prepare the basting sauce by heating 1 teaspoon of the oil in a medium skillet. Saute the sliced onions until they begin to blacken a bit. Pour the onions into a medium saucepan with the other baste ingredients. Bring mixture to a full boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat. When cool, cover the baste and chill until it's needed.
4. When you are ready to cook the chicken, fire up your grill to medium heat. Grill the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes, then turn it over and grill for another 5 to 6 minutes. Turn chicken over once more and brush the top with the baste. Grill for another 5 to 6 minutes, then turn the chicken over again, baste the other side, and cook it until it's done -- around 20 to 24 minutes total cooking time that will vary from piece to piece. You should see a few charred black spots on the surface of the chicken, but don't let it burn.
I make a double batch, then put the chicken in the marinade and freeze in our family sized portions. I also make the baste and split it into portions. Then when ever we want this delicious chicken all I have to do is cook it. mmmmm
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