Food Waste Free Recipes

Korean Inspired BBQ Chicken with Toasted Coconut Salt

  • Yield: 4 Servings
Scraps used: Pineapple core is the primary scrap. Scallion tops and roots, plus cilantro stems to garnish chicken, also make appearances.

Why: The unused core of a fresh pineapple, unlike canned pineapple or bottled pineapple juice, has a secret ingredient: an enzyme, which is destroyed by the heat of canning and bottling that can tenderize tough protein fibers. By blitzing it into a marinade, you get incredibly tender, tasty BBQ chicken!

The salts: In this recipe, the salt plays two roles. In the brine, the coarse flakes of Morton® Coarse Kosher Salt helps to tenderize the chicken, and Morton® Coarse Sea Salt brings a spark to the slightly sweet and spicy toasted coconut salt.

Ingredients

  • For the Chicken:
  • 1 pineapple core, chunked up
  • 2 teaspoons Morton® Coarse Kosher Salt
  • 2 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup cold water
  • 3 pounds chicken parts
  • Vegetable oil for grilling
  • For the BBQ Sauce:
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon Wasabi paste
  • ¼ cup dark sweet vinegar, like balsamic or Korean black vinegar
  • ¼ cup Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
  • For the Coconut Salt:
  • 1 tablespoon shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 1 teaspoon Morton® Coarse Sea Salt
  • ½ teaspoons coconut palm sugar, or another raw sugar
  • Pinch Gochgaru (Korean red pepper flakes), or other hot red pepper flakes
  • For Garnish:
  • ¼ bunch cilantro (or basil or flat-leaf parsley), leaves and stems, chopped fine
  • 2 scallions (roots, bulbs and tops, the whole thing), sliced thin
  • 1 thin slice red onion, chopped fine

MORTON®
COARSE KOSHER SALT

  1. Marinate the chicken: Blitz the pineapple core, kosher salt, gochujang, vinegar and water in a blender. Scrape into a one gallon zip-top bag. Add the chicken pieces and massage to coat. Push out excess air and seal. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to a day.

  2. Grill the chicken: Set up a grill for indirect medium heat and put a pot of water directly over the fire. Rub some oil on the part of the grill grate that is not over fire with a BBQ brush or balled paper towel. Lift the chicken pieces out of the marinade and put on the oiled part of the grill, facing the dark meat closer to the fire and the white meat further away. Close the grill lid and grill until an instant-read thermometer stuck in the thickest part of one of the largest pieces says 160°F.

     

  3. Make the BBQ sauce: While the chicken is grilling, mix the sauce ingredients together.

  4. Make the coconut salt: Put a small heavy skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add the coconut. Stir until toasted, about 1 minute. And scrape into a small bowl. Mix in the salt, sugar and pepper flakes.

     

  5. Assembly: Brush the chicken with BBQ sauce, close the grill lid and cook until the sauce sets into a glaze, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and sauce the other side, drop the lid and cook another 3 minutes. Lift the chicken pieces on to a serving plate. Sprinkle with the toasted coconut salt and throw the garnishes all over (the food, that is).

Korean Inspired BBQ Chicken With Toasted Coconut Salt