Grilled Chicken with Plum-Jalapeno Sauce

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Grilled Chicken with Plum-Jalapeno Sauce

While on vacation in northern California, we drove from Santa Clara (just outside of San Francisco, in Silicon Valley) to Mammoth Lakes, which is in the eastern Sierra Mountains. This route took us straight through the San Joaquin valley.  This valley is saturated with orchards – grove upon grove of peaches, plums, olives, and almonds, to name a few.  Where there are orchards, there are farm stands.  However, in order to have prolific orchards, one also must have persistent heat.  I’m not talking about the kind of warm summer day that urges you to take a walk to the park or have a picnic in the backyard.  Nope.  I’m talking about scorching, floating-down-the River Hades kind of heat.  It was 113 degrees F when we passed through. Anybody that knows me well knows that I wilt in heat over 90 degrees F.  I was always the kid that came back from gym class with bright red cheeks that didn’t subside for at least an hour. However, my love of fresh fruits and veggies trumped the heat and I actually agreed to get out of the car to visit the farm stands.We picked up a bag of the sweetest summer corn, along with a bushel of large, juicy plums, and an incredible cherry pie.  It was well worth the sacrifice!

This recipe is based on a recipe in Food & Wine Magazine. The original recipe called for sweet or spicy red pepper jelly.  However, Mammoth Lakes’ grocery store, while relatively well-stocked, was lacking in red pepper jellies.  So, I improvised by adding some mango fruit spread and chopped jalapeno pepper.  I was pretty darn pleased with the results.

Preheat the grill to medium heat.
Place 12 chicken drumsticks on a baking sheet and coat the chicken with 2 tbsp olive oil.

Season well with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. 


Place the chicken on the grill and cook for about 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until the chicken is browned and cooked through.

While the chicken is grilling, prepare the plum sauce.

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over moderately low heat. Seed and mince half of a jalapeno pepper. Add the pepper and 1/4 cup minced red onion to the saucepan and cook until the onion and pepper are soft, about 5 minutes.



Cut 2 medium-sized plums (about 4 oz) each into 1/2-inch pieces and add it to the onion mixture.


Cook until the plums are soft and broken down. Add 1/4 cup mango fruit spread and 1 tsp Dijon mustard.


Cook on high heat until the mango spread melts.

Carefully pour the mixture into a food processor or blender.


Puree until the mixture is smooth.


Baste the chicken drumsticks with the plum puree.


Cook until the sauce is caramelized, about 5 minutes. Serve the chicken with the extra sauce.

Other recipes using plums:
Simply Recipes’ Plum Sorbet
Smitten Kitchen’s Dimply Plum Cake
101 Cookbooks’ Plum & Peach Crisp
Grilled Chicken with Plum-Jalapeno Sauce
12 chicken drumsticks
2 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/2 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 plums (4 oz each), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup mango fruit spread
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Preheat the grill to medium heat.
Place the chicken drumsticks on a baking sheet and coat the chicken with the olive oil.  Season well with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Place the chicken on the grill and cook for about 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until the chicken is browned and cooked through.

While the chicken is grilling, prepare the plum sauce.

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over moderately low heat. Add the jalapeno pepper and minced red onion to the saucepan and cook until the onion and pepper are soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the chopped plums to the onion mixture.  Cook until the plums are soft and broken down. Add the mango fruit spread and Dijon mustard.  Cook on high heat until the mango spread melts.  Carefully pour the mixture into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

Baste the chicken drumsticks with the plum puree.  Cook until the sauce is caramelized, about 5 minutes. Serve the chicken with the extra sauce.
Makes 12 chicken drumsticks, plus extra sauce for serving.
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Comments

  1. WOW. Love these flavors and you make it look so easy! Whoever gets to eat at your table regularly are lucky folk. 🙂

    Reply

  5. Wow. You impress me!!
    I have jalapenos and plums and I would NEVER of thought of putting them together. You are a genius.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  7. I'm glad this is an appealing combination to all of you. It really was delicious.

    Miranda, you are too kind!

    Reply

  9. You've put this just in time for 4th of July. BBQ times are here. 😉 I love that plum-jalapeno sauce. That's a really neat idea.

    Reply

  12. I love this idea! The combination is sure to be fresh and so tasty! I am gonna have to add plums to my grocery list.

    Reply

  17. Okay now this makes sense, as this must be the chicken I saw when looking at the brie post…and still this recipe for the chicken rocks…I will take this and some of the brie!

    Reply

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