Have you been requested to make something exotic but you know people want the same chicken and potato combo? Ask me, I’ve been asked this question almost every weekend. So when I read up about agave nectar and I tasted it once from a fine foods store, I just couldn’t resist trying it out for a marinade recipe. No doubt it turned out perfect and of course scored really well on the exotic quotient. For those who aren’t so blessed with having tasted the nectar yet, let me give you a quick brief before we get started. Agave nectar is a great replacement for sweetener and it is mainly produced in South Africa and Mexico. It is sweeter than honey but a lot thinner. It is available in 4 varieties which I’ll simplify for you. Light – used for delicate tasting dishes & beverages, amber – medium caramel flavor can be used in sweet dishes , dark – stronger caramel flavor perfect for poultry dishes like the one I’m sharing the recipe for and raw – mild and neutral flavor perfect for salads and other raw food recipes.
Let’s get started shall we? First pick up a bottle of dark agave nectar for this. You can use it up later straight out of the bottle for pancakes etc. as a replacement for honey.
Agave nectar Chicken Recipe
Here are the things you’ll need for the the agave chicken marinade
1) 1/2 cup dark agave nectar
2) 1/2 cup soy sauce (I recommend an authentic Asian soy sauce for this one)
3) 1/4 cup of water
4) 1 teaspoon fresh ginger peeled and mashed
5) 2 -3 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed – I recommend using fresh ginger and fresh garlic because this is for the marinade)
6) 2 1/2 to 3 lbs. of chicken
Begin by mixing the agave nectar and soy sauce in a tiny bowl with water and the fresh ginger garlic paste. The soy and nectar combine to give you a sweet and salted taste and perfectly balance the dish. Now place the chicken in a bowl (or you can use one of those eco fresh plastic bags) and pour the agave marinade all over the chicken. Let this marinade for over 6 – 8 hours and make sure you check on it and turn it to soak it up really well. Once its well marinade, you can grill the chicken on a barbeque grill.
While the chicken soaks up the marinade you can quickly put together the red baby potato salad. Here’s what you need for this
1) 1 – 1 1/2 lbs. of red skinned baby potatoes
2) 4 strips of bacon (optional)
3) 1 medium diced Spanish onion
4) 6 teaspoons of agave nectar
5) 6 table spoons of apple cider vinegar
6) 1/2 tea spoon of corn starch
7) 1/2 tea spoon water
8) 2 table spoons freshly chopped dill
Begin by boiling the potatoes in salted water until tender but firm. An excellent way of keeping tabs on this is to piece a fork or a toothpick into one of the potatoes in an extreme corner.
While the potatoes are cooling down, you can sauté the bacon until crisp. Add the onion to the bacon strips and cook till soft. Separately add the agave nectar and apple cider vinegar to a pan, stir to combine and bring to a boil. Blend the corn starch with water and stir into the agave mixture and cook until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat. Crumble the bacon and dill into the dressing. Now add the dressing to the potatoes and mix them in a bowl. Your gently tossed salad is ready!
Serve this dish immediately – happiness guaranteed!
thank you for sharing