Serves 5. This dish can be prepared as sliders or over a bed of rice or couscous.
Ingredients:
- 5 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 5 Brioche buns ( if sliders)
- 2 cups rice or 1 cup couscous (if served over)
- 1 large red onion, medium diced
- 4 cloves – garlic, minced
- 5 sprigs – fresh Thyme
- 1 Orange – cut into 2 rind strips, 2” x 1”L peel
- 8 Habeneros peppers
- 1/2 cup – tequila
- 1 cup + 1½ TBSP – maple syrup
- 3/4 cup + 1½ TBSP – white wine vinegar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1½ TBSP – pecan pieces
- 1/2 tsp – freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp – salt, or to taste
Directions:
Cut the each habenero into 1/16” ring slices. Add to small bowl with tequila to marinate for 1-4 hours. This will remove a lot of the heat from the habeneros.
If serving over rice or couscous, prepare according to recipe (4 cups water, salt for rice, 1 cup of boiling water for couscous).
With a cast iron frying pan, pound each boneless, skinless chicken thigh until it is 3/8” thick. With a paper towel, dry each side of the chicken thighs and salt, then pepper each thigh. Using a skillet at medium-high heat, add 2 TBSP olive oil and heat until almost smoking. Add cinnamon stick to oil and add thighs to pan with a sprig of thyme beneath each thigh. Brown thighs, 3 minutes per side and set aside.
Using the same skillet as the chicken was browned in, add the chopped red onion, 2 orange rinds, minced garlic, and 6 TBSP habenero slices from the tequila marinade. Cook, stirring occasionally 6 minutes to brown.
While browning the onions, put the remainder of the habenero slices into another bowl and add enough white vinegar to cover. (The tequila can be used as a heat infused cocktail mix).
Add 1 cup maple syrup and 3/4 cup white vinegar to the browned onions. Cook to reduce to a heavy glaze or 6-8 minutes. Add the chicken to the mixture and stir for 2 minutes. Serve over rice or couscous.
In a smaller skillet, add pecan pieces at medium heat to toast. Add 1½ TBSP maple syrup and reduce to glaze the pecans.
For sliders – Set chicken mixture to warm. Rub olive oil on 5 brioche bun halves , broil or grill to toast buns. To assemble the sliders, add the thighs to a slider bun bottom and top with the onion mixture. Add the habenero rings on top of the mixture and sprinkle with glazed pecans before covering with the bun top.
For serving on a bed of rice or couscous – add a bed of rice or couscous to each plate. Add the thighs on top or to the side of therice/couscous and top with the onion mixture. Add the habenero rings on top of the mixture and sprinkle with glazed pecans before serving.