Flagler Chicken

My passion for cooking came late in my life. It wasn't until my sophomore year of college in St. Augustine that I first got the flare for it. I was fortunate enough to have a rather eccentric art major as a neighbor. He had this weird obsession with the food network. Which at the time I put on par with the weather channel for networks I wanted to watch. Oh how the times change.

This neighbor Ned gave me some of the best advice a burgeoning cook could get. He told me once, cook with reckless disregard, don't be afraid to experiment, test and try everything, get to know your flavors, treat spices like paint and cover your canvas. And hey if something you make sucks, well you're in college and you have tons of poor starving students for friends - they'll pretty much help you finish off anything..."

A tad dramatic I know but it really helped me be more willing to take chances. The follow recipe was my first such venture. Though not overly crazy, it resulted in one of my favorite dishes and was a hit among my friends.

Ingredients:
Chicken Thighs (skin still on)
1 Bottle of Beer
2 cups of water
1 onion diced
1 tsp of salt
2 tsp chicken bouillon cube
Fajita Seasoning*


Your first task is to mix the onion, salt, beer and water into a pot. Turn the heat onto medium. Meanwhile prep your chicken legs by gently pulling back the skin, use a generous amount of the fajita seasoning to dress the naked thigh. Pull back the skin tightly.

Slowly add the chicken to broth on the stove. Bring to a boil and let cook for 15 minutes. While boiling the chicken preheat your oven's broiler to 500 degrees.

Remove the chicken with tongs and place them on a baking sheet - be very careful!!! Dust the thighs with some more fajita seasoning and place into the oven. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the skin is golden brown.

Serve immediately. Goes great with mashpotatoes and green beans. But then again, what doesn't?

Enjoy!



*Fajita Recipe

2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. cumin
- mix together thoroughly -- come on did I really need to tell you that?