True Confession: I grill outside all year long, like all year long, unless it’s -25* and the fire will freeze, or there is sleet or 6 feet of snow on the ground, then I “grill” in my air fryer.

And when Memorial Day weekend rolls around, it just makes it more official! Well at least to my neighbors.

This is our “traditional” MDW menu- Kenyan Style Chicken Chooza, Gajjar Chicken, Beef Mishkaki, Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Boti, Bhari and Tikka- there is no such thing as too much barbeque. My leftovers should last for days.

Here is my recipe for the Fire Engine Red Chicken Chooza, the secret is all in the sauce!  Let’s talk about color, if you don’t want to use food coloring, then stick with spices like Kashmiri red chili powder or Paprika for a natural vibrant color, best of all no overnight marinating required, this comes together in under 3 hours.

Ingredients:

 Chooza Sauce/Marinade:

• 4 lbs. of chicken
• 2 tablespoons. ground ginger powder
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger paste
• 2 tablespoons garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon green chili paste
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper crushed. 
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 tbsp. cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder
• 2 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning (I use the one from Costco- optional)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika or red chili (more or less to your taste)
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce (any Asian brand or the Cholula)
• 1 teaspoon citric powder( put a little bit more if this if you are not using lemon-pepper powder)
• 2 teaspoon salt (less to suit your taste)
• 1/2 cup of canola oil
• 1/2 cup of white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Soda bicarbonate
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of red food coloring 
• 1/4 teaspoon of yellow food coloring
• 1 piece of coconut charcoal

Instructions:

1. Using a small, sharp knife, cut deep slashes into the chicken flesh without going right down to the bone and put into a bowl or Ziploc bag
   
   
2. Whisk all the ingredients from the ginger powder to the White vinegar (1-16) and remove about ¼ cup of it to use as a dipping sauce.
   
   
3. Add the remaining 4 ingredients to the marinade (Soda bi carbonate –food coloring) and mix well.
   
   
4. Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces, massaging it into the chicken until well mixed.
   
   
5. Leave to macerate for about an hour or two.
   
   
6. 30 minutes to 1 hour before grilling, smoke the chicken- move chicken to a large bowl and create a well in the center, lay a 2×2 inch piece of foil in that well or on the chicken.
   
   
7. Light the coconut coal and once it is red hot place it on top of the foil, drizzle about 1 tsp of oil on it, and cover the bowl quickly to trap all the smoke.
   
   
8. Preheat a grill to 425 degrees. Clean grill grates and brush with oil.
   
   
9. If using gas grill- If using a gas grill, turn off burners on 1 side of grill; if using charcoal, move charcoal to 1 side (this creates an indirect-heat cooking area). Place chicken, over direct heat and grill until beginning to char, 2 minutes. Flip and transfer to indirect heat, then brush sauce all over and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.
   
   
10. Rotate position of chicken pieces and continue grilling until internal temperature of a thigh or the center of thickest part of a breast registers 165°F, 25 to 30 minutes more depending on size of the chicken or for smaller chicken about 10 – 12 minutes per side for bone-in, about 5 – 7 minutes per side for boneless.
    
    
11. Brush with marinade as needed to keep exterior moist and reduce sticking, once during cooking.
    
    

If you like more color, sear breast one more time over direct heat before removing from grill.  

Serve with the reserved sauce for dipping, a salad or kachumber, warm naan, tamarind chutney, a side of chips (potato fries), or masala chips.

Can I Bake This Chicken in the Oven?

You can bake this chicken in the oven as well (instead of grilling).

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set a large wire rack on baking sheet. Grease rack with non-stick cooking spray.
   
   
2. Cook chicken until center registers 165 in center of thickest part, turning once halfway through (approx. 35 – 40 mins for bone-in, 25 – 30 for boneless).
   
   
3. Broil during last 3 minutes for more color.