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Dirty Rice Boy

dirty rice boy sub grilled chicken bbq sauce
“I’m a loner, but I’m never alone. Every night I get one step closer to the danger zone”

Theme song by Foreigner “Dirty White Boy” from the album Head Games
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The first three Foreigner albums played major roles in the soundtrack for my midwest high school years. I was that guy with a Rally Sport Camaro, windows down, driving along the streets of Flint, MI singing “Cold As Ice” off-key and not giving a single fuck. I’m fairly sure I saw them live at least twice. I might have even bought the tour t-shirts. Honestly, my high school years are a bit fuzzy because, well, the ’70s. I have a preference for their self-titled debut, but there are a couple of decent tracks on their second and third releases. “Dirty White Boy” is my favorite Head Games track and honestly after this album Foreigner was kinda dead to me. I mean, come on, “JUKEBOX HERO”!!??!! Are you fricking kidding me?

This is a sandwich 6 years in the making. 

I once ran a BBQ joint in a rock bar in Brooklyn. That’s where I really started this obsession with music & food names. When planning the menu, I went all-in on the rock theme puns and continued when adding new items and running specials. One of our regular sides was dirty rice. So when I asked my crew to come up with some specials, my sous chef tossed out “Dirty Rice Boy” – a po’boy made with our smoked turkey & dirty rice. Unfortunately, we never actually got around to making that special, but I kept the pun in my notebook.

The rub for this recipe is a version of a Cajun rub I made at the Cha Cha Hut and, in keeping with the Foreigner theme here, I call it Hot Blooded (Chicken & Sea) Seasoning. (Yes, that may be one of my most labored music food puns.) As the name suggests, it’s a perfect seasoning for poultry and seafood. It is definitely not a traditional Cajun blackened-style seasoning, but it will get you a nice char and a bit of heat. 

As the chicken will be roasting in the oven, you’ll not have the usual weaponized seasoning issues that can occur with blackened Cajun cooking. This chicken is also perfectly suited to the grill if you have that option. Use direct heat to crisp the thigh skin or sear the breast then move to indirect heat to finish roasting.

You’ll end up with leftover rice and extra chicken (unless you make more than two sandwiches). I recommend chopping up the chicken, reheating it with some rice, and wrapping it in tortillas for some killer tacos or burritos.

DIRTY RICE BOY
Hot Blooded Chicken, Kinda Like Dirty Rice, BBQ sauce, Rock Candy Jalapenos & scallion on a sub roll
Makes 2 sandwiches

1 Hot Blooded Chicken (about 8 ounces), sliced (see recipe below)
1 cup Kinda Like Dirty Rice (see recipe below)
3 tablespoons Sweet Lightnin’ BBQ Sauce
Rock Candy Jalapenos
1 scallion, sliced thin
2 sub rolls

Slice sub roll open taking care not to cut completely apart.

Place a skillet over medium heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the sliced chicken breast and the BBQ sauce. Saute until the chicken gets a bit caramelized with sauce. Add the cup of Kinda Like Dirty Rice and mix to thoroughly combine. Saute for a couple of minutes to get everything crispy and caramelized with sauce.

Spread some BBQ sauce on the inside of each sub roll. Divide the chicken and rice mixture between the sub rolls. Top with scallions and a few Rock Candy Jalapenos. Drizzle a bit of hot sauce on top if you want it extra spicy.

HOT BLOODED (CHICKEN & SEA) SEASONING
2 tablespoons Old Bay
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 1/4 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon thyme
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon allspice

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. This will make more rub than needed for this recipe so keep the leftovers in an airtight container. In addition to chicken, this rub is an excellent seasoning for fish and shrimp. 

HOT BLOODED CHICKEN BREAST
2-pound skinless boneless chicken breast (though you could use skin-on thighs)
4 tablespoons Hot Blooded (Chicken & Sea) Seasoning

Liberally season all sides of chicken with the seasoning and set aside.

I prefer to grill this chicken over charcoal but it tastes just as great done in the oven. So, I’m going to give you both of my cooking methods.

Grilling
Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set half the burners on a gas grill to the highest heat setting, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil grilling grate.

Place the breasts directly over the charcoal and grill for 5-7 minutes or until they take on a nice char but are not burnt. Flip the chicken and cook for another 5 minutes. Check for an internal temperature of 150°F with an instant-read thermometer. If they are below this temperature, place the breasts on the cool side of the grill with the thickest part facing the charcoal. Cover with the vent holes over the chicken, and let cook for 10 minutes more. Keep checking the temperature until the chicken reaches 150°F. Remove from grill, place on a plate, and cover with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Oven cooking
2 tablespoons butter
Cast iron skillet or oven-proof pan

Pre-heat oven to 450°F

Melt butter in a pan. Once butter is melted & foaming, add chicken top side down (the side that used to have skin) – and cook until lightly charred, about 5 minutes. Flip chicken and brown for another 3 minutes. Put the pan in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until a thermometer reads 150°F. Take out of the oven, tent with foil, and let rest for 15 minutes.

KINDA LIKE DIRTY RICE
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium sweet onion, diced fine
1 medium green pepper, diced medium
1 medium red pepper, diced medium
1 jalapeno, diced fine
2 ribs celery, diced fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 scallions sliced thin, whites & greens separated
2 teaspoon Hot Blooded (Chicken & Sea) seasoning
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 15oz can of red kidney beans, drained but not rinsed
1 cup vegetable broth
2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and then add the onion, scallion whites, peppers, celery, garlic, Hot Blooded seasoning, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook until tender-crisp and heated through, about 5-7 minutes.

Next, stir in the red kidney beans and the vegetable broth, combining well, then stir in the brown rice. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for at least 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You may need to add a bit more liquid to keep the rice from burning. Remove the rice from heat, add in the scallion greens, and stir to combine.

Posted in bushwick, cooking, food, foodmusic, grillclub, grilling, music, musicfood, recipe, sandwich

3 Comments

  1. Pingback:Born On The Bayou – Bushwick Grill Club

  2. Pingback:Hot Blooded (Chicken & Sea) – Bushwick Grill Club

  3. Pingback:Mild Popeyes Chicken Sandwich Is Perfect For Those Who Don’t Enjoy Spicy Food – Salvaggio's Deli

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