Guest-Worthy Recipe: Nina Compton

Who: Chef Nina Compton, St Lucian in NOLA

Instagram: @NinaCompton/@CompereLapin

Chef Compton’s Guest-Worthy Recipe:

Hot Fire Chicken

Why?

“Summertime is about heating up and cooling down, and my hot fire chicken dish epitomizes this. The spicy chicken is served with pickled mango, which has a nice texture and a cooling effect to the heat of the dish. The carrot-chayote slaw has the same effect, and to top it all off, we serve a mango sorbet after for the final cool down.”

Ingredients:

Hot Fire Chicken Buttermilk Brine:

6 boneless chicken thighs with skin

1 qt buttermilk

2 shallots, julienned

10 cloves garlic, smashed

1 bunch thyme

4 Tbsp Calabrese chili puree

4 Tbsp Jerk spice (recipe below)

1 Tbsp chili flakes

6 Tbsp salt

Jerk Spice Mix:

6 Tbsp cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp dark brown sugar

1 tsp chili powder

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

1 Tbsp paprika

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

Frying:

2 c flour

16 oz canola oil

Hot Fire Chicken Sauce

Wet ingredients:

1 qt Frank’s RedHot, original

25 g red wine vinegar

250 g water

Dry ingredients:

15 g brown sugar

5 g nutmeg

6.25 g ginger

12.5 g paprika

6.25 g cayenne pepper

12.5 g onion powder

12.5 g garlic powder

6.25 g cinnamon

Pickled mango:

2 large mangoes

1 qt white wine vinegar

1 c sugar

For the carrot-chayote slaw with Mojo:

Large carrot, peeled

1 chayote

1 piece scallion, julienned

1/2 bunch cilantro, picked

1/4 c Mojo (see recipe below)

Lemon, zested

Lime, zested

For the Mojo:

1/2 qt orange juice

1/8 c lemon juice

1/8 c lime juice

1/2 habanero

2 cloves whole garlic

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Oranges, zested

Lime, zested

Lemon, zested

1/2 c olive oil

1 c blended oil

1/8 tsp ground cumin

Sherry vinegar to taste

Directions:

For the chicken:

Combine all the dry ingredients and then add the remaining ingredients. Brine the chicken overnight.

Remove the chicken, dredge in flour, and fry at 350 degrees for six to eight minutes, depending on the size of the thigh. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, place the hot fire sauce (recipe below) and evenly coat the chicken.

For the hot fire chicken sauce:

Mix together wet ingredients in a large container.

Add the dry ingredients. Mix together and store until ready to use.

For the pickled mango:

Peel the mango and dice into one-inch cubes. Heat the vinegar and sugar together until the sugar is melted.

Pour over the mango and let cool.

For the carrot and chayote slaw with Mojo:

For slaw: Using a mandolin, thinly shave the carrot and chayote, add the cilantro and scallions. Dress with Mojo and citrus zest.

For Mojo: Reduce all the juice to half the volume. Zest the garlic and habanero. Bring to a simmer with one cup blended oil and let cool. In a powerful blender like a VitaMix, add reduced juice, garlic, and habanero mix, mustard, and emulsify with oil, and then adjust seasoning, citrus zest, cumin, sherry vinegar, and salt.

Plate: Top the chicken with carrot-chayote slaw and serve with five pieces of pickled mango and bread and butter pickles.