Grilled caipirinha chicken skewers (frango com marinada caipirinha)

Named after the national cocktail of Brazil, caipirinha uses a unique alcohol called cahaca which is fermented sugar cane juice. Make sure you have your chicken marinating overnight for a perfect caipirinha flavour.

• makes

  16

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 bunches of mint, leaves picked, plus extra, to serve 
• 250 ml (1 cup) lime juice 
• 1 lime, zested 
• 125 ml (½ cup) cachaça (see Note)
• 2 long red chillies, finely chopped 
• 1 tbsp brown sugar 
• 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil 
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper 
• 2 kg chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, cut into 3 cm pieces 
• 16 x 20 cm wooden skewers 
• mojo de acarajé, to serve

Marinating time overnight

Instructions

Finely chop ½ cup mint and place in a bowl. Add 200 ml lime juice, zest, cachaça, chillies, sugar, oil and cayenne. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Reserve one-third for basting and refrigerate until needed. Add the chicken to remaining marinade, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat a barbecue to medium. Drain chicken and thread onto skewers, alternating with remaining mint. Cook for 8 minutes, turning and basting occasionally, or until cooked through. Drizzle with remaining 50 ml lime juice and serve with extra mint and the mojo.

Note
• Cachaça is a distilled spirit made from sugarcane. 

Photography by Brett Stevens.

As seen in Feast magazine, November 2011, Issue 3. For more recipes and articles, pick up a copy of this month's Feast magazine or check out our great subscriptions offers here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.