Chargrilled Chicken with Lime and Brown Ale

I am loving these random recipe challenges from Belleau Kitchen as they are random, you never know what you are going to be making next. There is something exciting about opening a book and having to cook what is on that page. This month the challenge was to make something using a random local ingredient to celebrate my local area. After choosing the ingredient you could then pick a book from which to get the recipe.

I ended up making Chargrilled Chicken with Lime and Brown Ale, which I have to say was definitely a hit.

Newcastle Brown Ale has to be considered a local ingredient and the one that springs to mind when most people think of Newcastle. The only other thing I could think of is a stotty cake which is a large round bun that can be used for sandwiches. Interestingly Pease Pudding is a local recipe, something I never knew. If you track further north to Northumberland you get kippers from Craster and mead from Holy Island. You do find the odd local recipe like Pan Haggerty but again I don’t know many of them.
I decided I had to make something with Newcastle Brown Ale, as it is after all an iconic local drink. For years the blue star of the brewery dominated the skyline of Newcastle Upon Tyne. You always knew you were home when you saw it. Sadly the brewery has gone now and the land where is stood is being made into Newcastle Science Park. Newcastle Brown Ale is now brewed in the Federation Breweries in Gateshead.

Now I had the ingredient I needed a recipe. I chose a book that was full of recipes I could use, aptly entitled Guinness. I assumed if the recipe could use Guinness it could use Newcastle Brown Ale as well.

I have no idea who wrote the book or where I got it but I randomly picked a recipe which was Chargrilled Chicken with Guinness and Lime. I changed it a bit to make Chargrilled Chicken with Newcastle Brown Ale and Lime. I had some of the Newcastle Brown Ale left over so I also made a Newcastle Brown Ale Fruit Cake.

Chargrilled Chicken with Newcastle Brown Ale and Lime

Ingredients

• 300ml (½ pint) Newcastle Brown Ale
• 1 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons clear honey
• grated zest and juice of one lime
• 3 chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• 1 whole lime

Method

1. Put the Newcastle Brown Ale, Cajun Seasoning, garlic, honey and the lime zest and juice into a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring well. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for ten minutes until the liquid reduces by half.
2. Score the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Place into a dish.
3. Let the sauce cool and pour over the chicken. Leave to marinade in the refridgerator for at least two hours or overnight.
4. Line a grill pan with foil, place the chicken into it and pour the marinade over the top. Cook under a low to medium grill turning and basting the chicken as it cooks. It should take about 35-40 minutes and the juice from the chicken will run clear when it is ready.
5. Cut the whole lime into quarters and add to the pan about 25 minutes through the cooking process.
6. Serve with the lime slices, marinade and a salad.

The chicken has a lovely taste, you can taste the lime coming though and it perfectly compliments the brown ale. It is a lovely exotic meal, perfect for impressive dinner. The chicken can also be served with rice.

Read more:

• Honey and Soy Sauce Chicken Recipe
• Rosy Baked Chicken