Chicken and Shrimp Mojo

I am like 1/8th Cuban. Not that I was brought up with Cuban influences but my mom never let me forget her Cuban heritage. Lauren and I spent our honeymoon in Key West which is 90 miles North of Cuba and it was in Key West where I first tried Cuban food. I found that I really liked the citrus spicy Caribbean Cuban cuisine. During our first year of marriage I looked for various Cuban dishes to cook and I have a few that I have developed into a semi regular rotation in our house.

Knorr , the food company known for their side dishes and gravies, is having a recipe contest through Blogher, to promote their new Homestyle concentrated Chicken Stock.

In the past I have professed my admiration on this blog for chefs like Alton Brown and Guy Fieri. I am sure I have mentioned the shows Chopped, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and a few other Food Network programs as some of my favorites. I decided to enter the contest. If I win I may get a chance to work for Knorr as a consultant. It may be as close as I can get to having a food network type of gig. When I first met Lauren her favorite dinner was crab legs. After the last few times I made this dish Lauren has now proclaimed it as her favorite.

This is the recipe for my Cuban influenced Chicken and Shrimp Mojo with a Warm Avocado Mango Salsa.
Ingredients-for the Mojo Marinade
2tsp cumin powder
2 Heaping tsp of minced garlic
1 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp salt
2tbsp olive oil
1/2 container of Knorr Homestyle (concentrated) Chicken Stock
1/4 cup of water
1½ tbsp orange juice
1½ tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice
2 large boneless chicken breasts
1 lb of Shrimp (raw, peeled)

For the Warm Salsa:
1/2 (the other half) container of Knorr Homestyle (concentrated) Chicken Stock
1 cup orange juice
1 tsp grated lime peel
2 tsp honey
4 tsp thick sweet soy sauce
5-6 tbsp of chilled, unsalted butter
2 firm but ripe mango, peeled, diced
1 1/2 ripe avocado, peeled, diced
freshly chopped herbs to taste (coriander, parsley, etc.)

To make the marinade: In a heavy medium-size skillet over a medium-high heat, toast the cumin powder until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the two tsps. of (Heaping Teaspoons as the picture above shows) garlic, olive oil, water, 1/2 container of Knorr Homestyle Concentrated Stock, chili powder and salt into pan and whisk together to make a thick marinade/paste, about 3-5 minutes,  (If you like spicier meals add more Chili pepper or some Cayenne)

                                             
Whisk in Orange juice and Lime juice and remove from heat. See the consistency of the Mojo above, that is kind of how you want it to look.  Let cool for 5-10minutes.

Pour marinade over chicken and shrimp, turning to coat. Refrigerate from 1 to 3 hours.

About 15 minutes before you are ready to cook the shrimp and chicken you will need to make the salsa.

SALSA --whisk together the remaining Knorr Concentrated Chicken Stock, orange juice, lime peel, honey and soy sauce in saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce (approximately 5-8 minutes). Remove from the heat and quickly whisk in the pats of butter one at a time.

During that 5 to 8 minutes mentioned in the above paragraph is usually when I peel and chop/dice my Mango and Avocado.

Mango can be a pain in the butt to peel and chop but it is so worth it. Mango is also something the kids will definitely eat.

The first time I ever ate Avocado was on my honeymoon.

Combine the mango and avocado in medium bowl.

The recipe says you can drizzle sauce later onto the Chicken and Shrimp. I like to just pour it on to the Mango and Avocado and mix it all together.

Cook Chicken on a medium heat grill 7 to 8 minutes each side. Remember presentation side (smooth) down first on grill. Place shrimp (marinade and all) onto a piece of foil, when you flip the chicken, place Shrimp on grill for 7-8 minutes. It is at this point of the recipe that I want to make-out with my grill but I am afraid I would burn my mouth.  Move the shrimp around to get even heat. Remove chicken and Shrimp, cover and let rest for 5 minutes.

Sometimes we slice the Chicken breasts and sometimes we serve it just whole. Slicing it up makes enough for 4 people when you combine it with Shrimp.

We serve Chicken and Shrimp Mojo with rice and black beans and fresh herbs on top. Also to give the Shrimp a little bit of extra zing sometimes I squeeze some lime juice on it just before serving.
Here is a the complete  recipe to copy and paste and try at home. Prep time any where from 13 to 18 minutes, plus 1-3 hours to marinade.  Cook time: 14-16 minutes. 

What foods make you want to Make-Out with your grill?



Ingredients-Mojo
2tsp cumin powder
2 Heaping tsp of minced garlic
1 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp salt
2tbsp olive oil
1/2 container of Knorr Homestyle (concentrated) Chicken Stock
1/4 cup of water
1½ tbsp orange juice
1½ tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice
2 large boneless chicken breasts
1 lb. of Shrimp (26-30 count.)

For the Warm Salsa:
1/2  (the other half) container of Knorr Homestyle (concentrated) Chicken Stock
1 cup orange juice
1 tsp grated lime peel
2 tsp honey
4 tsp thick sweet soy sauce
5-6 tbsp of chilled, unsalted butter
2 firm but ripe mango, peeled, diced
1 1/2 ripe avocado, peeled, diced
freshly chopped herbs to taste (coriander, parsley, etc.)

To make the marinade: In a heavy medium-size skillet over a medium-high heat, toast the cumin powder until fragrant about 2 minutes. Add the two tsps of garlic, olive oil, water, Knorr Stock, chili and salt into pan and whisk together to make a thick marinade/paste. Whisk in Orange juice and Lime juice and remove from heat. Let cool for 10minutes.

Add Chicken and Shrimp to marinade, turning to coat. Refrigerate from 1 to 3 hours.

Cook Chicken on a medium heat grill 7 to 8 minutes each side. Remember presentation side (smooth) down first on grill. Place shrimp (marinade and all) onto a piece of foil, when you flip the chicken, place Shrimp on grill for 7-8 minutes. Move the shrimp around to get even heat. Remove chicken and Shrimp, cover and let rest for 5 minutes.

SALSA --whisk together the 1/2 container Knorr Concentrated Chicken Stock, orange juice, lime peel, honey and soy sauce in saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce (approximately 5-8 minutes). Remove from the heat and quickly whisk in the pats of butter one at a time.

Combine the mango and avocado in medium bowl. Scatter the mango and avocado around the chicken and Shrimp drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs.

Serve with black beans and rice

The Other Man.

I love cooking. I don't necessarily love to cook but I love cooking really tasty dishes. I love the challenge of preparing a meal with the perfect combination of flavors.

I have written here in the past of how I love the Pioneer Woman and how I bought her cook book (let me just tell you I tried her recipe for her Barbecue Jalapeno Poppers and they are incredible. I have made them four times already). I may have written how I have a Bobby Flay cook book. I may have written here in the past that I enjoy being in the kitchen. I also enjoy cooking shows such as Chopped, Food Network Challenge and Iron Chef.

My problem with all cook books and cooking shows is that none of them, not one single one that I have watched or read, ever, and I mean EVER, take into account that while I am cooking or trying a new recipe, my three year old is going to yell from the other room that I need to come and see his poop right now, because he went poop in the potty. When I run into the other room to see it, spatula in hand, I take 30 seconds to admire his achievement that I end up burning the salmon steaks because I had them on the frying pan too long.

The reason I burn it, is because I was interrupted and I also I don't understand the WHYS of cooking. Most cook books teach you how to cook or what to cook. None really teach why you do certain things when.

The only chef/TV cook/cook book author I have ever seen explain the whys is Alton Brown from the Food Network TV show Good Eats. His show is awesome and explains the whys. Lauren, for Christmas, bought me two of his books. Both books are great because they explain the whys of cooking. They explain that certain foods need to be cooked at certain temperatures because of the chemical breakdown of such foods. Alton Brown is a food scientist. His show is entertaining and it is one of the few shows Lauren and I enjoy watching together. But his books, they teach why certain things should be done certain ways while cooking. Understanding the why really helps in preparing a meal, especially if you know you are going to be interrupted by children.

I never liked Science Class but if my 9th grade science lab teacher, Mr. Mossburg, was to Hypothesize why dry rub ribs take longer to cook then say marinated ribs, and that the Purpose was to establish the correct cooking times and the Materials list included cayenne, garlic cloves and braising liquid, with the Constant being the same oven, I may have actually gotten a B in his Class. I may have also weighed 300 lbs in high school but I would be a smart 300lbs.

Lauren found out that Alton Brown was doing a food demonstration in our area and she bought tickets for us as a Valentine's Day gift. Leading up to the show Lauren became somewhat obsessed with Alton Brown. She read everything online that she could. During conversations she would throw little tidbits of Alton's life at me. She sent me links to information about his books and shows. She denied it but I joked with her that she had developed a little crush on Alton Brown. I may have been a little jealous on all the attention he was getting. Alton Brown, for a week, became the other man.

We went to the show last Friday night. Alton Brown was awesome. He was on stage for two hours. Out of the two hours, I am going to say only 25 minutes was dedicated to the actual food demonstration. The rest of the time was like watching a stand up comic performer.
He was funny. He was incredibly funny, hysterical actually.


He took a lot of questions from the audience and he was quick and sharp and very witty. He was charming and sarcastic without being too cocky. He did this all while teaching about the science of food. It was a great, great show.

I think I developed a little crush on Alton myself.


The winners of the Saxbys Gift Cards are Mrs. P, Susie, and Katie. Please email me your addresses so I can mail you the gift card.