Greens and Grains

Adagio Teas puts on a recipe contest each month featuring one of their special tea blends. This month the tea choice was Lapsang Souchong, a black tea with a very bold and smoky flavor. As Kamil mentioned in his last post, its a tad too strong for us as a drinking tea (it tastes almost like liquid smoke), but its aroma is perfect to cook with. For the contest we made a BBQ sauce using pears, tea, and other standard BBQ ingredients. It made a lot, so we continued to enjoy it for weeks. Here is the recipe for Grilled Chicken with this sweet and spicy BBQ sauce.

Please vote for my recipe Adagio's Tea Chef!

Grilled Chicken with Lapsang Souchong Citrus Barbecue Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
6 jarred pear halves (in juice not syrup) drained and chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups Lapsang Souchong tea (steeped for 5 minutes and then rest till room temperature)
11/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1lb boneless and skinless chicken breasts

Brew Tea in 2 cups of Hot Water

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until translucent, stirring occasionally. Add peaches, black pepper, salt, and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in tea and remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes. Place half of mixture in a blender, leaving an opening to allow steam to escape (covering with a towel to prevent spills); Process until smooth. Pour pureed mixture into a medium bowl and repeat with remaining mixture.

The BBQ sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces and thread onto skewers. Brush chicken with BBQ sauce and marinade for for 30 minutes. Place chicken on grill and cook both sides until fully cooked. Lightly brush with more sauce and serve.