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LaBamba's Pollo a la Plancha (copycat)




Source of Recipe


You Asked For It - Ft Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel


Recipe Introduction


Can we get the recipe for La Bamba's pollo a la plancha? It is served at La Bamba restaurant in Delray Beach. —

**This was a fun request, after I got over the initial hesitation to take it on, thinking La Bamba was a chain. While the restaurant has several branches, they are individually owned. The Molina family owns and operates La Bamba in Delray.

Miguel Molina and I spoke about the recipe for Pollo a la plancha (chicken on the grill), and while he said he didn't have an exact one, he shared the ingredients and went over the procedure. I fiddled around with it and came up with a reasonable recipe that is simply delicious. The sour orange and soy sauce combination for the marinade make it tasty and tender.

It's really meant to finish on the grill. Cooking it in a saute pan, even with a brick set atop it, isn't quite the same. The brick helps the meat stay flat and cook evenly throughout. Wrap a scrubbed brick with foil to use at home, or buy a special "lava rock," sold at grill stores and some cooking shops.

Prepare this dish 24 hours in advance.


List of Ingredients




2 pounds boneless breast halves, skin removed


For marinade and sauce:

4 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon or sour orange

4 tablespoons soy sauce *

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Salt, to taste


2 large onions, sliced thin

1 lava-rock brick, or scrubbed brick wrapped in foil



Recipe



Prepare this dish 24 hours in advance:

The day before cooking, rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Pound breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap, breaking up large meaty sections, until breasts are nearly same thickness throughout. Place in a large zip-top plastic bag.

Combine olive oil, lemon or sour orange juice, soy sauce, oregano, garlic, black pepper and salt in a small bowl, whisking well to combine. Pour half of the mixture into a cup and reserve, covered. Pour remainder of liquid over chicken breasts in bag. Add onions. Squeeze out extra air in bag and zip closed. Massage the liquid into the breasts and refrigerate. Over the next 24 hours, turn the bag a few times to coat breasts with marinade.

To cook, heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-hot. Remove chicken breasts and onions from marinade; discard marinade.

Place chicken breasts on grill, two at a time, and cook for about 4 minutes each side. Use the brick to flatten the breasts as they cook; and turn the chicken 1/4 turn to create the classic grill marks on the meat. Repeat with remaining breasts, cooking until done throughout.

Meanwhile, place onions on sheet of pierced foil and grill on back of grill until soft.

To serve, place chicken on plates and divide onions among breasts. Whisk the reserved marinade and drizzle over top of each. Serve with white rice and black beans.

Makes 6 servings.

* For lower-sodium version, use low-sodium soy sauce.