CHICKEN THIGH ANTICUCHOS

Chicken Thigh Anticuchos image

Provided by Stephanie Izard

Time 1h45m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 21

6 dried aji panca chile peppers, stemmed, some seeds removed
Kosher salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean chile paste)
2 small cloves garlic
1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
Freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds skin-on, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt
6 small serrano chile peppers, stemmed and seeded
1/2 small poblano chile pepper, stemmed and seeded
2 cups packed fresh cilantro, plus more for topping
Juice of 3 limes
Juice of 1/2 orange
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise (preferably Kewpie)
Kosher salt
Crushed peanuts, for topping

Steps:

Make the aji panca puree: Put the aji panca chiles in a large bowl and cover with 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Cover with plastic wrap; let soak at least 1 hour or overnight.
Puree the chiles and their soaking liquid with 1 teaspoon salt in a high-powered blender. You should have 2 cups; remove 1 1/2 cups and reserve.
Make the marinade: Add the olive oil to the remaining puree in the blender along with the vinegar, tamari, gochujang, garlic, cumin, oregano and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Season the chicken with salt and toss with the marinade in a large bowl; let sit 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the serrano-cilantro sauce: Blend the serranos, poblano, cilantro, lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon salt in a blender until mostly smooth. Set aside.
Preheat a grill to medium high. Thread 4 or 5 pieces of chicken skin-side up onto each of 10 wooden skewers, leaving space between each piece. Grill the chicken skewers skin-side down until marked, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook until charred and cooked through, 3 to 4 more minutes.
Transfer the skewers to plates and top with some of the reserved aji panca puree and the serrano-cilantro sauce. Sprinkle with cilantro and peanuts.