How a Captain Named Rodney Can Make Your Chicken Extraordinary….

One of the things I often preach on the food blog (as well as in person, of course, but most of you will miss that rousing “in person” performance) is this:

If you want to be an extra special cook (and who would want to settle for okay when they can be extra special??), you need to get creative and step out of the ordinary. This means trying new kitchen tools and gadgets, cooking your favorite foods in new, exciting ways, and trying new sauces, seasonings, and ingredients. Not only is it a creative way to approach cooking… it’s a delicious way to approach life.

While there’ll be times you try something that makes you whisper to your cat, “That never happened,” other times you find something that’ll become a kitchen staple – something you’d no sooner allow yourself to run out of than you would salt and pepper. Captain Rodney’s Original Boucan Glaze (Amazon link) has been such a staple in our kitchen for many years.

It is OUTSTANDING. Sorry for yelling, but it is that extraordinary. Captain Rodney’s makes several seasonings, sauces, and glazes (click here to see their entire collection on Amazon).

The “set” pictured on the left is one I have my eye on – you get two bottles (which last quite a while, as only a little bit is necessary for the “rock your world” flavor) and a silicone basting brush. I’m a sucker for a basting brush.

How I Use Captain Rodney’s Original Boucan Glaze (sorry to keep using the full name, but I want to differentiate because there are several):

1. This glaze is delicious when you add a little to cooked, hot rice. It takes it to the next level.
2. I love to pour a little on top of a block of cream cheese and serve with crackers. Buttery Ritz or Ritz-type crackers are the best for this.
3. Hamburgers – A little Captain Rodney’s on a burger with sauteed onions is out of this world good.
4. It’s wonderful on pork chops. It just takes a little to get that wonderful, “I’ll never let myself run out of this stuff” flavor.
5. Chicken. Chicken. Chicken. Chicken. Chicken.
6. Chicken.

Continued Below…

Captain Rodney’s Original Boucan Pepper Glaze

My favorite way to cook chicken is as follows:

I take chicken tenders, salt and pepper them, then marinate them in Italian Dressing (bottled or the kind you make with a mix) and a little honey. I try to let them marinate in the fridge in this mixture for at least 3 hours.

I heat my iron skillet on medium-high and add a mixture of butter and olive oil (the olive oil keeps the butter from getting too brown). Don’t use too much butter/olive oil – you want enough for the tenders to sizzle but you don’t want to drown them. When the skillet is hot, I cook each side for about 4 minutes (always use a meat thermometer when cooking chicken – you want 165 F).

When I put them on the serving platter, I go ahead and add a little Captain Rodney’s Original Boucan Glaze (Amazon link). Makes them feel good about themselves and makes the tenders disappear off of said platter likety split.