As you all will soon find out, Bill and I are on a HUGE red palm oil kick. I will admit, I never thought another oil would come between me and my precious coconut oil, but it is true. I am officially having a serious love affair with red palm, and have barely even looked at my coconut oil in a week (*gasp*).
On a more serious note…we decided to try red palm oil, because, well, it really was the last “Paleo Approved” cooking oil that we really hadn’t tried. We had read all about it, knew it was a favorite of many, and that it was ideal for cooking just like coconut oil, but we just had never picked up a bottle. For what reason? None. It just never happened.
I finally decided that enough was enough, and it was time to taste this precious oil. I first checked at Whole Foods for it… nada. So I then called the East End Food Coop. They had it!! I could have just ordered a bottle from Amazon or Tropical Traditions, but of course I needed it NOW, and just decided to grab it at the one local place that carried it. For once my trip to the store took 5 minutes instead of 5 hours, I still can’t believe it.
Red Palm Oil is high in Vitamin E as well as Vitamin A, and is ideal for cooking, as it does not go rancid at high temperatures. For more information on red palm oil, click here. The one thing that we love the most about this oil, is that it is liquid at room temperature, so it will now be our go to oil for marinades, since olive oil really is better suited for cold uses. Many say that red palm oil is not suited for all recipes, due to it’s flavor, but we have not noticed any issues with this at all. Yes, it pairs well with warm spices such as cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, curry, etc. But in our minds it is versatile. It is amazing cooked with eggs, and adds great flavor to chicken, beef, fish, and vegetables. The only deterrent being that it has a strong color, so for aesthetic reasons, you may not want this oil for all recipes. We personally love the strong color, and would gladly add it to any recipe, but for some that may not be the case.
Ingredients:
- Two split chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp red palm oil
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- A sprinkle of salt and pepper
Process:
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Rinse breasts under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.
- In a small bowl, combine red palm oil and smoked paprika. Stir to make a paste.
- Pour red palm and smoked paprika mixture over the chicken breasts, and rub to coat each breast evenly.
- Carefully lift the skin from the breast, but do not remove completely.
- Place the garlic and shallot under the skin, and cover with the skin.
- Lightly sprinkle the skin of the chicken with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
- Grill breasts 12-15 minutes on the bone side, and 5-7 minutes on the breast side. Chicken will be finished when the breast reaches an internal temperature of 170.
This recipe brought new, wonderful flavor to our beloved split chicken breasts. If you have not tried red palm oil yet, we highly recommend it. It is our new favorite to fry up our eggs for breakfast. Give it a shot!
As always, enjoy!
One year ago: Veggie Scramble
These look absolutely amazing!
Maybe you could give me your two cents – I've been making baked chicken thighs (with skin and bones) at 425 degrees for 42 minutes.
We don't own a grill, so do you think the same temp/time would be appropriate? I've seen differing opinions online.
Thanks!
I think I found whats for dinner tonight! I just need to find some Palm Oil! I finally broke my husband and he's going Paleo for the month of July so I need to find some tasty recipes so he agrees to continue!
Yum!!!