Grilled Sicilian Chicken with Ammogghiu

  • ★
    ★
  • ★
    ★
  • ★
    ★
  • ★
    ★
  • ★
    ★
(8)

Recipe Intro From lisathompson

I bet you’ve never even heard of this recipe for grilled Sicilian chicken with ammogghiu, unless maybe you’re Sicilian! A vibrant marinade transforms simple grilled chicken into something worthy of your next big BBQ!

Recipe Description

I grew up eating this dish- grilled chicken marinated and basted with a sauce we call ammogghiu. It’s a Sicilian dialect word (pronounced uh-mo-ghee-yuh in my family) that can be spelled and pronounced several different ways including amogio, ammoglia, or amorgia. It’s a raw tomato sauce blended with a ton of fresh mint and so much garlic that it’s actually a little spicy. This chicken is also perfect to amp up your summer salads! We typically serve this with a simple tomato and cucumber salad, corn on the cob, and some fresh bread.

Jump to Section
  • GRILLED SICILIAN CHICKEN INGREDIENTS
  • Ingredient Notes
  • Pro Tips
  • FAQs
  • Recipe Card

GRILLED SICILIAN CHICKEN INGREDIENTS

Ingredient Notes

  • Canned Tomatoes

    Use a high-quality can of crushed tomatoes. When the ingredient list is so short it’s important to choose the best ingredients that fit within your budget. These Baked Arancini with Spicy Tomato Sauce are another great way to celebrate Sicilian-inspired dishes in your kitchen.

  • Mint

    Two ounces may seem like a lot, but packing this marinade with fresh mint ensures the flavor carries throughout cooking and really shines in the finished dish. Need a refreshing drink to serve up with this dish? Celebrate fresh mint with this frosty Homemade Mint Lemonade!

  • Garlic

    The heat of the raw garlic cooks off a bit, but feel free to adjust the amount to suit your taste. I like to use about 8 large garlic cloves for this recipe.

  • Chicken

    I used chicken breast with the rib bones in this recipe, but you can use whole, bone-in chicken legs, chicken thighs, or bone-in chicken breast, you just might need to cook them for a bit longer to reach 157-160F degrees. If you think the chicken is getting too dark before reaching that temperature range, reduct the heat to low and continue cooking.

Pro Tips

  • Backstory

    Unofficially, I believe this sauce/marinade is a derivative of pesto Trapanese (pesto cu l’agghia in dialect which translates to pesto with garlic) Traditionally this ammogghiu is served with a variety of things like grilled chicken, fish, or beef or served with pasta and would be made with a fresh peeled tomatoes in a mortar and pestle  My family uses canned crushed tomatoes and blender to make quick work of the job. The canned crushed tomatoes doesn’t have the excess liquid of fresh tomatoes which can cause the chicken to steam on the grill. 

  • Prep Your Grill

    Preheat your grill to high heat. Clean off the grates with a grill brush. Soak a folded paper towel with high-heat neutral oil (like avocado oil), then apply a thin coating of the oil to the grill grates with tongs. Another delicious grilled dish to try this summer is my Grilled Zucchini Parm.

  • Low-ish and Slow-ish

    I preheat my grill to high heat at first, then reduce to medium once I put the chicken on. That allows for a good hard sear, but helps account for heat rapidly decreasing when you open the grill. I aim for about 350-375F degrees that cooks the chicken in about 20-25 minutes without burning the marinade.

FAQs

What is amogio sauce made of?

How long should I barbecue chicken breast?

Prep time: 10mins (plus 2-24 hours marinating time)
Cook time: 20mins
Serves or Makes: 4-6 servings

Recipe Card

ingredients

  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 8 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 ounces fresh mint leaves, (from about 4 small bunches)
  • 3 pounds chicken breast with ribs

Method

MAKE THE AMMOGGHIU

  • Step 1

    Add the crushed tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, and fresh mint to a blender and puree on high for about 20-30 seconds.

  • Step 2

    Reserve about ½ cup of the ammogghiu for serving.

MARINATE THE CHICKEN

  • Step 1

    Add chicken to a deep baking dish or container and season well with kosher salt on each side.

  • Step 2

    Pour the ammogghiu over the chicken and toss until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

GRILL THE CHICKEN

  • Step 1

    Preheat the grill to high for 10 minutes.

  • Step 2

    Clean the grill grates with a grill brush.

  • Step 3

    Coat the grill gates lightly with high-heat neutral oil using a paper towel and tongs.

  • Step 4

    Place chicken on the grill and reduce the heat to medium. Grill for 10 minutes, turning halfway through. Brush the chicken with more ammogghiu, then turn and cook for 5 minutes. Brush with more ammogghiu, then turn and cook for an additional 5 minutes for a total of 20 minutes.

  • Step 5

    Check the internal temperature of the chicken using an instant-read thermometer. If the chicken is in the range of 157-160F, remove from the grill and tent with foil for about 8 minutes before slicing. If not, cook for about 5 more minutes before checking the internal temperature again.

  • Step 6

    Serve the grilled Sicilian chicken with extra ammogghiu overtop and enjoy!