Happy New Year, everyone!
We are still in the season of the holidays with the Twelfth Night of Christmas being tomorrow. That means I can sneak in something about Christmas food. We all know about that famous beloved Christmas dish Garlic Pork, but have you ever had Garlic Chicken? I had it for the first time this year and let me tell you – it’s a thing and it is very real.
During the lead-up to Christmas 2018, a few Guyanese friends were lighting up social media with their Garlic Chicken exploits – testing, pickling, cooking and sharing, albeit virtually. This past Christmas I decided to give it a try. I consulted a couple of the cooks and a friend who said that her mom always made Garlic Chicken at Christmas time. My main questions had to do with the period of time needed for the chicken to be cured and whether the meat can or should be bone-in or boneless. The answers varied on the length of time to pickle the meat based on personal preferences. However, responding on tested results, people opted for boneless rather than bone-in chicken. Two reasons stood out – the bones were soft and had an aftertaste owing to the pickling liquid perhaps not adequately penetrating them. Armed with some information and my experience with making Garlic Pork, I set about making Garlic Chicken.