Global Grilled Chicken Recipes for the Olympics

© John Kernick

In This Article:

• Bill Kim for South Korea

• Silvena Rowe for Turkey

• Cesare Casella for Italy

• Jose Garces for Mexico

• Adam Perry Lang for the USA

Bill Kim for South Korea

Representing South Korea in our grilling games is chef Bill Kim of Chicago's Belly Shack and UrbanBelly. Kim's recipes reveal what Korean barbecue is all about: salty-sweet, sticky, delectably charred meat. Kim uses sugar, chiles (in a paste or powder) and sesame oil in both his dishes.

Recipe: Grilled Chicken Thighs with Homemade Ssam Paste

Kim uses miso, chile powder, fish sauce, sesame oil and ginger to flavor his Asian grilled chicken.

Grill Technique for Spicy Korean Grilled Pork

Pounding slices of pork tenderizes the meat, making it thin enough to take on the flavor of the marinade and allowing it to cook fast enough to stay moist.

Silvena Rowe for Turkey

Silvena Rowe, author of Purple Citrus & Sweet Perfume, grew up in Bulgaria, but is easily qualified to represent Turkey in the F&W grilling games: The daughter of an avid Turkish cook, she has expanded her repertoire of family dishes as chef at Quince in London's May Fair hotel. Turkish grilling, she says, relies on fragrant spices like cumin, coriander and paprika; cool yogurt sauces; and red-pepper pastes for heat.

Recipe: Grilled Chicken with Spiced Red Pepper Paste

To mimic the flavor of Turkish red-pepper paste, Silvena Rowe uses a combination of red bell peppers and jalapeños.

Grill Technique for Leg of Lamb Shawarma

Rubbing a spice paste into slits in the meat before grilling adds deep flavor.

Cesare Casella for Italy

Stepping up to the grill to represent Italy is Cesare Casella, the chef and owner of New York City's Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto. Casella says that Italian grillers don't generally use sauces. Instead, they might rely on olive oil or lemon to flavor food. Sometimes they drizzle the oil on; other times they brush it on, perhaps with a rosemary sprig.

© John Kernick

Tuscan Chicken with Grilled Fennel and Onions

This chicken has a triple hit of fennel: fennel seeds in the marinade, fennel pollen in the vinaigrette and grilled fennel on the side.

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Grill Technique for Shellfish and Vegetables al Cartoccio

Italian grillers have mastered the method of searing vegetables to impart a smoky flavor, then grilling them in packets to cook slowly until tender.

Jose Garces for Mexico

Mexico's representative in F&W's grilling games is chef Jose Garces. Garces owns restaurants all over the US, but at his Distrito in Scottsdale, Arizona, he focuses on barbacoa dishes.

© John Kernick

Yucatán Chicken with Orange-Guajillo Glaze

Jose Garces focuses on barbacoa dishes: meats cooked over an open fire or in a pit, many of them coated with intense spice mixes and served with sauces and glazes, like this sweet and sticky grilled chicken.

Grill Technique for Latin Grilled Rib Eye Steak with Green Chile Aioli

The secret to creating a terrific crust on a well-marbled cut of beef: rubbing on a salty-sweet spice mix and letting the meat air dry before grilling.

Adam Perry Lang for the USA

Adam Perry Lang, founder of NYC's Daisy May's BBQ and author of Charred & Scruffed, does the USA proud with Southern-style chicken wings and grilled kale.

© John Kernick

Chicken Wings with Molasses Barbecue Sauce

These super-flavorful crusty wings are fantastic with or without Lang's sweet-and-sticky barbecue sauce.

Grill Technique for Grilled Kale with Garlic, Chiles and Bacon

The smartest way to prepare kale for grilling is blanching it so it becomes tender and doesn't burn.