1 medium sweet onion, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup packed cilantro leaves and stems
1 1/4 cups packed basil leaves
1/4 cup packed mint leaves
4 tablespoons fish sauce, like Red Boat
3 peeled garlic cloves
Zest of 1 lime
Plenty ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
2 tablespoons apple juice (or 1 teaspoon maple syrup if you’re not on a Whole30)
Kosher salt
3 pounds chicken drumsticks or thighs
Lime wedges
Make the marinade by combining the onion, cilantro, basil, mint, fish sauce, garlic, lime zest, black pepper, Aleppo pepper, and apple juice in a blender. Puree until smooth.
Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste. Since I use this as a marinade, I'm more heavy-handed with the salt than I normally would be if it was a sauce.
Place the chicken in a gallon-sized zip-top bag and pour the marinade over it. Let the chicken marinate overnight (marinate for at least an hour and up to a day).
The next day, take the chicken out of the fridge an hour before you're ready to grill it. (See Recipe Notes for oven-baked method.) Set a gas grill to high and after placing the chicken on the grates, immediately decrease the temperature to low.
Grill the chicken for approximately 25 minutes (or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F) turning every 5 to 7 minutes. But be patient: Don’t go and flip the bird (legs, that is) before they naturally release from the grill surface — otherwise, you’ll leave a lot of tasty, crispy, marinated skin stuck on the grates!
Serve the drumsticks with lime wedges.
Recipe Notes
- Oven-Baked Chicken: If you are baking the chicken, roast on a wire rack for 35 to 45 minutes at 400°F. Start with skin-side down, and flip skin-side up at the 20-minute mark.