BBQ Chicken Kokoda with Passionfruit Slaw

Ingredients

1kg / 2lb chicken pieces, skin on (boneless or on-the-bone)
3 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 teaspoon lemon zest
PASSIONFRUIT SLAW
1 head of cabbage
1 apple
3 green spring onions
2 stalks celery
3 ripe passionfruit (or 1/2 cup tinned passionfruit pulp)
2 Tbsp whole egg mayonnaise (Japanese kewpie is best)
1 Tbsp Mirin
1/4 teaspoon white pepper ground
pinch sea salt
1 teaspoon honey
Although Kokoda is primarily an acid-cured seafood salad in coconut milk, it’s preservation technique can be adapted for use with other proteins including poultry. When fish is bathed in citrus...

Method

1.Wash and pat dry the chicken pieces
2.Transfer to a non-reactive bowl and cover with lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The chicken will turn a slight opaque but will still be raw.
3.When ready, strain the chicken pieces and pat dry
4.Coat the chicken with salt, pepper, lemon zest, garlic powder and oil
5.Prepare a hot grill or BBQ, cook chicken until well done
6.Julienne or shred the slaw vegetables
7.In a bowl, combine all salad dressing ingredients. Combine well with shredded vegetables. Check seasoning and adjust.
8.Serve the BBQ chicken with passionfruit slaw

Although Kokoda is primarily an acid-cured seafood salad in coconut milk, it’s preservation technique can be adapted for use with other proteins including poultry. When fish is bathed in citrus juices, this process of denaturation turns the flesh firm and opaque, as if it had been cooked with heat. The preservation technique was used by the South American tribes and Pacific Islanders to prolong food stocks, but it also infuses the flavor of the citrus fruit deep into the fibres of the protein.

For chicken and duck, soaking the meat overnight in citrus is not long enough to fully cook the meat, but it does start the cooking process – ready to be finished on a hot grill!  The tangy, creamy passionfruit slaw pairs well with the citrus flavours in this chicken too.