“Cake is Not my Downfall” — Jackie Kashian’s Recipe for Paprika Marinated Chicken

a single chicken drumstick on a white background

I’m a fan of comedian Jackie Kashian. I knew we were kindred spirits when I heard this “Cake and Chicken” bit on her “It’s Never Going to Be Bread” CD:

“I was at my first Hollywood party, trying to fit in, trying not to sweat. And this woman who I just met comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, Jackie, there’s cake. Of course you’ll want a piece of cake.’ Wow, no thank you. Cake is not my downfall. I am not retaining excess cake. You got a piece of chicken back there, I’m all over it. ‘Cause I love chicken, I love chicken like it’s a problem. I can’t have it in the house. Trigger food. Can’t do it.”

Now crazily enough I actually got to hang out a bit with Ms. Kashian at MY first Hollywood party last month (she and Maria Bamford put on a fantastic living room performance in the home of one of my friends, the result of a winning bid in Comedy Death-Ray’s LA Food Bank Charity Auction), and like Jackie I’ll take a really good piece of chicken over a piece of cake any day. Sweets just aren’t really my thing.

I suspected that she’d have a really good recipe for chicken but it turns out that Jackie Kashian REALLY knows her stuff. Here’s one of her insanely good chicken recipes — I was seriously shocked at how delicious it is.

Paprika Marinated Chicken

INGREDIENTS

Cooking Time: 60 min.
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 30 min.
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 whole chicken, cut up (go free range if you can)

DIRECTIONS

1.Combine vinegar, oil, garlic, paprika, and salt in a resealable plastic bag or coverable dish
2. Make sure every piece is well coated. Seal bag/cover dish and refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight).
3. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade.
4. a. If you grill, place chicken, skin side down, on grill. Grill about 15 minutes. Flip chicken, grill another 20 or so until done.
4. b. I pan seared the chicken (skin side down, a little olive oil sprayed to coat pan) in a cast iron pan for 15 minutes. Then put it in a pre-heated 400degree (F) oven for another 30min.