Moonlight: Pollo a la Plancha

You’ve likely heard of Moonlight — the Barry Jenkins flick that rather surprisingly beat Damien Chazelle’s La La Land to ‘Best Picture’ at the 2017 Oscars.

The mix-up, quite helpfully, gave the film far more publicity than it might have received otherwise, even for a Best-Picture prize-holder. It was lauded by critics at the time, too, and praised for its approach to subjects like black masculinity, homophobia and child abuse.

In the story, we follow Chiron — a black American who’s grappling with his sexuality while growing up in a crime-ridden Miami neighbourhood. His mother, Paula is a drug addict and prostitute who is more fixated on fulfilling her own needs than taking care of her son, and Chiron’s life seems totally consumed by bullying and grief as he’s thrown into burgeoning adulthood.

The only thing in which he does appear to find solace is in his friendship with childhood buddy Kevin, who we meet in all three acts of the film, and watch with expectation as their relationship blossoms into something more.

Perhaps the most pivotal scene in the movie is when Chiron and Kevin are reunited as adults, in a diner where Kevin is working as a chef. The pace of the story drops dramatically, as our protagonist — now a drug dealer living in Atlanta — returns to Miami to meet with the only man he’s truly ever connected with sexually.

“Wait here, Chiron… one chef’s special, comin’ right up.”

The dish Kevin returns with is Pollo a la Plancha, a plate of grilled chicken marinated with spices and accompanied by rice, black beans and a chopped coriander garnish.

It’s a simple meal, but as food writer and author Andrew Rea beautifully puts it in his book Eat What You Watch: “It becomes a way for an old friend to nourish a broken man, and it’s a great example of how simple ingredients become elevated when they’re prepared with love.”

I adore watching this film, and adored making this dish — I implore you to do both. Moonlight is available to rent on Amazon Prime, and the recipe for Pollo a la Plancha, taken from Eat What You Watch, can be found below. Enjoy!

To make four servings of Pollo a la Plancha, you’ll need the following:

• 4 chicken breast halves
• 4 garlic cloves
• 4 limes
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 450g long-grain white rice
• 1 bay leaf
• 115g fatty bacon, finely chopped
• 2 medium onions, 1 finely chopped and 1 sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 350g black beans, soaked overnight
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander

Recipe

• Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, and pound with a rolling pin until evenly thick. Transfer the chicken to a large resealable bag.
• Roughly chop 2 of the garlic cloves. In a small bowl, whisk together the juice of 2 limes, the chopped garlic, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp cayenne, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper and 2 tbsp olive oil.
• Pour the marinade over the chicken, seal the bag and stick in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
• In a large saucepan, combine the bacon and 4 tbsp of water. Cook until the bacon fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy — about 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Add the chopped onion and green pepper to the reserved bacon fat. Cook over a medium heat until the vegetables have softened and the onion is golden brown, then add 1 crushed garlic clove.
• Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute, then return the bacon to the pan and add the soaked black beans. Add enough water to just cover the beans, and bring the liquid to a simmer.
• Cook, uncovered, until the beans are tender and start to break apart and the liquid has thickened — about 1 hour. Season to taste with salt.
• Rinse the rice with a sieve until the water runs clear. Transfer to a large saucepan and cover with 830ml of water. Add a bay leaf, 1 tsp of salt and a whole garlic clove. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat.
• Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and check the packet for recommended cooking time (around 10–15 mins). Remove the pan from the heat and leave it covered. Let it sit for 10 mins, then fluff with a fork and keep warm until serving.
• On a cast-iron griddle or large cast-iron skillet, heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred — about 2 minutes. Transfer the onion to a bowl and cover with foil until ready to serve.
• Add the remaining tsp of vegetable oil to the griddle and heat over a medium-high heat until shimmering. Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off any excess liquid, and place on the hot griddle.
• Cook the chicken until well browned on one side, about 5 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is browned and the chicken is cooked through — about 5 minutes longer.
• Cut 1 of the remaining limes in half and squeeze both halves over the chicken.
• Arrange the chicken, rice and beans on plates. Cut the remaining lime into quarters and top the chicken with the sautéed onions, garnish with coriander and the lime quarters.

As always, if you give this recipe a go yourself, please drop me a line at @fromfilmtofork on Instagram. I’d love to see your creations! x