Last week, Dan Gordon (of Gordon Biersch) came to give a guest lecture to my brewing class. To me the most remarkable thing about him was that although he is a big-time business owner who doubtless deals with all kinds of stress, he still had a lot of youthful exuberance. His excitement about expanding overseas was endearing, as was his humor while sharing anecdotes about his brewing and his business. One particularly interesting story concerned a late-night snack he made himself while studying brewing in Germany- because besides being a brewer, he also happens to be the inventor of the garlic fry!

    Two things I took from the lecture were the inspiration of a man who is passionate about his life and his work, and a hankering for garlic. And today, I satisfied my garlic craving with this chicken. I started out thinking about the garlic chicken I'd had in Chinese restaurants, but then I found this recipe by Jaden Hair and decided to spice it up.

Ingredients:
*serves 1
1 chicken drumstick
1/2 dried chipotle chili, minced
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp minced mint leaves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Combine the chipotle, kosher salt, chili powder, and cumin. Rub the mixture onto the skin of the chicken drumstick. In a thin metal pan, bake the chicken for about 35-40 minutes, until it is fully cooked. Meanwhile, combine the olive oil, garlic, and mint in a small bowl. Immediately after pulling the chicken out of the oven, drizzle the mixture over the chicken, coating it evenly on all sides. Enjoy.