Grilled BBQ Chicken
For as long as I’ve known my husband, his preferred cooking method is the grill. Since we haven’t always lived in a warm climate, I associate grilling as primarily a summer activity. Many nights every week we would sit outside with the dogs, talk about our day, and grill once the evening temperatures rise above 65 degrees. Now that we live in Charleston, grilling only slows down in the winter due to my soup obsession.
Grilling typically means a pretty easy dinner that will be full of flavor! That being said, I’ve experienced many bad meals from a grill if preparation and cooking is not done properly. For chicken, if you are only willing to do one thing, brine. Chicken breasts, thighs, quarters, wings… brine it all! I have a homemade BBQ sauce incorporated into this recipe but if it comes down to a time constraint, brine the chicken and buy a ‘clean’ BBQ sauce. Even a couple hours in a brine can help ensure a juicy bite.
Grilled BBQ Chicken
2 Servings
2 chicken quarters
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
1/4 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp BBQ Seasoning
1 tsp minced garlic
6 oz tomato paste
2 1/2 tsp vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp honey
3 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Brine chicken quarters:
Mix 4 cups hot water with 1/2 cup kosher salt until dissolved.
Allow water to cool and soak chicken in the quick brine for 2-24 hours depending on time
Chop onion and add to sauce pan with olive oil, BBQ Seasoning and garlic
Sweat on low until onion is translucent
Add tomato paste, both vinegars, paprika, honey, salt Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 cup water to the onion mixture
Whisk and increase heat to medium, allowing the mixture to come to a slow simmer.
Continue to whisk, adding the extra 1/4 cup water as needed to get to a smooth bbq sauce consistency. (this should not be a thick sauce but not too thin. Think ranch consistency)
Cook sauce on low for 5 minutes after reaching desired consistency and remove from heat.
Pour 1/3 of the BBQ sauce into a dish for serving with the meal. Remaining sauce will be used to baste.
Turn on grill to high heat, close lid and allow any remnants to burn off
Turn down grill heat to low
Rinse chicken until cold water to knock off the salt from the brine.
Add chicken to the grill on low heat and cook for 20 minutes
Flip the chicken and cook for 10 minutes
Increase heat to medium-low and cook another 10 minutes
Return the heat to low, flip the chicken again, baste with homemade BBQ sauce and cook 15 minutes
Flip the final time, baste with BBQ sauce and cook another 10 minutes (Chicken should temp at 165 in the thigh)
You can increase the heat to speed up the cooking process but low and slow will always produce the best result, especially if you don’t have time to brine
Serve with a side salad, potato salad, smashed potatoes, and/or pasta salad (recipe coming soon).
Consider making a double batch for leftovers (think BBQ Chicken salad)
