Barbecue Chicken
If you've got bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, water and salt, you're most of the way to this chicken: about 65 minutes of cooking across 7 steps. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for grill / broiler and saucepan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (1)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
π Unit converter
How to make it
- Dissolve the 3 tablespoons of salt in the quart of water to make a brine, submerge the chicken thighs and refrigerate for 30 to 45 minutes, then remove, rinse and pat thoroughly dry.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce by simmering the chicken broth, tomato paste, brown sugar, garlic, cider vinegar, smoked paprika and lemon zest in a saucepan over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring until it thickens to a glaze.
- Heat a grill or grill pan to medium and season the dried thighs with black pepper.
- Grill the chicken skin-side down for 6 to 7 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden, then flip and cook the other side for another 6 to 7 minutes.
- Begin brushing the thighs generously with the barbecue sauce, turning and basting every couple of minutes so the glaze caramelizes without burning.
- Continue cooking and basting until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 75Β°C (165Β°F) at the thickest part, about 5 more minutes.
- Rest the chicken for 5 minutes, then serve with any remaining sauce warmed on the side.
You'll use: Grill / broiler Β· Saucepan Β· Pan Β· Grill pan
Ingredient substitutions
- Brown Sugar
- white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses per cup
- Lemon
- lime Β· 1 tbsp white wine vinegar per lemon
Tips & common questions
How long does Barbecue Chicken take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish β an estimate based on the 7 steps and 11 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of brown sugar?
Try white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses per cup. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes β use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Barbecue Chicken is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Barbecue chicken at California Strawberry Festival 2012.jpg by Clotee Allochuku-Albritton, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top β how we source recipes.