Classic Barbecued Chicken
By America's Test KitchenPublished on June 1, 2011
Time
2¼ hours
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Quick Barbecue Sauce
3 cups store-bought barbecue sauce ½ cup molasses ½ cup ketchup ¼ cup cider vinegar 3 tablespoons brown mustard 2 teaspoons onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powderChicken
1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (breasts, whole legs, thighs, and/or drumsticks), trimmed and breasts halvedBefore You Begin
You can use a mix of chicken breasts, thighs, and drumsticks, making sure they add up to about 10 pieces. Any more than that and you won't be able to line them up on the grill. Although our jazzed-up barbecue sauce is best, this recipe also works with plain store-bought sauce; our favorite brand is Bull's-Eye.
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients in medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce is thick and reduced to 3 cups, about 20 minutes. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)
- Combine salt, pepper, and cayenne in small bowl. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and rub evenly with spice mixture.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Place disposable pan on 1 side of grill. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill, opposite pan. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn other burner(s) off. (Adjust primary burner as needed to maintain grill temperature around 350 degrees.)
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Place chicken, skin side down, on cooler side of grill. Cover (positioning lid vent over chicken if using charcoal) and cook until chicken begins to brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Reserve 2 cups barbecue sauce for cooking; set aside remaining 1 cup sauce for serving.
- Slide chicken into single line between hotter and cooler sides of grill and continue to cook, uncovered, flipping chicken and brushing with half of sauce for cooking every 5 minutes, until sticky, about 20 minutes.
- Slide chicken to hotter side of grill and continue to cook, flipping and brushing chicken with remaining sauce for cooking, until well glazed and breasts register 160 degrees and thighs/drumsticks register 175 degrees, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve with reserved sauce.
for the quick barbecue sauce
for the chicken
Time
2¼ hoursYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Quick Barbecue Sauce
Chicken
Ingredients
Quick Barbecue Sauce
Chicken
Ingredients
Quick Barbecue Sauce
Chicken
Why This Recipe Works
Classic barbecued chicken is one of America’s favorite summer meals. But despite its popularity, barbecued chicken recipes cause backyard grillers plenty of headaches. Most recipes call for searing chicken quickly over high heat, but we found that starting the chicken over low heat slowly rendered the fat without the danger of flare-ups. Using a method called “grill-roasting" ensured that we had almost completely cooked chicken before we were ready to add our sauce. We created a thick, complex layer of barbecue flavor for our grilled chicken by applying the sauce in coats and turning the chicken frequently as it cooked over moderate heat.
Before You Begin
You can use a mix of chicken breasts, thighs, and drumsticks, making sure they add up to about 10 pieces. Any more than that and you won't be able to line them up on the grill. Although our jazzed-up barbecue sauce is best, this recipe also works with plain store-bought sauce; our favorite brand is Bull's-Eye.
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients in medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce is thick and reduced to 3 cups, about 20 minutes. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)
- Combine salt, pepper, and cayenne in small bowl. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and rub evenly with spice mixture.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Place disposable pan on 1 side of grill. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill, opposite pan. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn other burner(s) off. (Adjust primary burner as needed to maintain grill temperature around 350 degrees.)
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Place chicken, skin side down, on cooler side of grill. Cover (positioning lid vent over chicken if using charcoal) and cook until chicken begins to brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Reserve 2 cups barbecue sauce for cooking; set aside remaining 1 cup sauce for serving.
- Slide chicken into single line between hotter and cooler sides of grill and continue to cook, uncovered, flipping chicken and brushing with half of sauce for cooking every 5 minutes, until sticky, about 20 minutes.
- Slide chicken to hotter side of grill and continue to cook, flipping and brushing chicken with remaining sauce for cooking, until well glazed and breasts register 160 degrees and thighs/drumsticks register 175 degrees, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve with reserved sauce.
for the quick barbecue sauce
for the chicken
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