Name: Grilled Chicken with Barbecue Glaze
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Ingredients: 1 cup ketchup; 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 tablespoons cider vinegar; 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard; 2 medium garlic cloves , chopped coarse; 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke; 4 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted a glaze recipe for our barbecued chicken that wasn’t too sweet and didn’t require too much work. So we had to find ingredients—fruit preserves, ketchup, hoisin sauce, peanut butter—thick enough to serve as a base. Building a barbecue glaze recipe from this base was a matter of adding bold flavoring ingredients such as garlic, ginger, herbs, and spices. To prevent burning, we found that it’s best to wait to apply the glaze until the chicken is nearly cooked.

Before You Begin

The glaze recipe makes enough to glaze 4½ pounds chicken.

Instructions

for the glaze

Process ketchup, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, mustard, garlic, chili powder, and liquid smoke in food processor until thoroughly combined, 20 to 30 seconds, scraping down sides of workbowl as needed. Reserve half of glaze for serving and use other half to brush on chicken while grilling.

Grill chicken until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 155 degrees for breasts and 170 degrees for legs or thighs.

Brush one side of chicken pieces with half of glaze reserved for grilling, then turn chicken glaze-side down and cook 2 minutes.

Brush second side of chicken with remaining glaze reserved for grilling, then turn chicken and cook until browned and instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees for breasts and 175 degrees for legs or thighs, 1 to 3 minutes longer. Let chicken rest 5 minutes. Serve, passing remaining glaze at table.