BBQ chicken is one of the most popular meats ever enjoyed all over the world. Chicken is usually affordable, will fill you up, and is an excellent way to get protein. Whether you decide to cook it on the BBQ grill, smoker or just in the oven it is easy to cook, so anyone can make it. The problem is there are a lot of recipes out there and how do you know which are the good ones? Well there are some general ingredients that let you know it is going to be a good recipe that you and your guests will enjoy at your next BBQ.
Mustard, ketchup, garlic, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, cinnamon and sometimes beer are all ingredients to look out for if it is a traditional BBQ chicken you are after. If you want a more asian flavor to it look for ingredients like Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, honey, and ginger. BBQ chicken is about personal taste and there are a lot of recipes for it because it is a flexible dish. A good and easy recipe that you may want to try out is from Paula Deen and her show ‘Paula’s Home Cooking’. It is one that can be grilled or put in the oven and is called Deen’s Brothers BBQ Chicken. It is as follows:
Recipe: one whole chicken cut into 8 portions (chicken weight about three and a half pounds), orange juice – 2 tablespoons, Ketchup – 1 cup, liquid smoke – 1/4 teaspoon, dark brown sugar – 1/4 cup (packed), dry mustard powder – 1/2 teaspoon, cayenne pepper – 1/4 teaspoon, Worcestershire sauce – 1 teaspoon. Prepare the oven by preheating to 375F or the grill by using olive oil and brushing it with it. Place in a bowl all of the sauce ingredients (all of them apart from the chicken). Mix well so that they are all combined and then scoop out a third of a cup for basting. Take the chicken pieces and put them in the sauce and toss carefully until they are well coated. Cover the chicken pieces and put on the grill or place them in a roasting pan. Cook for a total of forty to forty five minutes (make sure they are cooked all the way through). After 20 minutes has passed of cooking time baste them with the remainder of the sauce you had set aside.
The great thing about this recipe is that as well as tasting good it is easy! Liquid smoke may pose a problem for some of us more inexperienced grilles, but it is just to give the chicken a smokey flavor without going through a long difficult procedure of smoking the meat. It doesn’t have to be used if you prefer not to.
Also when it comes to the chicken itself you do not have to get a whole chicken if you find it hard chopping one up yourself. Get chicken pieces, thighs, breasts, legs or wings. Thighs in particular are a great option because they are juicy, inexpensive and will cook quicker so you get to do the eating quicker!
