Grilled BBQ Chicken

Here we are, day two of our Great American BBQ week! 

Yesterday I shared with you my dad's Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce recipe!  Today we are going to be using that sauce to make some DELICIOUS and SUCCULENT Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs.  I know that grilling bone-in chicken can be a little scary, but I have a foolproof way to get it perfect EVERY time!

Let's get started!


Grilled BBQ Chicken:
*Prep Time: 10 min.  *Cook Time:  45 min.  *Difficulty:  Easy  *Servings: --

Ingredients:

• Bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
• 1 jar of Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce
• All purpose seasoning/steak seasoning

Tools:

• Grill or grill pan
• Mixing bowl
• Baking sheet
• Basting brush
• Tongs

As I mentioned before, I have a foolproof way to make sure that the chicken is juicy, tender, and fully cooked on the inside, while making sure the skin is perfectly crisp on the outside.  That secret?  We are going to bake these thighs in the oven before we grill them.  This also makes it nice, because you can get a large part of the work done ahead of time and finish it off on the grill when your guests arrive. 

So, to start things off, you will need to pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.

While your oven is pre-heating, go ahead and trim the excess skin off of your chicken thighs. 

I chose thighs today because one, they were on sale at the store and two, the dark meat can handle the long cooking without drying up. However, this technique will work with any piece of chicken.

Then, using the all purpose/steak seasoning, liberally season the thighs. 

Once the chicken thighs are seasoned, place them in the mixing bowl.  

Now comes the fun part!  You are going to pour that amazing Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce over the chicken.  Of course you do not HAVE to use my recipe.  You can use any sauce recipe you choose.  You can even use bottled.  If you do choose to use bottled sauce, I personally recommend Sweet Baby Ray's.  In my onion they are the best sauce on the market, and no, they did not pay me to say that!  :) 

Oh, and before I forget, make sure you save some of your sauce for basting on the grill later.

Make sure that all of the chicken is thoroughly coated with your choice of sauce and...

Place the thighs on a baking sheet.  I was out of foil so I covered the baking sheet with parchment paper.  Whatever you have on hand is fine, but I WOULD recommend covering the baking sheet.  It will make clean up so much easier!



After you have placed the thighs on the baking sheet, pour and excess sauce over them.

It will look a little something like this.  

Place in a 375 degree oven and bake for 30 minutes.  

After 30 minutes, remove from the oven. 

Your chicken will look good enough to eat, and at this point the meat is fully cooked.  However, don't give in to the temptation.  Things are about to get better...MUCH better!



 Now it is time to head out to the grill.
Before you put the chicken thighs on the grill,  turn the burners on high for about 10 minutes.
With a wire brush, scrape off any charred bits on the grate.  Next, take a towel, dip it in oil, and swipe the grates.  This will keep the chicken from sticking.  Turn the burners to medium and lay the chicken thighs on the grate, skin side down. 

Close the lid and let them cook for 5 min. 

After 5 minutes, flip the chicken thighs over, baste them with BBQ sauce, close the lid, and let them go another 5 minutes.  After the 5 minutes are up, repeat.  

I like to give it one more baste, close the lid, and let it go for a couple more minutes.

When it is finished, you will have this perfectly grilled chicken with juicy meat and crispy skin, encased in this perfectly caramelized sauce cocoon!  OOOOHHHHH YEAH!!! 

Serve this with some lovely grilled zucchini and squash and you have a perfectly delicious summer meal!  You can't go wrong with this dish!  So call up your friends and family, fire up the grill, and get cooking!

And as always,

Happy Reading, Happy Eating, and Happy Living,

~The Kitchen Wife~



Grilled BBQ Chicken:
*Prep Time: 10 min.  *Cook Time:  45 min.  *Difficulty:  Easy  *Servings: --

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Ingredients:

• Bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
• 1 jar of Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce
• All purpose seasoning/steak seasoning

Tools:

• Grill or grill pan
• Mixing bowl
• Baking sheet
• Basting brush
• Tongs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Trim excess skin from the chicken thighs.
3. Season thighs liberally.
4. Place in mixing bowl.
5. Cover with sauce, but reserve some sauce for basting later.
6.  Place the thighs on a baking sheet and put in the oven for thirty minutes.
7. After 30 minutes, you will take the thighs out to a medium/high grill.
8. Place the thighs, skin side down and let cook for 5 minutes.
9. After 5 minutes, flips and baste with BBQ sauce.
10. Close the lid and let cook for 5 more minutes.
11. Flip one last time, baste, and cook for 5 more minutes.
12. Flip, baste with sauce, and serve.