Brined and BBQ'd Chicken

Hubs had a special request to BBQ some chicken for a small group and since it was a first - we did our research on HOW TO do this successfully.  We learned it all starts with a magic brine and boy was it good!  This method by far is our favorite!

• *adapted from louisiana.kitchenandculture
•  2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or 2 pounds boneless/skinless chicken breasts
• olive oil as needed
• barbecue sauce (recipe follows)

 

Brine:

• 2 quarts water
• 1 cup salt
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup granulated onion
• ¼ cup granulated garlic
• 2 Tbsp cayenne pepper (optional)

 

BBQ Sauce

• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1½ cups ketchup
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons mustard
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sweet relish
• 1 cup brown sugar
• salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

Directions:

Brine

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Add chicken pieces and submerge completely; top with a small saucer with a weight on top if necessary to keep chicken submerged. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

Sauce

Finely dice onion and garlic. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; add chopped mixture and cook, stirring, until very soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Do not brown. Stir in chili powder and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add smoked paprika; cook, stirring, for about a minute to give the paprika time to absorb some of the oil.

Add remaining ingredients except for salt, pepper, and cayenne, return to heat, bring to a high simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust any of the ingredients until desired taste is met, adding salt, pepper, and cayenne as needed. Continue to cook, stirring often, until thickened and reduced to about 2 cups.

Sauce will keep, refrigerated, for up to 4 days. Leftovers are excellent stirred into baked beans.

Chicken

Remove chicken pieces from brine and discard brine; place on a rack or platter and allow to come to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Preheat a grill to 375ºF.

Rub chicken pieces all over with olive oil and season with black pepper and a light coat of BBQ Sauce. Place on the grill, (skin-side down if pieces have skin), cover, and cook, undisturbed, for 5 minutes. Turn chicken, baste the skin generously with barbecue sauce, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn and baste; cook until skin is browned and sticky, checking internal temp every 5 minutes. If desired, repeat process once to further glaze chicken. It should register 160ºF at the thickest part. Remove to a platter and allow to rest for 5 minutes, then serve. Enjoy!