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Barbecued Chicken

Source of Recipe

From "The Southern Living Party Cookbook"


Recipe Introduction

"Grilling chicken sounds easy enough, but the first time I made BBQ chicken it turned out black and charred beyond recognition on the outside and raw as sashimi on the inside. Not the result you are hoping for when you've got a houseful of hungry guests. Remember: Your coals need to go from fire engine red to grey ash before you start grilling. It takes a bit of patience to get there, but when the chicken comes off perfect coals, you will be fielding the praise of your guests instead of ordering delivery pizzas."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 (4-pound) whole chickens

Brine:
â—¦ 1 ¼ cups apple cider vinegar
â—¦ ½ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)
â—¦ 2 ½ tablespoons ketchup
â—¦ 2 ¼ teaspoons yellow mustard
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons table salt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon black pepper

Browning Sauce:
â—¦ ¼ cup (2 ounces) salted butter, melted
â—¦ 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
â—¦ 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
â—¦ ½ teaspoon table salt
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon black pepper


Recipe

Use kitchen shears to remove the backbones from the chickens and then quarter each chicken into two breast halves and two whole legs (thighs with drumsticks attached).

Prepare the brine: Whisk together the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, ketchup, mustard, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Divide the brine between two (1-gallon) heavy-duty ziplock plastic freezer bags. Place four chicken quarters in each bag. Seal the bags and chill 4 to 8 hours, turning the bags occasionally.

Prepare the browning sauce: Whisk together the melted butter, sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a saucepan. Simmer over medium-low, stirring often, until the sugar is melted. Reserve about ¼ cup browning sauce.

Preheat the grill to medium-low (300° to 350° F). Remove the chicken from the marinade, and discard the marinade.

Place the chicken on oiled grates. Grill, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through, turning and basting occasionally with the remaining browning sauce, about 55 minutes. Discard any remaining browning sauce used to baste the chicken. Reheat the reserved ¼ cup browning sauce to serve with the chicken.


Serves 8