The Best Dang BBQ Chicken

Ingredients

Sauce:
2 slices bacon
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 cups ketchup
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup molasses
1T dry mustard
2 tsp. paprika
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. dried thyme
salt & pepper
8-10 pieces chicken, or 1 whole 4-pound chicken cut into parts

1. Sauce: In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, sauté the bacon until crisp, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside for another use. Leave the bacon fat in the pan. Add the onions to the pan and sauté until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes more.

2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, dry mustard, paprika, cayenne pepper and thyme. Bring the liquid to a simmer, lower the heat to low and continue simmering for 20 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. Wash and pat dry the chicken parts. Trim off any extra fat that hangs off the chicken meat. Season with salt & pepper, set aside.

4. Pre-heat oven to 350º F. and preheat your BBQ grill to medium-high.

5. Place the chicken on the grill skin side up and grill for 5-7 minutes, then flip the chicken and grill for an additional 5-7 minutes until skin is nice and brown.

6. Remove the chicken from grill and place skin side down on a cooling rack on top a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Spoon the BBQ sauce on top of the grilled chicken pieces; you will have some sauce left over.

7. Place in a 350º F oven for 25-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°.

8. Remove the chicken to a platter and serve with the extra BBQ sauce.

TIPS & TRICKS

• This BBQ is sauce is fantastic on beef and pork. I love to make a double batch; it can last in your fridge for weeks.

• I prefer to cook chicken on the bone whenever possible. The bone insulates the meat so that it doesn’t dry out when cooking and they are so flavorful. If you want to use boneless thigh, follow the timing of the recipe. If you wish to use boneless breast they will cook completely on the grill, no need to cook in oven. Top with BBQ sauce before serving.

• Cooking time for bone in thighs & legs are about 35 minutes, bone in breast 25 minutes

• We are going to start the chicken on the grill then finish it in the oven, so we get the smoky grill flavor and a sauce that isn’t burnt.

• Start by preheating you grill. Pat dry your chicken pieces and trim off any excess fat that is hanging off the side of the meat. This prevents the fat from catching on fire on the grill.

• Season with salt & pepper right before cooking so that the salt doesn’t bring out any moisture in the meat.

• When cooking the chicken, if the flames should flare up around the chicken, with your tongs simply pick the piece up and allow the flames to subside then place back on grill. If your fire gets to hot, lower the temperature to medium.

Chicken with Artichokes & Mushrooms

Ingredients

½ cup olive oil
salt and black pepper
8-10 chicken thighs, bone in
2 medium onions, finely diced
1 pound mushrooms, washed and finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
16 oz. frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock
2T parsley finely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 325º F.

2. Place a 6-quart Dutch oven with a lid on the stove. Turn heat to medium-high heat. Add ¼ cup of olive oil and heat.

3. Using a paper towel, pat dry the chicken. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.

4. Place the seasoned thighs into pan; do not overcrowd the pan. Brown both sides of the chicken, about 3 minutes a side. Once they are browned, remove from the pan. Set on platter and set aside. If necessary, add the remaining ¼ cup olive oil. Repeat with remaining thighs. Pour off all fat except for 2T.

5. Turn heat to medium. Add the onions, and cook until slightly soft, about 4-6 minutes. Add the mushroom and cook another 4-5 minutes.

6. Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove all the brown bits. Add the stock and bring to a boil.

7. Place the chicken back into the pot, pushing the thighs down to submerge them in the sauce. Add the garlic, artichokes and thyme.

8. Cover with lid and place in a 325º F oven. Cook the chicken until the meat is tender enough to cut with a fork and easily comes away from the bone, about 45-55 minutes.

9. Remove the chicken and vegetables from the sauce and place on a platter. Discard the thyme and strain the sauce into a fat separator.

10. Pour the defatted sauce back into the pan to reheat and reduce slightly. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and vegetable back into the sauce to reheat.

11. Serve the chicken and sauce over polenta. Top with chopped parsley.

Tips & Tricks:

• Cooking with meat on the bone is ideal for several reasons: It insulates and protects the meat from drying out and also adds loads of flavor.

• I use a clean pair of scissors to trim off any extra large pieces of skin/fat on the thighs before browning.

• To achieve a beautiful browned chicken thigh, make sure to pat them dry, season right before placing in pan and don’t overcrowd the pan. This way they brown rather than steam.

• This dish can be made in advance and reheated just before serving either on the stovetop or in oven.

• The flavor in this dish improves as it ages; feel free to make it a day or 2 before serving. It is a great crowd pleaser and easy to double.

• I like to use frozen artichokes instead of canned. They taste fresher to me. If you don’t have time to defrost them, its ok just put them directly in the pot.

Coq au Vin with Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

Coq au Vin Ingredients

8-10 pieces chicken, or 1 whole 4-pound chicken cut into parts
3 cups red wine
3-4 thyme springs
2 bay leaves

¼ pound lardons or thickly sliced bacon, sliced into ¼ inch wide slices
½ pound mushrooms, washed and sliced
20 pearl onions, peeled or 1 cup frozen
1-cup chicken stock
3 cloves garlic crushed
Salt & pepper

3T butter room temperature
3T all-purpose flour

3pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
5T unsalted butter

Mashed Potatoes Ingredients

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
5T unsalted butter
Salt and pepper

1.    Place the chicken in a bowl or zip lock bag. Add the wine, thyme, and bay leaves. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for least 2 hours, but overnight is better.

2.    Pre-heat oven to 350º F.

3.    In a Dutch oven or deep pan with a lid, over medium-high heat, sauté the bacon until crisp for about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove from the pan and set aside.

4.    Add the mushroom slices to the pan. Sauté until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove from the pan and set aside.

5.    Remove the chicken from the wine. Reserve the wine and herbs. Pat the chicken dry. Season with salt and pepper.

6.    Workings in batches, add the chicken pieces, skin side down, to the pan. Make sure to not overcrowd the pan. Sauté chicken until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Turn the chicken and repeat on the other side. Remove from pan. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces. Pour off any extra fat.

7.    Add the wine and stock to the pot. Deglaze the pan by scraping up all the little brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil.

8.    Then add the garlic, bacon, mushrooms, onions, and chicken pieces back to the pan. Cover pan with a lid and place in a 350º F oven for 40-45 minutes until chicken is cooked. If using chicken breasts, add them to the pot after cooking the dark meat for 20 minutes in the oven.

9.    In a small bowl, mix the butter and flour. Using a spoon or your finger, mix until it forms a paste. Set aside.

10.    Remove the chicken to a platter. Set aside. Remove the thyme and bay leaves. Discard the herbs.

11.    Pour the sauce thought a strainer into a fat separator. Set the vegetables/bacon aside.

12.    Let the sauce sit about 5 minutes to allow the fat to rise to the top. Pour the defatted sauce back into the pan. Remember pan is hot!!!

13.    Place the pan on the stove on medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Then, slowly whisk the flour paste into the sauce a little at a time. Cook until slightly thickened, about 4-6 minutes. Adjust the seasoning.

14.    Return the chicken and vegetables/bacon to the pan to warm. Serve over mashed potatoes. 

Mashed Potatoes Recipe

1.    Place potatoes in a pot filled with water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

2.    Place potatoes back into pot and mash. Add butter and ½ of the cooking liquid. If too thick, add the reserved liquid. Season with salt and pepper.

TIPS & TRICKS

•    Traditionally, this dish is prepared with a whole rooster/chicken. You can use a whole chicken cut into pieces. I like to use bone in, skin on thigh meat. It makes for easy serving. Cooking chicken with the bone in and skin on helps protect the meat from drying out and adds loads of flavor. Your guest can simply remove the skin before eating if they wish. 
•    Marinating the chicken in wine overnight makes the chicken more flavorful. 
•    This dish is best made the day ahead, as the flavors improve with time.
•    I like to use Yukon gold potatoes with this dish because they are so buttery and dense, and they hold up very well to the chicken and sauce.