Friday, October 16, 2009

A BBQ Chicken Recipe That Beats the Rest

By James Swelling

When choosing a BBQ meat chicken is one of the most popular across the world because of its availability, affordability, it is filling and a great protein. It also of course tastes great! It is versatile in how it can be cooked, whether in an oven or on a grill or smoker and anyone can do it. So out of the thousands of recipes for BBQ chicken how do you find one that won't disappoint? There are certain ingredients to look for in a recipe that make it tasty so that at your next BBQ you and your friends can enjoy it.

For the regular BBQ chicken there are a lot of different recipes and many different ingredients but usually if you see the following then you are on to a good one. Cumin, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, ketchup, sugar, cinnamon, even sometimes beer. For chicken that has an Asian flavored sauce you want a recipe that has items like soy or hoisin sauce, ginger and honey. Remember everyone has their own tastes and preferences which is why there are so many different variations out there. A great base recipe to start with is one from a show called Paula's Home Cooking with Paula Deen where she makes a dish called Deens Brothers BBQ Chicken. It is one that anyone can follow and tastes great as is, or you can play with it.

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 chicken tastes great and it is a recipe anyone can follow, grilled or not. For those of you not used to cooking with liquid smoke this gives meat a smoked flavor and smell without having to actually smoke it. If you do not like smoked meat then just leave it out!

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!

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