Roasted-Grilled Barbecue Chicken
Every grill-master has his/her own preferred way to grill chicken. For cooks who prefer to grill boneless, skinless chicken, the most common method is to season the chicken and cook it on a hot grill over direct heat, turning it frequently to avoid burning it. This method requires attention and timing to prevent undercooking the chicken, or turning out carbonized, dry chunks of what was supposed to be delicious, juicy grilled chicken. For cooks who prefer the flavor of bone-in chicken with skin intact, another popular way to grill chicken is to sear the chicken on a hot grill over direct heat and then move the pieces to a part of the grill with indirect heat, essentially roasting the chicken in the closed grill before finishing it over direct heat to crisp up the skin and caramelize the barbecue sauce. This method is time-consuming, but with much attention and practice, it will produce excellent barbecue chicken. For those of us who prefer the flavor of skin-on, bone-in grilled chicken and want to spend more time visiting with our guests rather than tending to flare-ups on the grill, try seasoning the chicken and roasting it ahead of time in a 400 F. oven for about 40 minutes until the skin is crispy. Brush on the sauce and finish the chicken on the grill in less than 10 minutes. Easy peasy with reliable results! Your dinner guests will appreciate you. (Note: If you don’t grill in cold weather, brush the sauce over the chicken while in the oven and remove once your Insta-read thermometer reaches 160-165 F. and the sauce has begun to caramelize. Remove from the oven and tent for 5-10 minutes.)
Ingredients
· 1-2 pieces of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and breasts per person (preferably air-chilled chicken)
· Salt and pepper to taste
· Garlic powder
· Fresh lemon juice
· Asian Barbecue Sauce (see below)
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and garlic powder. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice.
2. Place the chicken pieces on a grate on a sheet pan and roast for about 40 minutes or until the skin is crispy and brown. Preheat your grill.
3. Once the skin is nice and crispy, remove the sheet pan from the oven and brush on your barbecue sauce of choice. Cover the sheet pan with tin foil and set aside for up to an hour. Finish the chicken on the preheated grill turning and brushing on more sauce as desired until the sauce is caramelized on both sides. (3-5 minutes per side)
Asian-Style Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
-3/4 cup ketchup
-3/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
-1 cup packed brown sugar
-1/3 cup sake (you can sub dry-sherry if you don’t have sake)
-3 teaspoons sesame oil
-1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root (use a micro-plane, or finely mince by hand)
-2 teaspoons grated garlic
Preparation
1. In a small bowl, mix the ingredients. Reserve 1 cup for basting; cover and refrigerate the extra sauce. (This recipe yields more sauce than you will need to barbecue chicken for 4-6 people. The extra sauce will keep refrigerated in a closed glass jar for at least a week.)
Wine:
White wines: Grüner Veltliner, Vermentino, Pinot Gris, Albarino, Viognier; Red wines: Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Gamay , Rosé