Grilled Barbecue Chicken

Craving the slightly sweet, yet tangy, and a bit spicy taste of barbecue sauce, we decided on marinating and grilling a couple of plump chicken breasts.  For barbecued chicken I always like (if time allows) marinating the chicken overnight in low-fat buttermilk; it really tenderizes the meat and ensures that each and every bite of meat is moist and flavorful.  After removing the chicken from the buttermilk soak, I marinated it in a homemade barbecue sauce made with ingredients we already had in the pantry. With its thick tomato paste base, I added in spice with crushed red pepper flakes and hot sauce, flavor with Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard, and fragrance with fresh thyme and sliced garlic.  I seasoned the chicken first in my favorite Cajun seasoning, and served the grilled chicken with an extra helping of the barbecue sauce for a last-minute glaze.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

Grilled Barbecue Chicken

  • Prep time:
  • Cook time:
  • Total time:
  • Yield: 2
  • Difficulty: medium
  • Recipe type: Entree

Ingredients:

  • (2) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (with rib meat)
  • 2 cups low-fat buttermilk
  • Cajun seasoning
  • salt and pepper
  • (1) 6 oz. can organic tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 Tablespoon hot sauce
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Directions:

  1. Place the chicken breasts in a large Ziploc bag; pour in the buttermilk. Refrigerate/marinate the chicken overnight.
  2. The next day, remove the chicken from the buttermilk and pat dry. Season each breast with ¼ teaspoon of Cajun seasoning. Whisk the remaining ingredients together for the barbecue sauce; adding in 1 teaspoon of salt and a big grinding of black pepper. Taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary.
  3. Reserve ½ cup of the sauce for serving. Marinate the chicken in the rest of the homemade barbecue sauce for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
  4. To grill the chicken, allow it to rest (still marinating in the sauce) at room temp for 30 minutes. Light your grill (or place your grill pan over high heat) and cook the chicken either over direct heat for 8-10 minutes per side (flipping once) or over indirect heat for 25-30 minutes total. Either way, the chicken needs to reach an internal temp of 165 degrees.
  5. Let the cooked chicken rest for 15 minutes; slice and serve warm with the remaining barbecue sauce you kept to the side.

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