July 25, 2012

Dad's BBQ Chicken Thighs


This recipe is one that I learned from my Dad. Since then I have added a few of my own touches but the technique of cooking the chicken is simple, delicious and all his. Not only is this recipe super tasty it's also cheap! Chicken thighs (skin on - bone in) are usually around  $0.99 per pound!

INGREDIENTS:
1 package of chicken thighs (Bone in - Skin on is very important to the flavor of the meat)
1 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary or 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
Olive oil  or cooking spray to coat the aluminum foil
1/4 to 1/2 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

DIRECTIONS:
First, clean your chicken. This is by far the worst part of the entire recipe. Trim off all the skin and fat that you can - be sure to look on the bone side of the chicken there are a couple pockets of fat to be found. Next, rough chop the garlic cloves and slice the onions.

Preheat your grill to approx. 300 - 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Pull out two sheets heavy duty aluminum foil and lay them on top of each other, make sure that it is long enough to be folded over you chicken with ample room to roll at the top and sides, creating three seams. Spray the foil with oil or cooking spray and lay down a small bed of onions and garlic. Place the chicken on the bed of onions and garlic and season with pepper, thyme and rosemary. Spread the remaining onions and garlic over the chicken and fold the foil into a bag - be sure that the bag won't leak while cooking.

Place foil bag directly onto the grill, close lid and let cook for one hour.

After an hour check the chicken by unrolling the top seam of the foil bag. The juices should be clear and the chicken should be fully cooked. Turn the grill up to 400 - 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pour chicken juices from the foil bag and into a large bowl, being careful to strain the onion, garlic and herbs. Mix the chicken juice with your favorite BBQ sauce and combine. Next, take the chicken thighs and put them in the bowl filled with combined sauce. Coat the chicken and place on the grill, bone down,  to add a little crunch. At this point I usually stand at the grill basting with sauce and flipping chicken. This only takes about 5 - 10 minutes depending on your desired level of crunchiness. Then TAH DAH! Amazing BBQ chicken.

NOTES:
Even though boneless skinless chicken is easier it is very important to get bone in - skin on chicken. It adds a ton of flavor to the meat.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT ADD SALT WHEN COOKING THE MEAT. This will dry it out considerably.

If you want extra juice to mix with your sauce you can add some chicken broth to the foil bag while it's cooking.

Try to save some of that delicious sauce for leftovers. (yes, you can save it because the chicken juice was already 100% cooked when mixed with the BBQ sauce. Score!)

Recipe: Adapted from Dad