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

Grilled Pizza Crust

In my house we eat these pizza crusts about two to three times a month! Sometimes we don't even make pizza out of them and use them as a bread to go with other meals.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 cups warm water

2 pkt dry yeast ( each pkt  is 2 1/4 teaspoon)

1 tbsp honey

3 tbsp olive oil

4 cups all-purpose flour (divided)

2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:
Combine water, yeast, honey and olive oil in a mixer that is fitted with a dough hook. Add 3 cups of flour and salt. while mixing, add the last cup of flour. Knead dough on medium/low for about 10 minutes. When mixed the dough is ready it should pull away from the sides of the bowl.  The dough should be soft and slightly sticky.

When  the dough is finished mixing place in an oiled bowl and turn the dough a few times to coat the dough ball in oil. then over the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow dough to rest for 30 min. 

After the dough has rested punch down and divide into 6 - 8 equal(ish) dough balls. Cover and allow them to rest for 15 more minutes. This will give you enough time to preheat your grill! Heat to approx 300 degrees.

When the grill is hot spray or brush the grates with a small amount of olive oil. Flatten out the dough balls  with your fingers to make a "disk" and place the dough disks on your grill and allow them to cook with the grill closed for 1 minute on each side then remove from the grill.

Now the fun part! top with any of your favorite toppings - Possibilities are endless! Then return the pizzas to the grill. I usually put my pizzas on the top rack of a 400(ish) degree grill, but if you don't have a top rack I suggest you decrease the heat to 300 and put a little tin foil down on the main grates of your grill. Close the lid and check in a minute or two to make sure the pizzas are hot and the cheese has melted.

NOTES:
If you are doing this for a large party you can make the crusts ahead of time and save in a Ziploc bag. If your party is very large you can also finish some of the pizzas in the oven, on a pan, using the broil setting - be careful not to let them burn.

Recipe: From Food Network - Ina Garten Grilled California Pizza