Chicken is a worldwide staple and goes well with several flavours. It is one of the rare meals which is healthy and tasty at the same time. Among many popular recipes of chicken is the honey BBQ chicken. A subtle hint of honey with spicy flavours and sticky textures make it perfect comfort food. Honey BBQ chicken is available in most food outlets, but there is nothing better than homemade food. Check out this unique recipe of your favourite staple and get cooking. It is likely to make you hungry, so be prepared!
Keep these ingredients ready.
Ingredients to make the Marination.
- ⅓ cup of packed brown/demerara sugar.
- One tablespoon of kosher salt.
- ½ a teaspoon garlic powder.
- ½ a teaspoon of onion powder.
- A couple of pinches of cinnamon powder (optional).
- Black pepper powder (depending on your preference).
Ingredients to make the sauce.
- One tablespoon of garlic butter.
- One tablespoon of unsalted butter.
- ⅔ cup ketchup (the regular tomato ketchup works well, but use the hot and sweet version for an added kick).
- ½ cup of honey, I prefer organic manuka honey.
- 2 ½ tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.
- Two tablespoons of yellow mustard.
- Two teaspoons of dark soy sauce.
- One teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
These ingredients are widely available in most grocery stores. Moreover, it is possible to play around and experiment with various ingredients. You can add or replace any of these ingredients (except the necessary ones, for example, salt). The best part about honey BBQ chicken is that you can customize it to your liking.
You can add veggies, spices, pre-made sauce, experiment with oils and butter. There are endless possibilities with this famous recipe! However, make sure not to add too many extra ingredients, because too many cooks spoil the broth. With this in mind, let us move on to the preparation of our chicken.
Wash the chicken thoroughly and make sure to pat it dry. You do not want your spicy goodness to flow off the meat. Combine all the ingredients used for marination.
You can add a little bit of olive oil (or any oil of your choice) to make these ingredients stick together cohesively. If you have dry chicken, you will not need to do it. Once they are combined well (try to crush the sugar crystals), apply it thoroughly onto your chicken. Now keep it in a bowl and refrigerate for two to three hours.
Then start preparing the sauce.
Keep your saucepan on a low to medium heat, and then add the butter. Once melted (make sure not to burn it because butter burns very quickly. Do not let it turn brown), add the ketchup and stir for a few seconds. Add the cayenne pepper, soy sauce and yellow mustard, and stir it again for a few seconds.
Add balsamic vinegar and honey.
(Fun fact: Honey is not supposed to be “cooked” on a flame because it kills all the useful pollen and antioxidants. It is more suited to be glazed over a warm dish. So any health benefit you might get from honey in our recipe is minimal at best.)
Bring this concoction to a boil, reduce the heat and stir constantly. Allow these flavours to get to know each other for 8 minutes, and your sauce is ready!
Now take the chicken out, and grill it for 35 minutes. Make sure to flip it frequently and keep the heat on the medium scale. They should be fine after thirty-five minutes, in case you have a kitchen thermometer, then wait till they read 160 degrees. After the given time, coat it in a thick layer of sauce and let it cook covered for about 5-7 minutes. You will still have some sauce left after this. Serve your chicken with the remaining sauce and some garnish of your choice.
In case you do not have a grill.
You can make this recipe in the oven too, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake your chicken in a greased pan for 25 minutes. Then cover it with a layer of sauce and bake again at 170 degrees for 5 minutes. Serve with the BBQ Honey Sauce and enjoy!
This recipe is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Most people use chicken drumsticks or chicken wings for this recipe, but you can modify it. Just remember to use big enough pieces so that the heat does not overcook them. Some variations of the recipe also include coating the chicken with flour. This step forms a crunchy outer covering.
In conclusion, the central aspect of making this dish is to have fun with it. It is chicken, so there is a lot of room for experimentation. Rest assured that this recipe always turns out to be great for parties and gatherings.
