I love barbecued chicken when it's done well--yummy and spicy sweet on the outside, moist and delicious on the inside. We have a grill at home in Louisiana, but at the corporate apartment we live in while we're "on the road" in Georgia, we aren't allowed to have a grill on our balcony or porch. (They're screened in, so no mosquitoes, but that means no grill, either!)
My grandmother used to make the best oven barbecue chicken--it would fall off the bone it was so tender, and made the best sort of gravy that was delicious over rice. It's been so hot this summer, though, I've tried not to use the oven more than I just have to. So, I experimented a little and came up with this stove-top version.
I started off, as usual, with IQF (individually quick frozen) boneless skinless thighs. I think this would work with almost any kind of chicken, including bone-in pieces. I put these in my pan, sprinkled with an all-purpose seasoning blend ( I use Tony Cachere's) and some dried onion flakes.
Cover with water and bring to a good rolling boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium or medium high. Turn the pieces after a few minutes so that they cook evenly.
Uncover and let this continue to cook on a low bubble-more than a simmer, but less than a boil (!), until the chicken is cooked through and some of the water has cooked away.
Leaving the reduced water in the pan, I added a couple of splashes of Worcestershire Sauce, 2-3 Tablespoons of Country Bob's All-purpose sauce, and some barbecue sauce (I used Kraft Thick and Spicy Original), about 1/2 cup. I'm guessing, here, it would vary according to how much chicken you're cooking. If you think you have too much water left, you could always pour some of it off, but you need some water to blend the sauces and allow everything to cook together without scorching. The juices already there from the chicken cooking make it that much better. Bring this sauce to a low bubble, then cover and let everything just simmer together for a while, stirring occasionally.
About 10 minutes before you're ready to serve this, take the lid off and let it simmer uncovered, to thicken and reduce the sauce. By this point, the chicken should be literally falling apart. If you used bone-in pieces, you can probably fish around and pull out the bones.
My family loves this served with rice (see my post on making rice in the microwave), but I think it would make a good bbq sandwich on a bun, or even served over corn or Dorito-style chips with a little bit of cheese sprinkled on top.
I've made this several times with chicken, I'd love to try it with a good piece of boneless steak or a chuck roast.
What hot-weather reinvented dishes have you come up with?
This recipe is being linked to:
Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace
Check out the links for more recipes.
Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!
