Ingredients
Brine:
- 2 quarts water
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a large knife
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 6 chicken legs and thighs, still connected, bone in, skin on, about 10 ounces each
The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce:
- 1 slice bacon
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 cups ketchup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika if available
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
For the brine, in a mixing bowl combine the water, salt, sugar, garlic, and thyme. Transfer the brine to a 2-gallon sized re-sealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, close the bag and refrigerate 2 hours (if you've only got 15 minutes, that's fine) to allow the salt and seasonings to penetrate the chicken.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Wrap the bacon around the bunch of thyme and tie with kitchen twine so you have a nice bundle. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme and cook slowly 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly without coloring for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Once the sauce is done cooking, remove about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and reserve for serving along side the chicken at the table. The rest of the barbecue sauce will be used for basing the legs.
Preheat oven 375 degrees F.
Preheat a grill pan or an outdoor gas or charcoal barbecue to a medium heat. Take a few paper towels and fold them several times to make a thick square. Blot a small amount of oil on the paper towel and carefully and quickly wipe the hot grates of the grill to make a nonstick surface. Take the chicken out of the brine, pat it dry on paper towels. Arrange the chicken pieces on the preheated grill and cook, turn once mid-way, and cook for a total of 10 minutes. Transfer the grill marked chicken to a cookie sheet and then place in the oven. Cook the chicken for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and then brush liberally, coating every inch of the legs with the barbecue sauce and then return to the oven for 25 to 30 more minutes, basting the chicken for a second time half way through remaining cooking time. Serve with extra sauce.
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By Tameren
Charlotte, NC
on February 23, 2013
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This is the best barbecue chicken recipe ever! A few years ago, I made this for the first time, on July 3rd. I say that because we had a lot of people over for fourth of July and had grilled steaks. I went ahead and put the leftover chicken out, as well. The ones that tried the chicken preferred it over the steak. It's that good.
By ChefAnnesHairBrush
on February 20, 2013
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Oh, how I love Tyler. I had never brined my chicken before, but I probably always will from now on since it made such a huge difference in how moist the finished product was! I used bone-in chicken breasts and allowed them to sit in the brine for a few hours. I loved the method of cooking these by splitting the time between a grill pan and the oven. I did not make the barbecue sauce as included here, but I bet it's outstanding. I used ready-made barbecue sauce for the sake of time, but I will definitely be trying this one given that the reviews are so good!
By mandissal
Atlanta, GA
on January 21, 2013
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This truly is the Ultimate, Tyler! I used bone-in chicken breasts instead of leg/thigh and it came out amazing! Chicken breasts are very hard to come out moist, and these were just perfect, flavorful and juicy. But my favorite was definitely the sauce. It was lick your fingers delicious. I had some sauce left over after finishing the chicken and managed to slather it over everything for the next week: pork chops, even steak. DELICIOUS! The sauce is also pretty idiot-proof. I don't use bacon and it still tastes fantastic. The second time, I didn't have fresh thyme and mistakenly put in 1 tbs of paprika as opposed to 1 tsp. STILL tasted fantastic! Thanks for an amazing recipe Tyler!
Read all 327 reviews