BBQ Honey Mustard Chicken

Υλικά

600 g chicken thighs (~6 medium boneless, skin-on), preferably deboned

Marinade:

50 g honey (~2.5 tbsp)

20 g Dijon mustard (~1 tbsp)

20 g wholegrain or seeded mustard (~1 tbsp)

10-15 g fresh lemon juice (10-15 ml ~1-1.5 tbsp), adjust for brightness

~5-7 g fresh thyme (~6 sprigs), leaves finely chopped

Optional: ~3-5 g fresh rosemary (~3 medium sprigs), leaves finely chopped

10 g extra-virgin olive oil (~10 ml or ~2 tsp)

3 g fine salt (~0.5 tsp)

Οδηγίες

Marinade:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, Dijon mustard, wholegrain mustard, fresh lemon juice, finely chopped thyme leaves, optional chopped rosemary, extra-virgin olive oil and salt until smooth and well emulsified. Taste and adjust with lemon juice if you prefer a zestier tang.

Pat dry the chicken thighs to allow the marinade toi create greater impact. Place the chicken thighs in a large zip-top bag or shallow dish. Pour the marinade over them, ensuring every piece is thoroughly coated. Massage gently to distribute evenly, then seal or cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight for deeper flavour. Turn the pieces halfway through if you remember which helps consistent seasoning.

Cooking:

When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the fridge and let it come to room temperature for 20–30 minutes so it cooks more evenly.

To improve skin crispiness, pat the chicken dry with paper towels to remove excess marinade, which will prevent steaming and encourage browning instead. Reserve the leftover marinade.

BBQ:

Pre-heat a bbq grill to a low heat. Sear the chicken thighs skin side down for 5 - 6 mins, or longer if needed, until deeply golden and a blackened fond has developed on the skin. Flip and bbq the other side for 3 to 4 mins, then transfer to a warm but not hot section of the bbq and allow to rest for 5 to 10 mins, or instead, transfer to a tray tented with alfoil and allow to rest for 5 to 10 mins.

Cast Iron Pan:

Pre-heat a cast iron pan to a medium high heat. Drizzle in a small amount of olive oil. Sear the chicken thighs skin side down for 5 - 6 mins for a bbq, and 3 - 4 mins for the cast iron pan, until deeply golden and a blackened fond has developed on the skin. Flip and sear the other side for 2 - 3 minutes minutes. Transfer to the prepared baking tray.

Spoon or brush some of the reserved marinade over the top of each piece for extra glaze. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 mins, depending on size, until the internal temperature reaches 72°C at the thickest part (a probe thermometer is best accuracy and avoids guesswork with poultry). Baste once or twice with pan juices or more marinade during baking to build a glossy, caramelised finish. If the top isn't browning enough in the last 5–10 minutes, switch briefly to the grill function in your oven, watching it closely to avoid burning the honey sugars.

Remove from the oven, tent loosely with foil and rest for 5–10 minutes. This will allow the juices to redistribute back through the meat for maximum tenderness.

To Serve:

Bring the pan juices if using, and any left over marinade to a rolling boil in a small pot or pan for at least 2 mins (this will ensure it is safe) then lower the heat and reduce further for 1 to 2 mins.

Serve the chicken hot, with the reduced pan sauce spooned over.

Σημειώσεις

Incredibly simple but also delicious and almost an automatic go-to of mine for any BBQ. I use de-boned thighs for the extra flavour and moisture that the cut has, but also to ensure even cooking. De-boned thighs also allows the brine to gain greater contact area with the meat ensuring its job is optimised, as described below.

Using bone-in chicken Maryland pieces (where the leg and thigh come together) works as well but with bones the chicken needs to cook much longer so it can become dry, and lose its succulent juiciness that makes it so delicious. Unlike braised or sauce cooked dishes like curry or stew, where the bone contributes markedly to the dish's overall flavour, bones don't add to this recipe so best to take them out.

Brine:

The recipe here is the quick simple version but what takes this dish to the next level is wet brining the chicken overnight before marinating.

You do this by adding 30g of sea salt to 1 litre of water and then submerging the chicken in the salted water. Brining does so many positive things to chicken before cooking. It improves its flavour, texture but also reduces its cooking time.

Brining recipes often require heating water on a stove to then dissolve the salt, which then has to be cooled down before using. I find whisking the salt and water vigorously in a bowl with room temperature water dissolves the salt perfectly well and doesn't require waiting for the water to cool. Add a few cubes of ice to the brine before adding the chicken just to ensure the water is below a temperature that microbes love.

Place all the chicken thighs skin side down in a storage container (or a large zip lock bag) and pour the cool, salted water over the top until the chicken is covered. I do this using zip lock bags or salad crisping food containers. If using zip locks, make sure the bag is properly sealed and store the bag sitting squarely bottom side down in the fridge with the seal at the top to prevent leaking.

Salad crisper storage containers have a removable plastic grill in their bottom, which separates the lettuce from any water which may drip down over time and create spoilage. I just put the plastic grill flat side down on top of the chicken, put the lid on and seal it, and the plastic grill presses down and ensures the chicken is always fully submerged.