Yep, you read that right! Spicy Bourbon BBQ Chicken! And hot damn, was it good too! I mean really, how wrong can ya go with bourbon BBQ and Summer grilling? Right! You can’t. I’m all of a sudden this Food Network addict. All those cooking shows, so little time. Anyways, Bobby Flay is ‘Da Man when it comes to grilling recipes. So, I borrowed a bit of his 16 spice rub recipe for poultry. But, I had to leave a couple of those different chili powders out. Come on, chili powder is either hot or not no matter what you call it. Ain’t nobody got time for that… So, I used 1. Just a tad more. It evened out and was amazeballs. One of my fav foodie bloggers The Rebel Foodiekeeps sending me all these boozey, drunk recipes to make. This sauce is the boss and came from her stash. I love that she gets my need to make food all boozey and drunk-ish. Be sure to thank her for adding this Bourbon BBQ Sauce to my chicken.
Ok, it’s seriously hot here in Vegas and so I’m done chit-chatting. I need an iced coffee. So, let’s get right on this badass grilling recipe shall we?
Spicy Bourbon BBQ Chicken Ingredients:
About 8-10 chicken legs. Best to use legs with skin & bone. I suppose if you’d rather go all white meat because it’s healthier or some sh*t, use some breasts. But, I like my meat dark like I like my … never mind.
Spice Rub:
3 TBSP Ground Cinnamon
3 TBSP Ancho Chili Powder (I left this out)
3 TBSP Pasilla Chili Powder (I left this out too)
3 TBSP Ground Cumin
3 TBSP Ground Coriander
3 TBSP Ground Ginger
1 TBSP Ground Cloves
1 TBSP Ground Fennel
2 TBSP Garlic Powder
2 TBSP Onion Powder
1 TBSP Allspice
1 TSP Chile de Arbol
3 TBSP Brown Sugar
2 TBSP Kosher Salt
2 TBSP Coarse Ground Black Pepper
1 TSP Cayenne Pepper
4 TBSP Chili Powder (cuz, 1 kind is plenty, me thinks)
For Bourbon BBQ Sauce:
2 TBSP Canola Oil
1 Medium Red Onion (chopped)
3 Coves Garlic (chopped)
1/2 Cup Bourbon (or more whatever)
1 Cup Ketchup
1/3 Cup Water
1 TBSP Paprika
1 Big ‘Ole TBSP Dijon Mustard
1 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar (yes, you need this)
1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
1 Can Chipotle Chile In Adobo
2 TBSP Dark Brown Sugar
1 TBSP Honey
1 TBSP Molasses
Spicy Bourbon BBQ Chicken Directions:
Like those awesome Apple Bourbon BBQ Ribs I made a couple weeks back, let’s start by 1st rinsing and dry pat down these kicking Bourbon BBQ legs. Summer grilling and BBQ is for fun, friends and partying ’till you puke like a rock-star. Not the Salmonella kind though. Grab a medium sized bowl and whisk all the rub ingredients together. Lightly brush each leg with a bit of oil and then coat completely in rub. All sides, evenly. Doesn’t it smells awesome?? I had some left over and bagged it. There was about enough left over for a couple legs to grill up on a night when we don’t have the kids. I was stoked. You can dump it. Whatever.Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (the longer the better)
Ok, while our legs are chillin’ (see what I did there?) Let’s whip up this magic bourbonbbq sauce! In a medium sized, bottom heavy saucepan, heat oil. Not to deep-fry temp, just heat it up. Add in your onion and cook that up until they are soft. (don’t caramelize them!) Toss in the garlic and let that cook for about a minute. Now, here comes the good stuff! Pour in your bourbon and let that reduce down a good bit (3-4 minutes on medium heat) Now, add the ketchup and water. Bring the whole she-bang to a boil, drop the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes so those flavors get really well incorporated. Smells yummy, right? Slowly stir in all the rest of those ingredients sitting on your counter. Let this simmer for awhile until it’s nice and thick. You should stir that sauce occasionally so it doesn’t stick and burn to the bottom of the pan, blech. Should take you all of about 10 minutes.
Now let that bourbon BBQ sauce cool for about 5 minutes. Yes, I totally tasted it and imagined everything I could dunk into it too! Confession – I dragged some fries thru it just the other day instead of regular ketchup. Can you say Uh.Maze.Ing! Pour the whole pan of bourbon BBQ sauce into a food processor and puree until smooth. A simple hand blender works great too. Taste it. Does it need a bit of salt and pepper? Add to taste. I thought it needed just a kick more bourbon and added a couple tablespoons. What??!! Pour into whatever you use to BBQ with and allow to cool to room temperature. (I was sent that cool metal container with the brush thingy attached to the lid for a review awhile ago. Works good!) The left-over bourbon BBQ sauce will keep for a week or so in the ‘fridge so don’t throw that away!
Take the seasoned legs out of the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking and let them get to room temp. Now, it’s time to fire up that grill baby! If you’re using a charcoal grill, pile up your hot coals on one side of the grill. If using gas (we use gas) turn the burners off on 1 side.Heat the grill to medium heat. Brush some oil on the grill so your chicken doesn’t stick. Grill the chicken slowly, (seriously, SLOWLY! That rub will burn like no one’s business if it’s too hot) And, for the love of Jose Quervo, keep the lid closed. You don’t need to check it every 2 minutes. When they are nice and golden brown on both sides, that’s your cue to start brushing the chicken with that awesome sauce. And don’t be skimpy either! Liberally coat those legs and give them about 10 minutes of grilling time. It will get all sticky, ooey, gooey and delicious. That’s the look you’re going for!
Now, lay a throw down of some sweet Summertime Watermelon Margaritas, all backyard Summer BBQ parties need a cool down, right? Oh you’re totally right, we need a dessert too! Over on the other blog, I made these super easy but incredibly delish Peanut Butter Cream and Brownie Trifles. Nope, don’t take long to make at all! Stop. They take only as long as it takes to make a box of brownie mix. You just made these incredible Spicy Bourbon BBQ Chicken legs, surely you can make some boxed brownie mix, right??
Enjoy my grilling friends! And, bring napkin to the shin-dig. You’re going to need them!
