I bet when most of you think about barbecue chicken, you have visions of smoke wafting, the hubby “manning” the grill and a bucket of ice cold brewskies somewhere nearby. Though I do love barbecue chicken on the grill, unlike burgers and dogs, it takes a ton of time to cook and has a high probability of either being completely undercooked or dry as a bone. Rather than telling the famished crowd to have another cold one and hang in there, how many times have I turned up the flame to speed the process and wound up with blackened (as in burned) chicken in the end!
While Bobby Flay makes it look so easy as he considers whether to use one of his sponsor-underwritten smokers, charcoal or gas grills, I say for a better outcome, do the following:
- Print this recipe.
- Pop the chicken in the oven, and
- Reward yourself with a glass of vino or a sparkling Prosecco.
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 T. oil
- 2 T. vinegar
- 2 T. brown sugar
- ¼ c. lemon juice
- 1 c. ketchup
- 3 T. Worcestershire sauce
- ½ T. prepared mustard
- 1 c. water
- ½ t. salt
- ⅛ t. cayenne pepper
- ½ c. flour
- 1 fryer, cut up in pieces
- ¼ c. oil
- Make sauce by browning onions in tablespoons of oil. Add next 7 ingredients and simmer 30 minutes.
- Combine salt, cayenne pepper and flour in a paper bag. Shake chicken in bag until coated. Brown in ¼ cup hot oil. Pour off excess oil. Pour sauce over chicken and bake uncovered in 325 degrees for one hour.
- Serve immediately.
This easy, delicious oven-baked barbecue chicken truly deserves a nod. I have served it countless times with friends begging for the recipe. It comes from one of my all time favorite cookbooks, Well Seasoned. A Southern classic, this cookbook is a product of Les Passees, Inc. in Memphis. Founded in 1910, Les Passess is the oldest women’s volunteer group, and boy, do they know how to cook. Not only have my friends personally tested hundreds of recipes in Well Seasoned, I don’t think I’ve had a flop yet.
If you read Junior League Cookbooks like novels, then perusing Well Seasoned will be a complete and utter joy. Where else can you find commentary like, “grind any leftover scaps, mix with mayo and mustard, serve on crackers,” and “this dish tastes more like chicken than tuna,” or “can be served with pineapple rings.”
Bon appetit, Southern style!
A huge thank you to Ashley Hylbert Photography and Mary Carter, food stylist. Click here to see more of Ashley’s work.
