After posting the pics of bbq chicken I made in the oven on the Facebook Fan Page a couple weeks back.. you won’t believe the number of emails and phone calls I got asking for the recipe (there were eve some smoke signals originating from Detroit way asking for the recipe). Though not a recipe you’d associate with the Caribbean, I thought I’d still share this simple bbq chicken in the oven recipe, with you all. This recipe is so simple, we’re not even making the bbq sauce. However don’t let it’s simplicity have you fooled into thinking it will lack in flavor or originality.

You’ll Need….

1 chicken (4-5 lbs)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 cups bbq sauce (your fav)
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Juice of 1 lime or lemon for washing the chicken.

* Optional, but you can add some pepper sauce or freshly cut scotch bonnet pepper in the mix to give it a wicked kick!

I’m good at taking apart a chicken, so cutting it into four pieces was not a problem. You can always ask your butcher or use chicken parts for this recipe. If you’re worried about the white meat going dry, rest assured that it won.  It will be the most moist, tender and juicy chicken breast you’ll ever have (that’s not brined). In a future episode on the Food FAQ cooking channel I’ll show you how to take apart a whole chicken.

You’ll be tempted to remove the skin from the chicken, but do leave it on. However, do trim off the fat and excess skin. Having the skin on, is one of the key things to having  tender and moist bbq chicken in the oven. Wash the chicken pieces with lemon juice and rinse with cool water. Pat dry and get ready to season

In a small bowl or plate, mix the salt, black pepper, cinnamon, dry mustard, allspice and fresh thyme, then work it on all the pieces of chicken. I know my Caribbean friends are probably saying that this is not fully seasoned, but trust me. Be sure to coat both sides of the chicken.

With your oven set at 375 F, place the baking dish with the seasoned chicken on the middle rack and let cook for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, tip the baking dish and spoon out any liquid/fat from the bottom of the dish (discard). In the picture you’ll notice that I lined the dish with foil to make the clean-up easier when I’m done. We need to get rid of all liquid as we want the bbq sauce to really stick to the pieces of chicken for that gooey goodness. Using your favorite store BBQ sauce, baste the chicken pieces and place back in the oven for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, turn the pieces of chicken over and give this side a nice coat of that BBQ sauce and back into the oven for another 10 minutes.

It’s time to flip it over again and give it a final coat of that luscious BBQ sauce. Be generous as we want this to sort of caramelize and form a sticky coating over the pieces of chicken. Back in the oven for 10 minutes. The last 3 minutes I turned on the broiler and got the perfect color on my BBQ chicken.

With the lovely scent of the cinnamon, allspice and fresh thyme, your kitchen will smell like heaven. I used (my Canadian friends will know it) Diana’s Honey Garlic sauce, so with the addition of the honey and garlic flavor, this BBQ Chicken was unreal. By cooking with a low heat, the fact that we kept the skin on and the basting with the BBQ sauce, the chicken was simply amazing. Nothing dry and tasteless here.. but then, when would I ever give you a crappy recipe?

I do hope you guys give this version of BBQ chicken a test drive, as I’m sure the results will be very pleasing to your taste buds.

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With major holidays in Canada (July 1) and the US (July 4) coming up soon, I thought I’d share a few tips on working with chicken on the grill. These are from my experiences and though I don’t claim to be an expert… I do have guests licking their fingers when they’ve had the opportunity to experience my artistry on an open flame. My absolute favourite meat besides a good NY Strip steak to cook on the grill is chicken. But not just any old piece of chicken, it must be leg quarters. I love the flavour of dark meat, plus it stands up best to the high-direct heat of grilling.

Some tips…

To make breast quarters grill more quickly and evenly, cut through the wing joint to break it and bring the wing closer to the grill. If you’re cooking dark meat like leg quarters, pierce the thick parts a few times with a pairing knife. I usually go in near the joints. Here’s a pic of some leg quarters brushed with sticky honey-garlic sauce.

If you’re dieting and want to remove the chicken’s skin, do so after cooking, not before.  Without some kind of covering, the chicken will dry out and toughen before it finishes cooking.

Turn chicken frequently, about every 5 minutes to insure even doneness and to prevent blistering.

If flare-ups occur, remove the food for a few moments and sprinkle water lightly over the flames, or smother them by covering the grill.

Cook white-meat poultry until juices run clear and the meat reaches an internal temperature of 170o to 175oF and dark meat to 180o to 185oF on a meat thermometer.

Grill whole birds and larger parts using the indirect method in a covered grill.  Place a drip pan beneath the bird; the pan should be slightly larger than the bird. Fill the pan halfway with water or you’ll find that the drippings or grease will flare up as well. Keep adding water as needed so the pan is never dry.

Chicken should be well-done.  If you don’t want to take the usual time it takes, cook your chicken partially by steaming it on low heat on a stove top or (I can’t believe I’m saying this) microwave.

Purchase one of those metal BBQ sauce cups so you can place the BBQ sauce you’ll be using to heat while the chicken is cooking. Never take bottled BBQ sauces from the fridge and brush directly onto your grilled meats and vegetables. I place my sauce cup on top of the BBQ while I cook. the heat is very low, so the sauces gets to slow heat and be ready for basting when the time arrives.

The final product… had to add some chicken flavoured rice and a wonderful Greek salad.

Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or would like to contribute further to this post.