Barbecued Chicken

We eat lots of chicken in our home and there's never a shortage on all the ways to cook it.  This tasty chicken with it's fabulous BBQ sauce is out of this world.  All the credit goes to the delicious easy-to-make sauce.  Whip this up in no time and have an awesome dinner on the table tonight!

BARBECUED CHICKEN

For the Brine:

3 chicken thighs bone in, skin on
3 chicken breasts, bone in, skin on

4 garlic cloves, smashed

2 quarts of water

1/4 cup sugar

2 fresh sprigs rosemary

1 tablespoon coarse sea salt

For the Sauce:

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups tomato sauce

4 fresh rosemary sprigs tied into a bunch

2 teaspoons thyme

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

To make the brine -

In a large bowl, combine the water, sugar, garlic, salt and 2 sprigs rosemary.  Evenly distribute the mixture into two large separate resealable bags.  Evenly distribute the chicken into the bags and seal.  Place onto a large plate or baking dish and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.  

To make the sauce - Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add in the tied rosemary and onion.  Saute for 3-4 minutes.  Add in the garlic and thyme.  Saute for 2 minutes or until the onion is translucent.  Add in the tomato sauce, brown sugar, molasses, soy sauce, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper.  Blend together.  Reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. Remove 1 1/2 cups of the sauce from the pan into a serving bowl and reserve for later.  The remaining sauce will be used for basting the chicken. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat the grill to medium.  Lightly oil the surface of the grill so the chicken won't stick.  Place the chicken onto the heated grill and cook for 10 minutes, turning once half way during cook time.  Transfer the chicken into a baking dish and brush generously with the remaining sauce.  Cook for 15 minutes then bast the chicken again with a generous amount of sauce.  Return to oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink, basting 1 to 2 more times during cook time.  Transfer chicken onto a serving plate and serve alongside with reserved BBQ sauce.