Here’s a favorite honey balsamic grilled chicken recipe you can enjoy for years to come. When it’s too hot to heat up the kitchen in the dog days of Summer we fire up the grill, a lot! One of my favorite things to grill is locally raised organic chicken from West Wind Farms in Morgan County Tennessee. The flavor is pure, clean and delicious. We like to brine the whole bird for a few hours before cutting into serving pieces. The brining process keep the chicken tender and juicy, and helps to add a a bit of salt to bring out the flavor of this beautiful poultry. Chances are you can make the BBQ Glaze for items you already have in your pantry. It’s an easy sauce to make but so tasty on this grilled chicken. Give it a try anytime of year.
Grilled Pasture Raised Organic Chicken with Honey-Balsamic BBQ Glaze
For the brine-
2 gallons of water
1/2 cup of kosher salt
Mix the water and salt together until dissolved in a larger container. Add the chicken and let brine for at least 4 hours.
For the chicken-
1 whole organic chicken, 2-3 pounds
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
What a nice looking bird from West Winds Farm
Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels and set aside on a cutting board. Time the wing tips at the second joint, and set aside Remove the breasts by running the knife down the center great bone inch side until you cut through at the wing joint. Set aside with the wings. Separate the the thigh quarters and then cut the leg away cutting through at the little fat line that runs between the thigh and leg. Set aside with the the wings and breasts. Season the chicken with the oil and all of the spices listed above. Cover and let come to room temp for 15 minutes. Now fire up the grill and bring to 450F degrees. When the grill is hot grill the chicken skin side up for about 5 minutes. Tuns the chicken over to grill skin side down for another 5 minutes. At this point you might need to turn down the grill to a more medium heat, and then turn the chicken over agin to skin side up. Using a small soon begin to drizzle the BBQ Glaze over each piece of chicken. Close the grill for a minute and then repeat. Turn the chicken =n over and add more glaze, you will be skin side down now. Close the grill again for a minute to give the BBQ Glaze a chance to work its way into the chicken and slightly begin to caramelize, take care not to burn the skin, a little char is ok but be careful. Using an insta-read thermometer check that the temperature has reached 165f degrees (food safety first!). Remove the grilled chicken to a serving platter and drizzle the remaining BBQ Glaze over the chicken. Let rest a few minutes and serve! Enjoy!
For the Honey Balsamic BBQ Glaze
This sauce couldn’t be easier, basically it’s equal parts local honey, balsamic vinegar and yellow mustard. If you need more then simple scale it up to suit your needs!
1/4 cup local honey, we use Johnson’s Honey Farm
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
In a small bowl combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Will keep refrigerated for up to 1 month.
Chef Michael R. Martin
South Fork Catering Co.
