Apple Cider Vinegar BBQ Chicken
Tangy and sweet, just like a good BBQ sauce should be.
BBQ is one of those sauces that just goes so well with chicken and this one is a real doozie. Made with the acidic and slightly fruity flavor of apple cider vinegar, this unique BBQ sauce gets a kick from cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and dijon mustard. It’s a tangy sauce that is brimming with deep flavor.
The way this recipe is made is that at the end of preparation you can either smother the entire chicken in this zesty sauce or you can serve the chicken and sauce separately so that the BBQ mixture is a dipping sauce. However you chose to make this yummy apple cider BBQ chicken is up to you.
To begin making this recipe you’ll start out by rubbing a 3-pound fryer chicken with olive oil and then seasoning with salt and pepper. Then cook in a deep oven-safe pan for 1 1/2 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 165˚.
While the chicken is cooking the sauce comes together by combining apple cider vinegar, ketchup, garlic, dijon mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne pepper in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Then decide if you want the flavorful sauce as a dip or served right on the chicken.
For all you seasoned BBQ aficionados out there this sauce will be slightly thin and sweet but very tangy, akin to a cross between a Lexington style sauce and South Carolina mustard sauce. It’s not the sugary sweet and thick Kansas City style, but it’s a combination of flavors that is neither too spicy nor too sweet.
Serve this chicken with a salad and some nice bread and you’ve got a delectable BBQ chicken dinner that really hits the spot. After seeing how easy it is to make this sauce at home, we may never buy the store-bought stuff again.
Apple Cider Vinegar BBQ Chicken
Diet: Halal
For chicken:
- 1 (3-4 lb.) whole chicken, rinsed, cleaned, patted dry and trussed
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
For the sauce:
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
Preparation
- Allow chicken to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 425˚.
- Brush chicken with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and rub in salt and pepper.
- Pour the rest of the olive oil into a deep oven-safe pan, like a Dutch oven or cast iron stock pot.
- Place chicken in pan breast side up. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until meat thermometer measures an internal temperature of 165˚.
- While chicken cooks combine sauce ingredients together in a medium saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often. Pour over servings of chicken or use as a dipping sauce.
Recipe adapted from Le Creuset.