Chicken has long been a grilling staple but how many times have you actually had it where the skin wasn't soft and chewy? In this recipe, we show you how to use indirect heat to help render some of the fat from the skin of chicken thighs, ultimately turning them from flabby to ultra crispy!
CRISPY GRILLED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH APPLE BBQ SAUCE
Ingredients
8 cups water
¼ cup Kosher salt
¼ cup sugar
6 chicken thighs
1 tbsp. olive oil
Your favorite barbecue dry rub seasoning
Apple barbecue sauce (recipe follows)
Additional Tools
1 expansion rack
Instructions
Combine salt, sugar and water in a large re-sealable bag. Seal and shake gently to combine the ingredients. Once the salt and sugar have dissolved, add the chicken thighs. Seal the bag and refrigerate the chicken thighs for 2-4 hours.
Prepare grill for medium-high heat cooking, approximately 400 degrees. Once the grill comes to temperature, add 2-3 chunks of your favorite smoking wood to the ashed over charcoal briquets.
Place expansion rack on the main grill grate. Remove the chicken thighs from the brine, rinse well, and pat dry. Coat the thighs with olive oil then seasoning liberally with your favorite dry rub seasoning. Place chicken thighs skin side down on the expansion rack and cover the grill. Allow the chicken to grill for approximately 20 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, rotating the thighs after 10 minutes to promote even browning and crisping.
Brush the bottom of the chicken thighs with apple barbecue sauce, flip, and sauce the skin side. Cover the grill and allow the chicken to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes to allow the sauce to set. Remove the thighs from the grill and serve immediately.
APPLE BARBECUE SAUCE
Ingredients
18oz. bottle KC Masterpiece Original barbecue sauce
¼ cup apple jelly
½ cup apple juice
Instructions
Combine ingredients in a small saucepan. Allow sauce to simmer over medium-low heat until it has reduced slightly and coats the back of a spoon, approximately 15 minutes. Refrigerate sauce until ready to use.