Chicken Thighs with Roasted Garlic Lemon Barbecue Sauce
1 hour and 30 minutes
Serves: 4
Take the time to roast an entire head of garlic, which you can do ahead,* to infuse your favorite barbecue sauce with a full-bodied caramelized edge. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice and zest brighten it all up and blends beautifully when grilled.
Ingredients
- SAUCE
- 1 head garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-1/2 cups barbecue sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
- CHICKEN
- 4 (20 ounces) Just Bare Bone-In Chicken Thighs
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 cups fresh watercress leaves
- 1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped seedless cucumber
- 1 cup yellow or red cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint or thyme
- 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta or goat cheese
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F. Slice the top off of garlic, just exposing the cloves. Place on a 6-inch square of foil; drizzle with olive oil and wrap foil around garlic. Place in oven; roast 30 to 35 minutes or until garlic feels very soft when pressed.
- Squeeze garlic cloves from papery skins; mash with fork in small bowl. Stir in barbecue sauce, lemon juice, and lemon peel until well blended. Set half of sauce aside to brush onto chicken during grilling; save the remainder to serve at the table.
- Heat grill to medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken, skin-side down, on grill. Cover and cook 25 to 30 minutes or until no longer pink near bone (165°F internally). Begin brushing chicken with sauce about half-way through cooking time, brushing and turning chicken until it gets dark and crispy.
- Meanwhile toss watercress, cucumber, tomato, onion, and mint together in medium bowl. Drizzle with vinegar and sprinkle with cheese. Serve with grilled chicken, with additional barbecue sauce alongside.