Who says one can't make an excellent BBQ sauce without ketchup?
I think of raspberries as the prima donnas of berries and in the summer, when they are plentiful and wilt in a heartbeat, its wonderful to have a way to not only use them up but to do so in an incredibly flavorful sauce, that not only does much for itself but so much more for chicken.
Speaking of which, marinating the chicken overnight in a bit of garlic, olive oil and most importantly fresh orange juice and zest does wonders for the chicken as you get a taste of citrusy flavor with each bite.
I've kept the basic foundations of traditional BBQ sauce intact with molasses and spices. However, I think the balsamic vinegar adds a much richer complexity of flavor instead of good ole' vinegar.
Use this recipe as a guide and tweak to your hearts content. Because we all know, that's where the secret of great BBQ sauce lies!
Gather the ingredients,
Sauce: 1-1/2 cup or 12 oz fresh raspberries, 1/2 cup molasses, 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar, 2 garlic cloves - peeled, crushed & chopped, 1/2 tsp dried ground ginger, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp hot sauce, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp liquid smoke, 1/2 tbs Dijon mustard, 1/4 brown sugar & 1/2 tsp salt.
Chicken: 4 split chicken breasts or whole chicken cut-up, defrosted, 1 orange (juice & zest), 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbs olive oil, 1 tsp salt & 1/2 tsp black ground pepper
- Sauce: In a sauce pan, add the garlic and all the other ingredients except for raspberries.
- Combine with a whisk. Add the raspberries.
- Simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes, running a whisk through off and on.
- Cool completely or leave overnight. Puree in a blender. Sieve to discard any seeds.
- Store in the refrigerator in a lidded container till ready to use.
- Chicken:In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the marinade. In a zip-loc bag, add the chicken. Zip close the bag and shake to thoroughly coat the chiken with the marinade. Refrigerate preferably overnight but for at least 4 hours.
- Preheat the grill for 10 minutes on medium-high. With a silicone brush liberally oil the grate with olive oil.
- Place the chicken skin down on the grate. Do not over-crowd. Grill for 7 minutes on each side till the chicken is nicely brown. It will still be raw.
- With a silicone brush, liberally slather the chicken with the BBQ sauce. Grill for 4 minutes. Turn over and repeat on the other side.
- Take the chicken off the grill, apply some more BBQ sauce on the chicken and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving with grilled corn and other sides.
A delicious BBQ sauce with citrus, tangy and sweet flavors brings out the best in chook on the grill. Simply comfort food.
Recipe for
BBQ Chicken with Raspberry Balsamic BBQ Sauce
Preparation time - 20 minutes
Cooking Time - 20 minutes
On the grill -
Serves 4-6, Makes 1-1/2 cup BBQ sauce
Shopping list
1-1/2 cup or 12 oz fresh raspberries
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves - peeled, crushed & chopped
1/2 tsp dried ground ginger
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tbs Dijon mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Method -
Sauce:
- In a sauce pan, add the garlic and all the other ingredients except for raspberries.
- Combine with a whisk. Add the raspberries.
- Simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes, running a whisk through off and on.
- Cool completely or leave overnight. Puree in a blender. Sieve to discard any seeds.
- Store in the refrigerator in a lidded container till ready to use.
Chicken:
- In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the marinade. In a zip-loc bag, add the chicken. Zip close the bag and shake to thoroughly coat the chiken with the marinade. Refrigerate preferably overnight but for at least 4 hours.
- Preheat the grill for 10 minutes on medium-high. With a silicone brush liberally oil the grate with olive oil.
- Place the chicken skin down on the grate. Do not over-crowd. Grill for 7 minutes on each side till the chicken is nicely brown. It will still be raw.
- With a silicone brush, liberally slather the chicken with the BBQ sauce. Grill for 4 minutes. Turn over and repeat on the other side.
Take the chicken off the grill, apply some more BBQ sauce on the chicken and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving with grilled corn and other sides.
Enjoy!
