Honey Chili Barbeque Chicken

Honey Chili Barbeque Chicken

If you have never made your own barbeque sauce before, you should definitely give it a shot. I make several kinds of barbeque sauce and am always experimenting with making them a little more or less spicy, tangy or sweet. With a good tomato base you can develop your own signature sauces by varying the three key elements.

There is endless variety in the herbs and spices you can add to create fragrant or spicy versions. Smoked spices like chipotle powder and smoked paprika can add an additional smoky hint. Use different vinegars in varying amounts to play with the tangy side of your sauce; I've used everything from rice wine vinegar to balsamic in my sauces. Finally, for the sweet side there are also many options; honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar are some possibilities all of which will add a unique flavor component to a good barbeque sauce. 

Honey Chili Barbeque Sauce

Today's sauce takes its taste inspiration from a pot of chili con carne, using chili powder and cumin as the base spices for a very fragrant spicy sauce. One of my favorite ways to use a homemade barbeque sauce is to add honey to the finished sauce to create an awesome barbeque glaze for chicken or pork. Simply add honey in about a 4:1 or 3:1 ratio of sauce to honey to create a sweet sticky barbeque glaze that is especially awesome on some well grilled chicken wings. Several coats of the glaze in the final minutes of cooking time will make for some of the best you will sample this grilling season.

• 1 large red onion, diced
• 6 cloves minced garlic
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Saute all together in a medium sized saucepan until the onions have softened. Add:

• 8 large very ripe diced tomatoes with the skins removed ( or a 28-32 ounce can crushed tomatoes)

Saute together until the tomatoes begin  break down and get mushy (or until the sauce is reduced by 1/4 if using canned tomatoes), then add:

• 1 1/4 c ups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup malt vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• 4 tbsp chili powder (more or less to taste)
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Simmer all together over low heat for about a half hour or until the sauce reaches the consistency of a good barbeque sauce. I like mine a little thicker than most because it is easier to brush on whatever is being grilled.
Store in airtight mason jars in the fridge.

To make Honey Chili Barbeque Chicken, take one cup of this sauce and blend in 1/3 cup good quality honey. Grill your chicken pieces until almost completely cooked, then start brushing on the glaze, turning the chicken pieces often and continuing to brush multiple layers of the glaze onto them.