Recipe: Maple Chile Chicken

What do you do with a full bag of chicken and not a lot of time? the Ex & I bought a large bag of chicken last weekend, thinking we’d BBQ it up come Monday or Tuesday. Well, come Wednesday the bag was still in the frig and it was time to do something with it. So I concocted a spicier version of this recipe. The recipe is very simple as is the cooking – you could do this in a regular oven, just bake in your oven at 400 degrees for about 1.5 hours.

Ingredients:
Chicken (Wings & Thighs – skin on)
2 cups apple cider
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons chile powder

Combine all the ingredients and pour over chicken. Seal in freezer bags or other container and put in refrigerator. Let marinate overnight.

I took the chicken out around 3pm and got it ready for the BGE. Since there was so much chicken, I had to use the grill extension, which just barely fit – but it worked just fine.

I cooked the chicken at 300 degrees for about 2 hours – a little longer then needed, but I was working in the garage and forgot about it. But even so, the chicken was just fine and super moist thanks to the BGE and the marinade.

When all was said and done, this was an amazingly simple recipe with surprising results. The chicken has a pleasant sweetness to it that is enhanced by the chile powder. The hint of spice opens up your tastebuds and allows the maple flavor to shine. The chicken was so moist that it was almost falling off the bone. Definitely try this recipe at home – I know I’ll be doing a variation of it again in the near future!

Nick Lindauer: The Original Hot Sauce Blog