I have been grilling a lot of poultry lately on the wonderful barbecue grill we purchased this past Memorial Day weekend. I’ve made tandoori chicken and soy sauce quail and they both turned out lovely. I thought it was time to experiment a bit and create a new recipe for the upcoming July 4th weekend. I had a jar of delicious chokecherry jelly that Daddy’s friends from Minnesota gave us, and I decided to make a marinade and glaze out of it. The jelly imparts a tangy sweet flavor to the chicken that is perfect for a hot summer day.
If you’re having a barbecue this July 4th weekend, give this grilled chicken recipe a try.
1. Info for Easy Barbecue Chicken Recipe for July 4th
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 6
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Easy Barbecue Chicken Recipe for July 4th
- 6 whole chicken thighs
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons papaya (see tips)
- 1 star anise, slightly toasted and ground
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds, slightly toasted and ground
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ cup chokecherry jelly
- 2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
- 3 tablespoons canola oil, + extra for brushing
- 3 tablespoons curly parsley, for garnish
3. Directions:
- Remove the fat around the bottom of the thighs if there is any. Skin and trim the chicken of all fat. Wash the chicken and pat dry using paper towels.
- Make deep diagonal incisions into the flesh of each piece using a sharp boning knife.
- For the chokecherry glaze, combine the ginger garlic paste, ground star anise, fennel seeds, chokecherry jelly, vinegar and ground papaya. Reserve about 2-3 tablespoons.
- Season the chicken with salt, paprika, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Cover the meat inside and out with the spiced vinegar and yogurt. Toss well. Place the chicken in a large bowl or a sealable zip-top bag. Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of oil. Marinate for at least 3-4 hours in the refrigerator.
- Remove the chicken 15 minutes before grilling to get it back to room temperature.
- Brush the hot barbecue grill with oil using a brush. Place the chicken on the grill and cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat. Baste the meat every now and then with the reserved chokecherry glaze. Lower the heat, then flip the chicken thighs and cook for an additional 30-35 minutes.
- At the end, brush the chicken one more time with the remaining glaze and increase the heat for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Cover with foil and let the meat rest for at least 10 minutes.
- A thermometer should register 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh or the juice should run clear when you crack around the joint of the thighs.
- Take the chicken out of the grill. Loosely cover with foil (don’t entirely wrap it or the skin won’t be crispy). Let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
- Garnish with sprigs of parsley.
- Bon appétit!
