Chicken may be a little less "exciting" than others, but I'm here to show you how it can give a really fun and "solid" result. Yes, yes, in this recipe, I'm going to give you my secrets to preparing delicious chicken thighs with and without skin!
More specifically, I'm going to show you how to make some crazy competition chicken thighs (note, you don't have to be in a competition to make this recipe! 😉). You can make it for judges as well as for your family and friends, the result will be just as mind-blowing.
First of all, my first secret is to use Champion BBQ Québec sauce with chicken. It's my favorite sauce with this meat because it is fruity, has notes of vanilla and above all, because it has peach nectar. Its notes are therefore really incredible and its flavor is very hot (in the sense that the sauce tastes very good). When it is hot and the chicken is dipped in it at the end of its cooking, the result is really "sick"! 👌
Another one of my secrets for competition chicken is to build layers of flavor. Ideally, you dehydrate the meat with salt, then “boost” its flavor with sugar. So I recommend salting the underside of the thighs, because that’s the part your tongue usually touches first, and then adding sweet dry rubs on top to give them a nice caramelization.
Now that I've given you a good basics for cooking chicken thighs, it's time to show you the recipe! You'll see, it's not complicated (it's even less complicated if you use skinless thighs). 😉
Ingredients :
Chicken thighs (skinless and boneless), to taste
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Booster BBQ Québec flavor enhancer , to taste
Appalaches BBQ Québec X La ferme Monette dry marinade , to taste
Sweet Kansas BBQ Quebec dry marinade , to taste
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Champion BBQ Quebec sauce , to taste
Preparation* :
Preheat BBQ to 300°F.
Without completely detaching it from the meat, remove part of the skin from the chicken, then "pull" it so that its inside is facing up (in other words, "open" it up next to the chicken). Using a knife, slowly scrape the fat from the inside of the skin until it is more transparent. (This allows the skin to adhere better to the meat and become nice and crispy.)
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Put a little Booster flavor enhancer on both sides of the chicken skin to dehydrate it, then also a little bit on each side of the meat flesh. Then sprinkle Appalaches dry marinade on both sides of the skin and flesh, making sure not to put too much on the top (of the skin and flesh), then, to give a sweet taste to the meat, add a little Sweet Kansas dry marinade on the underside of the skin and flesh and a lot on the top of them.
Replace the skin on top of the thighs and place the thighs on the top grill of the BBQ (in the indirect cooking zone) to cook. Remove them when they have reached an internal temperature of at least 170°F.
While the thighs are cooking, pour some Champion sauce into a cast iron skillet and heat it on the BBQ (in the indirect or direct cooking zone, your choice).
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When the sauce is hot enough, dip the thighs in the Champion sauce, then put them back on the grill for about 2 minutes on each side (in the indirect cooking zone) to caramelize them.
Once the thighs have a nice crust, serve them and enjoy them without limits!
*If using skinless chicken, skip all steps (or parts of steps) regarding skin on thighs.
Happy BBQ!
