Sunday, February 21, 2010

Deep in the Woods Chicken

2006 GOLDEN WHISK AWARDS
(Our top 10 recipes of the year)

Reader Pat Nugent paid tribute to a World War II buddy of his father's by passing along his specialty to our Southern Recipe Restoration Project. Atlanta cooking instructor Virginia Willis tried it and quickly understood why it's worth preserving. It's ultra-simple, yet loaded with flavor.
 

45 minutes  Total time: 1 hour  Serves: 8

Ingredients:

    1 cup water 1 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup peanut oil, more for the grill grate 6 tablespoons hot sauce, preferably Texas Pete 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons coarse salt 2 whole chickens, cut up Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Heat a grill to high. To make the barbecue sauce: Combine the water, vinegar, peanut oil, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and salt in a squirt bottle. Set aside.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Take a few paper towels and moisten them with a little oil. Using a pair of tongs, oil the grill grate with the paper towels. Place the chicken on the grill, leaving plenty of space between each piece. Grill until seared, about 1 to 2 minutes per side for legs and thighs and 3 minutes or so for breasts. Reduce heat to medium or move chicken to medium-low fire; continue to grill, turning occasionally and squirting with barbecue sauce, until the juices run clear when chicken is pierced, 12 to 18 minutes. 
 
Remove the pieces from the grill as they cook and transfer to a warm platter. Give them a final squirt of sauce for flavor and serve immediately.

Nutrition:

Per serving (based on 6): 454 calories (percent of calories from fat, 60), 41 grams protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, no fiber, 30 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 119 milligrams cholesterol, 1,769 milligrams sodium.