If you haven’t made your own BBQ sauce before, I urge you to try this recipe.  Using whole ingredients, it leaves those processed store bought versions in the dust when it comes to flavor and is so much healthier.

BBQ Chicken
side: macaroni salad

PREP: 30 minutes
COOK: 30 minutes
YIELD: 4 servings

MAKE AHEAD

• Make spice mix and season chicken (up to 24 hours ahead) * see directions in BBQ chicken, steps 2 & 3 below
• BBQ sauce * see recipe below
• Buttermilk dressing * see recipe below
• Cut vegetables: onion

INGREDIENTS

For BBQ chicken

1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon onion powder
2½ pounds bone-in chicken thighs (about 6-7), skin removed (for two meals)
Barbeque sauce * recipe below

For macaroni salad

8 ounces whole wheat macaroni noodles
¼ red onion, cut into small dice
4 cups loosely packed spinach, about 4 handfuls
Buttermilk dressing * recipe below

DIRECTIONS

For BBQ chicken

1. Heat outdoor grill.
2. In a small bowl, stir to combine salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.
3. Lightly dry off chicken pieces and season both sides generously with spice mixture (chicken can be seasoned up to 24 hours in advance and stored in a Ziploc bag or airtight container in the refrigerator).
4. Grill chicken on indirect heat (cooler side of the barbeque) for 25 – 30 minutes or until the juices run clear and the meat closest to the bone is no longer pink.
5. In the last minutes of grilling, brush the chicken with homemade barbeque sauce. Be careful – the sauce will cause the chicken to burn quickly.
6. Serve 1 thigh per person and save the rest of the chicken for Meal #3, Chicken Cobb Salad.

Cooking indoors? Heat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet and bake chicken for 25 minutes or until the juices run clear and the chicken is no longer pink in the middle. In the last minutes of cooking, brush the chicken with homemade barbeque sauce. Be careful – the sauce will cause the chicken to burn quickly.

For macaroni salad

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 2 heavy pinches of salt. Add in macaroni and stir, cook for 8-10 minutes or until aldente. Drain and place into a large salad bowl.
2. Allow macaroni to cool about 10 minutes then add red onion, spinach, and buttermilk dressing – stir to combine.
3. Taste and adjust salt & pepper as needed.

For BBQ sauce

1 (6 ounce) can organic tomato paste
½ Tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
¼ cup unsulfured molasses
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons balsalmic vinegar
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon back pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper
¼ cup water

In a small bowl, whisk to combine all ingredients until smooth.

For buttermilk dressing

¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon lemon juice (½ lemon)
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
3 Tablespoons finely minced red onion
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk to combine all ingredients until smooth; reserve ⅓ cup for Meal #3 Chicken Cobb Salad.