Peach-Jalapeno Barbecue Chicken
Nothing beats the lip-smacking, sweet heat of this barbecue chicken. It’s marinated, basted, and doused in the flavors of peach, jalapeño, mustard, balsamic, beer, and brown sugar.
A tasty, juicy, sweet-heat barbecue chicken that's made for summer.
- 1/2 c. peach preserves (all-fruit variety) or the flesh of 2 sweet, ripe peach (no skin)
- 6-10 sliced pickled jalapeños (from store-bought jar or can)
- 1 tbsp. jalapeño pickling marinade
- 1 medium garlic clove
- 1/2 c. white balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 c. good pale, light-flavored beer (something you would also drink)
- 1/4 c. mild Dijon or yellow mustard
- 1/4 c. light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- 1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- 4 split chicken breasts, bone in, skin on (about 2.5-3 lbs. total)
- 1 lime, cut into wedges for garnish (optional)
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Combine the first 10 ingredients plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a blender and purée until smooth. Pour roughly 1 cup of the mixture into a ziplock bag and reserve the remaining in a small bowl in the refrigerator.
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Put the chicken breasts in the ziplock bag with the sauce and seal tightly. Set the bag in the fridge for the chicken to marinate for 4-8 hours.
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Remove the chicken breasts from the fridge 30-45 minutes before you plan to grill or roast so that they start to return to room temperature (keep them in the bag). Also pull the reserved sauce from the fridge and separate-out 1/4 cup for basting. Put the remainder in a small saucepan and set aside.
If Grilling Outdoors: Pre-heat your grill to a relatively low temperature (around 400°) by keeping the burners/heat-source low or off to one side. Generously coat the grates with vegetable oil or non-stick spray.
If Oven Roasting: Pre-heat your oven to 375° and position one rack in the middle of the oven and one near the top within range of the broiler.
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Grilling Method: Pull the chicken from the bag and sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon salt. Discard the marinade in the bag. Position the chicken breasts skin-side down on a cooler portion of the grill for 6-8 minutes (close grill unless venting is necessary to keep temperature down). Then flip and let the chicken cook 8-10 minutes on the other side. Baste the chicken breasts with the reserved 1/4 cup sauce 1-2 times during this period. Finally, flip the breasts again (so that they are skin-side down) and move them to a slightly hotter portion of the grill to develop grill marks and cook through (typically another 5-7 minutes).
Oven Method: Arrange the chicken skin-side up in a lightly greased oven-proof baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Discard the marinade in the bag. Position the dish on your oven's middle rack to cook the chicken for an initial 20 minutes. Then pull the dish from the oven, baste the chicken with the reserved 1/4 cup sauce, and return the dish to your oven's top rack. Let the chicken cook another 15-20 minutes on the top rack until the skin is golden and crispy and the chicken is cooked through. Feel free to turn-on your oven's broiler for the last 2-3 minutes if needed to help brown the top of the chicken.
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While the chicken is cooking, put the saucepan of reserved sauce over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Then immediately turn the heat to low and let the sauce cook and thicken for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve the sauce alongside the chicken with some lime wedges (optional). Enjoy!