Recipes Dinner Poultry Dishes Chicken Main Course Spicy Southern Barbecued Chicken 5.0 (1,560) Add your rating & review Plus: More Chicken Recipes and Tips By Scott Peacock Scott Peacock Scott Peacock is a James Beard Award-winning chef from Alabama. One of the foremost authorities on American Southern cuisine, he is best known for his work at Watershed restaurant in Decatur, Georgia, and his partnership with culinary icon Edna Lewis. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 8, 2017 Rate PRINT Share Photo: © Quentin Bacon Active Time: 1 hr 15 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 45 mins Yield: 4 Ingredients Kosher salt Cold water One 3 1/2-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 cup minced onion 2 large garlic cloves, minced 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika 1 1/2 teaspoons pure ancho chile powder 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/2 cup tomato paste 2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses Directions In a large bowl, dissolve 1/4 cup of kosher salt in 2 quarts of cold water. Add the chicken and refrigerate for 2 hours. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over low heat until softened. Add the paprika, ancho powder and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add 1 cup of water, the brown sugar and vinegar and bring to a simmer. Stir in the tomato paste and molasses and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and let cool. Light a grill or preheat the oven to 500°. Drain the chicken and pat dry, then grill over a moderately low fire, turning a few times, until just cooked through; about 25 minutes for the white meat; about 35 minutes for the dark. Alternatively, in the upper third of the oven, roast the chicken, skin side up, on a rimmed baking sheet, until just cooked through; 25 minutes for the white meat; 35 to 40 minutes for the dark. Set aside half of the barbecue sauce; brush the remaining sauce on the chicken. Continue grilling or roasting the chicken for 10 minutes, or until nicely glazed. Serve with the reserved sauce. Make Ahead The barbecue sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. Suggested Pairing The wonderful sauce for this chicken mingles mildly sweet–and–sour with spicy flavors, all of which call for a red wine with some assertiveness of its own. Try a Cabernet Franc, which is fruiter, juicer and less tannic than Cabernet Sauvignon—as well as more flexible with food. (Cab Fran's hint of herbiness also works well with the tomato in the sauce.) Try one from the Loire Valley or Napa. Originally appeared: June 2003 Rate It Print