Top Chicken Recipes for a Successful BBQ
Chicken
is one of my favourite things to cook on a barbecue thanks to the fact you can
pretty much do anything with it. It goes well with a variety of marinades and
tends to be a winner with all of my summer party guests.
I
must admit, I sometimes forget this fact myself, and often stick to the tried
and tested recipes - mainly grilling plain chicken on my Weber charcoal. While I think the smokey taste of the coals is
sometimes all you need, below are five of my top recipes that I love to whip
out to especially impress my guests.
Firstly,
when I'm looking to provide the wow factor for my barbecue, I like to coat
chicken breasts and thighs in a Tandoori marinade. Indian cuisine is hugely
popular among my family and friends, and this always goes down a treat.
Simply
stick ginger, paprika, garam masala, cardamom seeds and garlic into a blender
and marinade the meat for a good few hours ahead of your guests turning up. I
always make sure I prick the skin with a fork to really allow the sauce to sink
in, while I lift the skin up and push some sauce under there too.
Tandoori
chicken tastes fantastic in pitta bread with salad and plain yoghurt, and you
might like to do some kebabs for little ones too, but with unflavoured chicken.
These are easy to eat and a lot less messy than kids eating drumsticks with
their hands, while they probably won't even noticed you've sneaked some
lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes in there!
/image:channel4.com/
|
Another
Asian-inspired recipe I like to use every now and again when bringing out my
Weber Compact is chicken satay. Just a quick word of warning before you embark
on this, though; check if any guests have nut allergies, as you'll need to
clean the grill and utensils after making this so they don't contaminate other
food. You might decide to do this dish last, as that way you can be doubly
sure.
Coat
your chicken in a peanut cooking sauce, and while that's barbecuing, get a
friend or family member to heat up the remainder of the peanut sauce with some
lime and coconut milk for around five minutes in a pan. Once heated, this can
be poured into small bowls so your guests can dip their chicken skewers into
them.
Having
a platter of chicken satay skewers looks impressive with the bowls of dip, and
will definitely go down well with your guests. For a dish that isn’t quite as
full on with flavours, I like to very slowly grill chicken with sweet onions
and peppers. You do have to be patient for this one, as burnt bits will ruin
the subtle flavours of this combination.
In
fact, I'd recommend making sure your barbecue isn't too hot for this recipe and
cooking the meat and vegetables for around an hour. Perhaps serve this dish
first, and start the cooking process a bit before your guests are due to arrive
so they aren't waiting around too long for their food.
Of
course, whichever dish you choose, make sure chicken is cooked all of the way
through with no red bits. Having a BBQ with a lid-mounted thermometer can help
provide peace of mind that poultry is safe to serve.