Pecan BBQ Chicken
Pecan BBQ Chicken is a simple grilled chicken recipe that is knock your socks off delicious. Half chickens are brined and grilled with hardwood smoke. We finish it off with a delicious pecan bbq sauce for an epic chicken dinner.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 641kcal
Ingredients
For the Brine:
- 2 quarts hot water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 cups ice cubes
- 2 quarts cold water
- 2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves sliced in half
- 1 whole lemon quartered
For the Chicken:
- 1 whole chicken 3-5 pounds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup sweet and tangy bbq sauce
- ½ cup finely diced pecans toasted
Instructions
- Mix hot water with kosher salt and sugar until dissolved. Stir in ice and cold water, mixing until melted to cool down the brine.
- Add fresh garlic and squeeze the lemon into the brine. Add black pepper and stir well.
- Lower the chicken into the brine. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour and up to 8 hours.
- Drain chicken and discard the brine.
Make the Pecan BBQ Sauce:
- Finely dice toasted pecans.
- Stir into sweet and tangy bbq sauce or your favorite bbq sauce.
How to Grill Pecan BBQ Chicken:
- Prepare a grill fire to 350° using pecan or hickory for smoke flavor.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels.
- Using poultry shears, cut down the breast bone and the back bone, cutting the chicken in half. The backbone can be removed if desired or leave it intact to use the carcasses to make homemade chicken broth.
- Spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Place chicken over indirect fire and cook with the with the grill closed, keeping the temperature between 325° and 350°.
- After cooking for about 45 minutes, check internal temperature using a digital thermometer. When chicken reaches about 155°, slather with pecan bbq sauce. Continue cooking until internal temperature reaches 165° near the thick part of the thigh.
- Remove from the grill and allow to rest about 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Remove chicken from the bones. Dice chicken and store in an airtight deli containers in the refrigerator up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.
Reheat in a skillet with additional bbq sauce over medium heat stirring until heated through.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 641kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 26g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 1525mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 25g