As part of my 4th of July recipes or summer recipes I had lined up that are perfect for grilling season, I bring you another grilled chicken recipe. Unlike my milder chicken drumstick marinade I did in my Grilled Beer Marinated Chicken, this one packs in stronger flavors with the sweet honey and the spicy chipotle peppers.
Although this chicken may look like it’s very spicy, the honey really balances out the heat of the chipotle peppers leaving just a little zip to the after-taste. These chicken drumsticks are the perfect BBQ food to serve at a gathering. Simply marinate them the night before, and cook them on the grill. They’re a no-fuss finger food that will have your family/guests licking their fingers.
Grilled Honey Chipotle Chicken
2014-11-30 19:43:25
Yields 8
This spicy marinated chicken with sweet honey and chipotle peppers in the marinade keeps the chicken drumsticks so juicy and tender all through the grilling that it's hard to mess them up. They are perfect for grilling season and large family gatherings especially a 4th of July party!
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
35 min
Ingredients
- 8 chicken drumsticks
- 3-4 cloves of garlic
- 3-4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 lime, juice
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- – Peel and roughly chop 3-4 garlic cloves and add them to the bowl of a food processor/blender.
- – Then add 3 chipotle peppers along with some (about a tablespoon) adobo sauce into the processor as well.
- – Pour in the apple cider vinegar and honey and squeeze in the juice of half a lime. Add salt according to your taste.
- – Pulse the mixture into a paste (smooth or course, whatever your preference) and give it a taste for seasonings. You may feel like it’s too spicy at first, but remember we’re marintating the chicken in it and taking the chicken out of it to cook, so it won’t be as spicy as the marinade on its own.
- – Rinse and pat dry the chicken drumsticks (you can use any cut of chicken you prefer. I just happen to think chicken drumsticks are great for barbecuing and easy finger food) and put them in a large zip lock bag.
- – Pour the marinade into the zip lock bag with the chicken. Seal it and massage the marinade into all the pieces of chicken. Let the chicken marinate for atleast a couple of hours in the fridge, overnight would be the best, to let the chicken absorb all the flavors. (I tend to flip the bag over every couple hours to make sure the both sides of the chicken get to sit in the juices to marinate more evenly.)
- – Once the chicken has marinated simply throw them on the grill on a higher rack if possible cos the honey in the marinade has a tendency to burn easily (make sure to oil the grill so the chicken doesn’t stick) for 30-35 minutes turning over the pieces & basting it with the marinade every 5-6 minutes until the internal temperature is above 170F. Another way to check if the legs are done if you don’t have a meat thermometer, is to pierce a leg with a sharp knife down to the bone and if the juices run clear, it’s done…if it’s pink/ red then you’ll need to cook the chicken more.
- – Serve these finger-lickin-good drumsticks up hot. Yummmm!!!
Adapted from PictureTheRecipe.com
Adapted from PictureTheRecipe.com
Picture the Recipe https://picturetherecipe.com/
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Can i substitute sugar for the honey?