BOBBY FLAY'S BOURBON BARBECUE CHICKEN WITH SIXTEEN-SPICE RUB

Bobby Flay's Bourbon Barbecue Chicken with Sixteen-Spice Rub image

Categories Salad Sauce Bourbon Chicken Side Simmer Boil

Yield serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 37

Ingredients

1 quart buttermilk
Hot sauce, such as Tabasco
3 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves
3 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
3 bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks
6 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons bourbon
1 1/4 cups ketchup
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon smoked sweet Spanish paprika
1/4 teaspoon chile de árbol
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon molasses
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Generous 1/2 cup Mesa Grill 16 Spice Poultry Rub (see Sources, page 269) or your favorite poultry rub
Mesa Grill Potato Salad (recipe follows), for serving
Mesa Grill Potato Salad
12 (about 3 pounds) small new potatoes
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large ripe beefsteak tomato, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 jalapeño, finely diced
3 green onions (white and green parts), chopped
1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

Pour the buttermilk into a large baking dish, add a few dashes of hot sauce, and stir to combine. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the 1/2 cup bourbon and cook until completely reduced. Add the ketchup and 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire, chipotle, brown sugar, ancho chile powder, paprika, chile de árbol, honey, and molasses. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Pour into a bowl, add the remaining 2 tablespoons bourbon, and cool to room temperature.
Heat a grill to medium heat. Brush the chicken with the remaining 4 tablespoons oil, and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Rub the skin side with some of the spice rub. Grill slowly, closing the lid of the grill and turning the chicken as needed, until the chicken is golden brown on both sides and the fat has rendered, 20 to 25 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of grilling, begin brushing the chicken liberally with the barbecue sauce.
Serve the chicken with Mesa Grill Potato Salad.
Mesa Grill Potato Salad
Put the potatoes in a large pot and add cold water to cover by 1 inch; salt the water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until tender when pierced with a knife, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain well. Let cool slightly and then cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place in a large bowl.
Stir together all the remaining ingredients, except the salt and pepper, in a medium bowl, and pour the mixture over the potatoes. Mix gently until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.