Inspired by my travels across the Great Lakes, from pristine fresh water shorelines, to awe-inspiring coastal cliff-sides & the quaint, Mayberry-like towns & villages in between – from Mackinaw to Traverse City, Grand Marais, Rochester, & through South Haven, enjoyed along the way were the sweetest local-picked berries, fresh greens, pint after phenomenal pint of Michigan’s finest micro-brewed beers, & dishes plated serving regionally inspired Barbeque. This recipe is the culmination of my great lakeside travels, anthologized… over a grill.
Although we traditionally think of blueberries for their incredible health benefits & as a lite, sweet seasonal treat, this recipe is perfect whether it be summer, 85 & sunny, or a cool fall afternoon with leaves falling & a great IPA in (each) hand.
Ok. Before this post gets painted in some long-winded, fancy pants, sentimental tone… Allow me dial it up a notch, breathe a bit of life into this recipe & offer an official, stone-cold lead pipe, good-as-gold teeth guarantee – This is the boss of bosses BBQ chicken recipe. The game is over. The fat lady has sung. All other BBQ Chicken recipes can retire, cash in their 401K’s & go home to lead a simple country life away from the strenuous nature of life’s all-consuming hustle & bustle.
These bird legs are 7 kinds of incredible (yes, 7) – A sticky, caramelized exterior with tender, moist interior. A little sweet with a roundhouse kick of heat, a touch smoky, a bit tangy, packed full of bold, natural flavors & loaded with a metric ton of bite!
The ingredient list calls for 1 part chicken + 1 part blueberry + 1 part I think I just shed a small, emotional man-tear thinking about how much I love this recipe. A handmade, spicy dry rub is liberally applied to the trimmed bird legs & the chicken is slowly grilled until juices run clear. Then, copious amounts of fresh (or frozen), sweet & plump blueberries are married with an aged balsamic vinegar to create a sweet, tangy & sticky sauce that’s caramelized over the seared & smoky chicken legs in the final minutes of grilling. Sounds easy breezy, right?
OK. If this wasn’t enough, a few quick recommendations:
1. No guest wants to watch you cut herbs, show off your amateur whisking skill set, or chop fat from a raw chicken. So, Maximize time with brewski in hand & bull-$hitting with buddies by preparing chicken, dry rub & tangy barbeque sauce in advance, up to the evening before.
2. This bird will go from grill grates to guest plates in less than 45 minutes – Plan accordingly. Leverage the closed-lid cook time to prep alternate dishes, sides, etc. – Ensuring all fare served at the moment those caramelized chicken legs are coming hot off the grill.
3. Keep tight eye on your barbeque sauce… considering volume of natural sugars & balsamic, there’s a finite time-frame between sweet & tangy to burnt & unpalatable.
4. Every. Single. Last one. Of these bird legs. Will. Be. Entirely. Devoured. I Promise. So, ensure the chef reserves a few for his / her own plate as the dish is served to hungry guests!
5. Remain calm. Grill on. Stay hungry. Carry forth!
Blueberry Balsamic BBQ Chicken
Blueberry Balsamic BBQ Grilled Chicken
Blueberry Balsamic BBQ Grilled Chicken
Prep Time1 hr
Cook Time45 mins
Total Time1 hr 45 mins
Servings: 4 -6
Ingredients
- 3 Pounds Chicken Drumsticks trimmed
- A Bachelor & His Grill's Blueberry Balsamic BBQ Sauce see recipe below
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- Chicken Dry Rub
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Thyme finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Granulated Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Ground Peppercorn
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Instructions
- Combine all Rub Ingredients in a large bowl.
- Rub spices into Chicken, liberally coating all portions of the meat.
- Place Chicken in air-tight sealed container & marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour or up to overnight.
- Meanwhile, prepare Blueberry Balsamic BBQ Sauce (see recipe below).
- Pre-heat grill to medium (300-350F) & remove chicken from refrigerator at least 20 minutes prior to grilling, bringing back near room temperature.
- Place chicken on grill over indirect heat for 20-25 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 150F, turning chicken once after 10 minutes and basting intermittently with olive oil.
- When chicken reaches internal temp of 150F, turn the grill to high, place a layer of tinfoil over the grill grates, lay chicken upon tinfoil & begin liberally brushing chicken with the Blueberry Balsamic BBQ Sauce (see recipe below).
- Grill for an additional 5-10 minutes, rotating & brushing every few minutes as sauce caramelizes around the chicken.
- Remove chicken from the grill once internal temp reaches 160F.
- Brush again with heavy coating of sauce & place under tin foil tent for 3-5 minutes.
- Plate. Serve. Enjoy!
Blueberry Balsamic BBQ Sauce
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time30 mins
Servings: 2 -2.5 Cups
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Fresh Blueberries
- 1/2 Red Onion chopped
- 3/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Ketchup
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Cloves Garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1 pinch Salt
Instructions
- In Sauce Pan over medium heat, bring Olive Oil to a gentle simmer.
- Add Garlic & Onion, sauteing 3-5 minutes, or until wilted & fragrant.
- Stirring occasionally, add remaining Ingredients (except Blueberries) & bring back to a simmer.
- Once simmering, spoon in Blueberries & cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly until Sauce thickens.
- Pull from Heat & pour sauce in to Food Processor, pureeing until relatively smooth.
- Set aside until ready for use.
Reading time: 4 min
