Chicken Breasts With Blueberry Barbecue Sauce Recipes

BLUEBERRY BBQ CHICKEN

Steps:

• Sauce: In a food processor, add blueberries, vinegar, and sugar. Pulse to break up the berries into a chunky pulp. Place mixture into a saucepan; add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, covered, 10-15 minutes.
• Remove from heat; remove cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Carefully transfer the sauce to a blender. Make sure the lid is entirely sealed to prevent sauce from spattering while you blend. Blend the sauce to a smooth consistency, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high. When sauce is smooth, strain it through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl.
• Transfer sauce back to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, uncovered, and reduce by ¼, about 5 minutes. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon, and the viscosity should be more like maple syrup than honey. Pour into a container and cool to room temperature. Makes about 2 cups. (Sauce will keep for up to 6 months refrigerated in a lidded container.)
• Prep chicken: Lay spatchcocked chicken breast side up on a wire rack fitted over a rimmed baking sheet. Season liberally on both sides with salt and pepper (about 15 turns of a pepper mill per side). Let rest at room temperature while preheating the grill, 30 minutes.
• Grill chicken: Preheat a charcoal grill to medium-high heat, about 375 F. The coals should be ashed over in some places, with red embers burning within. Move the coals to one side of the grill to create areas of both direct and indirect heat. Place the chicken skin side up on the side of the grill over the coals (direct heat). Cover and cook, 15 minutes.
• Divide the Blue Q Sauce: half should be used for basting, while the other half should be reserved for the final baste and for serving. (If the cooled sauce has thickened too much, simply reheat in a saucepan over low heat, or briefly microwave to return to its original syrupy consistency before using.) Remove the lid. Use tongs to flip the chicken over, skin side down, onto the indirect heat side of the grill. Baste the underside of the bird with Blue Q Sauce, then gently re-position back over direct heat, still skin side down. Cover and cook, 5 minutes. Repeat this process-flipping, basting, and grilling for 5 minutes at a time, covered-2-3 more times, until chicken is fully cooked. (The leg, when tugged, should become loosened from the breast. Alternatively, a thermometer placed in the thickest part of the thigh, avoiding the bone, should register 165 F.) Discard remaining basting sauce.
• Remove chicken from the grill and place on a cutting board, skin side up. Use reserved Blue Q Sauce to baste one last time and let rest, 5 minutes. Cut the chicken into 6 or 8 pieces and drizzle once more with sauce. Serve warm or at room temperature with additional sauce on the side.

RED, WHITE, AND BLUEBERRY GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Whisk oil, salt, paprika, chipotle pepper, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and garlic in a bowl to make marinade. Place chicken breasts in marinade and turn to coat evenly. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Spread sugar in a saucepan set over medium heat. Do not stir, but watch closely as sugar begins to melt after about 1 minute. As sugar melts it will gradually turn a golden color. Continue watching but not stirring. When all sugar has melted and golden color just begins to darken a bit (after 1 minute or less), remove pan from heat. Pour in vinegar and stir until sugar dissolves.
• Place pan over medium-high heat and add blueberries to the sugar-vinegar mixture. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until blueberries soften and mixture begins to thicken, 4 or 5 minutes. It should be a syrup-like consistency. If sauce seems too thin, simmer a few more minutes. If it seems too thick, add a splash of water. Stir in salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
• Set a strainer over a bowl. Strain berries, using a spatula to push through as much juice as possible. Discard skins.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Drain excess marinade from chicken.
• Place chicken breasts on preheated grill. Cook until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 4 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Transfer chicken to a plate and allow to rest a few minutes.
• Serve breasts on a swirl of blueberry sauce with more sauce drizzled on top.

CHICKEN BREASTS WITH BLUEBERRY BARBECUE SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine the sugar, onion, ginger, allspice, cayenne, ketchup and blueberries in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 11 to 12 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and is fairly smooth.
• Meanwhile, sprinkle the salt and pepper over the chicken.
• Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high.
• Add the chicken and cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.
• Pour the sauce into the skillet, turn the chicken over to completely coat it.
• Serve the chicken with the sauce spooned over the top.