Grilled Bon Ton Chicken

by Susan Hanna

This recipe from justapinch.com adapts the deep-fried chicken recipe from the Bon Ton restaurant in Kentucky to the grill. Brine the chicken in spiced water for six hours, then coat with a dry rub. Grill and then baste with a vinegar-water-brown sugar combination before serving. Cook’s note: I used chicken drumsticks instead of thighs.

Serves 4.

Avoiding additives and preservatives:

Check the dry spices to make sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. Use tamari instead of soy sauce. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce is additive-free, as is Allen’s cider vinegar. For more recipes using all-natural ingredients, visit Eye For a Recipe.

Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs

For the brine

• 1 qt (1 L) water
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) kosher salt
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce
• 2 tsp (10 ml) cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp (10 ml) garlic powder
• 1 ½ tsp (7.5 ml) white pepper

For the rub

• 1 tsp (5 ml) garlic powder
• 1 tsp (5 ml) white pepper
• 1 tsp (5 ml) chile powder
• 1 tsp (5 ml) onion powder
• 1 tsp (5 ml) kosher salt

For the baste

• ½ c (125 ml) cider vinegar
• ½ c (125 ml) water
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) brown sugar

Preparation:

1. Mix all brine ingredients together and marinate chicken in a large non-reactive bowl for 6 hours.
2. Mix baste ingredients together and stir until sugar is dissolved.
3. Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl.
4. Remove chicken from brine and rub generously with the seasoning mixture. Let stand while your grill gets hot
5. Grill chicken for about 25 mins or until juice runs clear, rotating direct and indirect cooking as necessary to avoid flare-ups or excessive charring.
6. Brush lightly with baste just before serving.

From justapinch.com