Everybody loves barbecued chicken. And, when it comes to great chicken flavor, thighs are king! Pound-for-pound chicken thighs have a much richer flavor than breasts and are more economical. I’m using bone-in thighs and removing the fattening skin before cooking. First baking, smothered in my homemade barbecue sauce, and later finishing on the grill or under the broiler. This chicken is fantastic! My homemade sauce is slightly sweet and tangy with a bit of a kick. One delicious, barbecued thigh has 221 calories and 5 grams of fat.
Ingredients
Ingredients for Homemade Kicking Barbecue Sauce:
- 1 (24 oz.) jar pasta sauce, I like Classico Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce
- 1 cup onion, chopped fine
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard or yellow mustard (don’t use Dijon)
- 1 tablespoon chili pepper sauce, I like Trader Joe’s brand or ½-1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, to taste
Ingredients for Chicken:
- 12 bone-in chicken thighs (about 3-3½ pounds)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium saucepan, combine all sauce ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring often for about 20-25 minutes, until sauce is thickened.
- While sauce is heating, remove all skin from chicken thighs. Place thighs in a 13 x 9 inch Pyrex dish or pan lined with foil.
- Set aside 2 cups barbecue sauce for later. Pour remaining sauce over chicken. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- To finish off the chicken, broil or cook on the grill.
- To broil: Place chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet. Cover chicken with half the remaining sauce. Broil for about 5 minutes until chicken is caramelized. Turn over, spread with remaining sauce, and broil for about 5 more minutes until caramelized.
- To grill: Prepare grill to cook at medium heat. Brush chicken with barbecue sauce and cook until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over, brush with more sauce and cook about 5 more minutes until caramelized.
Notes
Makes 12 pieces (each thigh, about 3-4 ounces of chicken)
Food Facts
Chicken used to be considered luxury meat. It’s now so reasonable that it’s everyday food for most people. Using bone-in chicken has more flavor than boneless.
Healthy Benefits
Chicken is a great source of protein, niacin, and iron. It’s also a useful source of B vitamins. Most of the fat is in the skin which can be easily removed. Although chicken breasts are leaner than thighs, once you remove the skin a typical thigh has 100 calories and 3 grams of fat.
WW SmartPoints7-Blue
WW SmartPoints 7-Green
WW POINTS PLUS 6
Food Facts
Chicken used to be considered luxury meat. It’s now so reasonable that it’s everyday food for most people. Using bone-in chicken has more flavor than boneless.
Healthy Benefits
Chicken is a great source of protein, niacin, and iron. It’s also a useful source of B vitamins. Most of the fat is in the skin which can be easily removed. Although chicken breasts are leaner than thighs, once you remove the skin a typical thigh has 100 calories and 3 grams of fat.
WW SmartPoints7-Blue
WW SmartPoints 7-Green
WW POINTS PLUS 6
| SKINNY FACTS: for 1 thigh (each thigh, about 3-4 ounces of chicken) 220 calories, 5g fat, 1g sat. fat, 22g protein, 27g carbs, 1g fiber, 713mg sodium, 19g sugar |
Skinny Facts
Serving: 1thighCalories: 220kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 22gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 713mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gBlue Smart Points: 7Green Smart Points: 7Plus Points: 6
