imPECKable eats

Have you heard of a little hot sauce called Sriracha? This Asian inspired chili sauce phenomenon continues dominate condiment sales across the US and seems to be a never ending trend. I’m a big fan so it was only a matter of time before this tasty spicy sauce made into one of my recipe posts. Combining an old fashioned classic BBQ sauce with hot sriracha seemed like a natural step. The sweet and spicy flavors of this sauce and tender pieces of chicken are like long lost friends. This pairing was meant to be.

Classic BBQ Chicken (the oven baked version with BBQ sauce) has recently been climbing the ranks of my favorite comfort foods list. Although BBQ Chicken is usually associated with summer grilling, there’s something comforting about baking chicken brushed with BBQ sauce and eating it with mash potatoes to suck up the flavorful juices. The only thing missing was a little spice. Sriracha chili sauce adds the spicy warmth this traditional dish was missing.

The base of the BBQ sauce recipe came from “The James Beard Cookbook,” by James beard – friend and mentor of my grandmother, Paula Peck. By omitting a few ingredients and adding sriracha and lime juice, this recipe turned into an addictive sweet and spicy sauce that marries well with not only chicken, but other meats and vegetables alike.

Although both my grandmother and James Beard never had the chance to taste sriracha or experience this nationwide obsession, I think they would have enjoyed it. As reflected in her cookbooks and recipes, my grandmother loved international cooking and ingredients. I imagine that if given the chance, a bottle of sriracha would have been a permament staple at the Peck household. She may have even created a sweet and spicy Sriracha BBQ chicken recipe such as this – garnished with finely chopped cilantro and a cooling side of avocado to balance the spice, of course.

Note: this BBQ chicken is also great on the grill!

Baked Sriracha BBQ Chicken

Ingredients

Sriracha BBQ Sauce

¼ cup olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 cup tomato puree

½ cup chicken broth

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

½ cup honey

½ cup sriracha chili sauce

juice of 1 lime

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Any combination of skinless chicken:

6 legs and 6 thighs or

6 legs and 3-4 chicken breasts

Instructions

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add dry mustard and sauté for 1 minute. Add tomato puree, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, and honey. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in Sriracha sauce and lime juice. Allow sauce to cool slightly before using on chicken.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish. Place chicken pieces in the dish in one layer. Brush or spoon BBQ sauce over chicken.

Bake in oven for 45 minutes – 1hour or until juices run clear, basting chicken with sauce every 15 minutes.

Serve with avocado and chopped cilantro.

3.1

Yum