American Sweet And Sour Barbecue Chicken Recipes

SWEET AND SOUR GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine brown sugar, oil, vinegar, mustard, lime juice, lemon juice, garlic, seasoned salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and mix well.
• Place chicken in a glass or ceramic bowl and cover with sauce. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator, 8 hours or overnight.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove chicken from the marinade and shake off excess. Discard the remaining marinade.
• Cook chicken on the preheated grill until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 8 to 10 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

GRILLED HONEY BBQ CHICKEN

Steps:

• To a large ziptop plastic bag, add all ingredients except the optional fresh herbs. Seal bag and squish the contents around so chicken is evenly coated.
• Place bag in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour (overnight is great if you can plan ahead).*
• Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat (or indoor grill pan) and grill the chicken for about 7 minutes, or until done; flip intermittently to ensure even cooking. Optionally garnish with fresh herbs and serve immediately.
• Chicken is best fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.

MISSISSIPPI SWEET AND SOUR BARBEQUE SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine ketchup, brown sugar, tomato paste, vinegar, corn syrup, pineapple juice, bourbon whiskey, water, white onion, lemon juice, mustard powder, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, allspice, Chinese five-spice powder, and celery salt together in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until flavors have blended and sauce is slightly reduced, 1 hour.

GRILLED SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the chicken, prepare the brine by whisking together the water, salt, brown sugar and soy sauce in a large bowl until the sugar and salt are mostly dissolved.
• Cut each chicken breast into 2-inch strips (so about two strips per chicken breasts, depending on the size of the chicken breasts) and submerge all the chicken pieces fully in the brine mixture. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least two hours (or up to four hours). Any longer than four hours and the chicken may be too salty.
• For the sauce, whisk together all the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat. Let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly (can simmer longer for a thicker sauce), stirring occasionally. There may be a strong vinegar smell as the sauce simmers and the vinegar evaporates - that's completely normal (and the sauce will not taste overly vinegary).
• Preheat grill to medium heat (on my pellet grill, I preheat to 350 degrees for this recipe). Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the brine.
• Grill the chicken, turning once, until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F (exact cooking time will depend on what type of grill you have; it takes about 15 minutes total on my pellet grill for thin cut chicken at this temperature). During the last two minutes of grilling brush the chicken liberally with the prepared sweet and sour sauce.
• Remove the chicken from the grill to a serving platter and drizzle with remaining sauce OR serve the sweet and sour sauce on the side.

SWEET AND SOUR MARINADE FOR GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Put all ingredients into a jar, close tightly, shake well.
• Use this to marinate chicken for 2-4 hours.
• Cook chicken on the grill.

PAN-FRIED SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

Steps:

• Whisk cornstarch, pepper, and 1 1/2 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Pat chicken dry and cut into 1" chunks. Add to cornstarch mixture and toss to coat.
• Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over high. Add half of chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and a light brown crust forms, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, stir vinegar, honey, pineapple juice, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt in a medium bowl.
• Transfer cooked chicken to a plate or bowl. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in skillet and cook remaining chicken, turning occasionally, 3 minutes. Add onion and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes more. Add sauce to skillet along with pineapple chunks and first batch of chicken. Toss well to coat in sauce and continue to cook until sauce is reduced and thickened, 1-2 minutes more.
• Divide chicken mixture among plates and top with scallion. Serve with rice alongside.