General Trick Blogger

What is the holiday season for if not to step back, reflect on the past year and reconnect with those you love. Since at this time of year calendars seem to magically swell with parties, dinners and casual get-togethers, make your gathering as fabulously effortless as possible with a meal that feeds a small group and a full house alike.

The trick to entertaining with style is to prepare a dish for your guests that is delicious, showstopping and requires as little cleanup as possible. This dish, my friends, is the total package. While it’s written for four, it can easily be cut in half for date night or tripled to serve a dinner party for 12. Season the chicken and queue it and the grapes up on a sheet pan so that it’s all ready to go into the oven later. Prepare the grits a short while ahead of time and keep them warm by transferring them to a heat-safe bowl, covering with plastic wrap or foil and setting the bowl over a pot of simmering water.

Was that the sound of you enjoying your own party? Or perhaps it was uproarious applause for a delicious meal that looks like it came off the pages of a magazine? Either way, cheers to the host!

Chicken Legs with Roasted Grapes and White Cheddar Grits

Total Time: 30 min
Prep: 5 min
Cook: 25 min

Yield: 4 servings
Level: Easy

Four 10- to 12-ounce chicken legs, trimmed of excess fat
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground paprika
Salt and ground black pepper
1 small bunch seedless red grapes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped or grated
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup quick-cooking grits
4 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Season the chicken legs with the spices and some salt and pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet along with the grapes. Drizzle the chicken and grapes with olive oil. Roast until the chicken is deep golden brown and cooked through, about 25 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, place a pot over medium heat with the butter. Add the shallot and garlic and cook until softened, 1 minute. Add the stock and milk to the pot and bring to a boil. Slowly add the grits while whisking. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the grits, stirring often, until they’ve softened and absorbed the liquid, 12 to 14 minutes. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Reserve warm.

To serve, divide the grits among the serving plates and top each portion with a roasted chicken leg, bundle of roasted grapes and drizzle of the pan drippings from the chicken.

Patrick W. Decker’s life revolves around food. Always has, probably always will. As a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and past member of the culinary teams for Food Network stars Rachael Ray, Sandra Lee, Marc Forgione and Bobby Deen, he’s now the Digital Content Manager for FoodNetwork.com, CookingChannelTV.com and Food.com in NYC by day and develops recipes at his home in New York’s Hudson Valley by night. You can see what he’s up to by following him on Instagramor visiting his website at patrickwdecker.com.

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Baked Parmesan Chicken Nuggets Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Yield: Serves 4-6.

Ingredients 1 clove garlic, minced 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup or 1/4 pound), melted 1 cup dried bread crumbs 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or 2/3 cup if you are using a Microplane zester) 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt A large pinch of Italian seasoning (herb mix) 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 lbs of skinless, boneless, chicken meat, cut into pieces no larger than 2×2 inches

Method

1 Preheat oven to 450°F. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels.

2 In a bowl, combine the minced garlic with the melted butter. In another bowl mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Dip chicken pieces into garlic butter, then into crumb mixture to coat.

3 Place coated chicken pieces on to a 9×13 (or larger) roasting dish. Try to leave a little room between each piece. Drizzle with remaining garlic butter and bake uncovered 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Note that the chicken will get much more browned on the bottom side than on the top.

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The key here is to moderate your heat, however you can. Either set the coals of the grill all on one side so you have a cool spot, put the chicken on the top rack of the grill, farther away from the heat, or, if you have a gas grill, just turn the heat to low. Slow and steady makes the best BBQ chicken.

The following is more of a “how-to” than a recipe. We recommend using your favorite barbecue sauce; we have several homemade barbecue sauce recipeswhich would work beautifully with chicken.

Do you have a favorite barbecued chicken recipe? Or tip you would like to share? Please let us know about it in the comments.

Barbecued Chicken on the Grill Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 1 hour, 45 minutes Yield: Serves 4-6.

Note that chicken thighs and legs will hold up better to long, slow heat than will breasts which can more easily dry out. If you barbecue breasts, keep them on the coolest part of the grill. This recipe assumes fairly large chicken pieces (like the main pieces from a 4 to 5 pound whole chicken). If you are working with smaller chicken pieces, they may require a shorter cooking time. If you are cooking wings, they too may be done before the other larger pieces. A note about the skin. Even if you do not plan on eating the chicken skin, it’s best to barbecue it with it on. The skin will protect the chicken pieces from drying out.

Ingredients 4 pounds of your favorite chicken parts (legs, thighs, wings, breasts), skin-on Salt Vegetable oil 1 cup barbecue sauce, store-bought or homemade

Method

1 Coat the chicken pieces with vegetable oil and sprinkle salt over them on all sides. Prepare your grill for high, direct heat. If you are using charcoal or wood, make sure there is a cool side to the grill where there are fewer coals.

2 Lay the chicken pieces skin side down on the hottest side of the grill in order to sear the skin side well. Grill for 5-10 minutes, depending on how hot the grill is (you do not want the chicken to burn). Once you have a good sear on one side, move the chicken pieces to the cooler side of the grill, or, if you are using a gas grill, lower the heat to medium low. Cover the grill and cook undisturbed for 20-30 minutes.

3 Turn the chicken pieces over and baste them with with your favorite barbecue sauce. Cover the grill again and allow to cook for another 15-20 minutes. Repeat, turning the chicken pieces over, basting them with sauce, covering, and cooking for another 15-30 minutes. The timing will depend on your grill set-up and how big and cold your chicken pieces are to start with.

4 By now the chicken should be cooked through. You can check with a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken piece. Look for 165°F for breasts and 170°F for thighs. Or insert the tip of a knife into the middle of the thickest piece, the juices should run clear. If the chicken isn’t done, turn the pieces over and continue to cook at a low temperature. If you want can finish with a sear on the hot side of the grill. To do this, put the pieces, skin side down, on the hot side of the grill. Allow them to sear and blacken slightly for a minute or two.

5 Paint with more barbecue sauce and serve.

Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on Simply Recipes. Thank you!

Links:

Peach-Whiskey Barbecued Chicken- from The Pioneer Woman
Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken- from The Hungry Mouse
Pulled BBQ Chicken Panini- from Panini Happy
Barbecued Pheasant- from Hunter Angler Gardener Cook