Recipe Background
Cozy Apple Butter Chicken: Try this rain-inspired barbecue idea for a juicy outdoor meal.
The first time I made this Cozy Apple Butter Chicken was during an unexpected rainy day pause on a family camping trip. We were huddled under a canopy of trees, and my brother, always the pragmatist, suggested we try to cook the chicken I brought in the cooler before it spoiled. As luck would have it, I'd stashed a can of unsweetened apple juice in the van, thinking it would be a refreshing midday drink. It ended up being a key player in this accidental culinary adventure. It was one of those serendipitous moments when the ingredients in front of you suddenly make perfect sense. Crafted with a blend of apple butter and barbecue sauce, it created a rich glaze tinged with sweetness. The challenge was the grill setup—navigating around the rain, I remember fashioning an indirect heat setting with a drip pan we found at the back of the campsite kit.
Using the apple juice can was a curious yet effective way to keep the chicken moist. The juice mingled with the savory blend of garlic powder and cayenne, seeping into the chicken and infusing it with tender juiciness. One practical tip I found that day was to let the chicken rest for just a few minutes after taking it off the grill. It allowed the juices to redistribute nicely, avoiding the sad loss of flavor onto a cutting board. Ever the scavenger hunt, we turned yet another unplanned moment into something memorable—crowding around the grilled masterpiece with mismatched campfire mugs filled with whatever warm drink we could muster, gazing at the quiet beauty of the raindrops shimmering on the leaves.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 (6-7-pound) roasting chicken
- 1 (11.5-ounce) can unsweetened apple juice
- 1/2 cup apple butter
- 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
Directions
- Preheat the grill to medium heat and prepare the grill for indirect heat using a drip pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, the garlic powder, the pepper, and the cayenne.
- Sprinkle the spice mixture over the chicken.
- Open the can of apple juice with a can punch or a church key, and pour out 1/2 of the juice into another container and save for another use. Leave the remaining juice in the can.
- Use the can punch to poke additional small holes in the top of the apple juice can.
- Holding the chicken with the legs pointed down, lower the chicken over the apple juice can so it fills the body cavity.
- Place the chicken on a grill rack over the drip pan.
- Grill, covered, over indirect heat until an instant thermometer reads 180 degrees F, about 1 hour and 30 minutes-2 hours.
- In a bowl, combine the apple butter and the barbecue sauce.
- Baste the chicken with the apple butter mixture occasionally during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
- Transfer the chicken from the grill, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes.
- Discard the can from the chicken and carve.
- Serve.
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