BBQ may not be the road to world peace, but it’s a start.
Anthony Bourdain
Around most parts of the United States, mid-June means summertime. And summertime means being outdoors, engaging in family fun, and grilling! Grilled BBQ Chicken with a homemade tangy sauce, mouth-watering sides, and homemade strawberry ice cream for dessert. Are there more perfect ingredients to a backyard Sunday Dinner?
With the change of season, it’s time to take Sunday Dinner from the kitchen table to the patio—and the grill! There’s hardly a dinner I can imagine that can bring the family together better than a good ol’ fashioned BBQ outside—a medley of the family grill, a backyard patio table, a tub of iced drinks, a lawn game or two, and music lifting spirits in the background.
To kick off summer, here’s a menu and some recipes for you and your extended family to enjoy! I’m showcasing BBQ Chicken with homemade marinade. The Original Pantry’s famous coleslaw. A terrific corn salad. Mouth-watering ol’ fashioned baked beans. And a cold refreshing homemade strawberry ice cream!
BBQ chicken cooked slowly on the grill is one of those beautiful things in life. It starts with a homemade BBQ sauce simmered on the stove for an hour before adding to the chicken for a marinade. Sauce is sweet and savory and, with the right BBQ grilling, yields a super flavorful and juicy chicken.
After the sauce is made, I marinated the chicken for a few hours — turning occasionally — in large baking dish in the refrigerator. For me, I prefer boneless skin-on chicken breasts and thighs and some drumsticks. The boneless skin-on pieces are sometimes difficult to find; some grocery store butchers will do for you. If you cannot find, bone-in is good too. The skin provides a lot of flavor and moisture when cooking and grilling.
Place on the BBQ grill with a high direct heat when you first place on the grill; grill for 5-10 minutes making sure the chicken isn’t burning. You just want a terrific sear, and then move to a cooler side of the grill. Maintin the cooler side of the grill at approximately 275 degrees, and continue to cook and turn and slather — in alternating patterns — for approximately 20-30 minutes. Using a meat thermometer, when the chicken pieces register 160 degrees for breasts and 170 degrees for thighs, remove from grill and bring plate to the table.
All recipes tried and true. They’re all crowd-pleasing, stomach-filling, lip-smacking goodness! And most importantly, they’ll keep everyone at the table, at the home, out on the lawn from afternoon through sunset enjoying each other and making more memories of Sunday Dinners.
So, set that patio table! Let’s eat! And let’s have some fun!
Wine Pairing Suggestion: 2018 Carlisle Sonoma County Zinfandel; Cost: $29.99
Beer Pairing Suggestion: Deschutes Brewery Mirror Pond Pale Ale
BACKYARD BBQ CHICKEN
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Marinating Time: 3-4 hours, or overnight
Serves 6
Ingredients
2-1/2 pounds chicken pieces (I prefer skin on, boneless breasts and thighs)
BBQ Sauce Recipe
BBQ Sauce
1-1/2 cups chopped white onion
1-2 tablespoons minced garlic (approximately 4-5 cloves)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup tomato paste
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup honey
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
Preparation of Marinade
In a large saucepan over low heat, sauté the onions and garlic with the vegetable oil for 10-15 minutes until the onions are translucent, but not browned. Add the can of tomato paste, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Simmer uncovered on low heat for 30 minutes. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator.
Preparation for BBQ Chicken
- Marinate the chicken pieces in 2/3 of the BBQ sauce for a few hours or overnight.
- Heat the grill. Place the chickens on the grill, skin side down, and cook until done. Make sure to baste and turn a couple of times during the cooking process.
- Serve with extra BBQ sauce on the side.
CHARRED ZUCCHINI MEXICAN SWEET CORN SALAD
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Serves 6 persons
Ingredients
3 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
1 sweet red bell pepper
5-6 ears of sweet corn
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 small jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
Dressing
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon agave syrup
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
- Rub olive oil on zucchini, bell pepper and corn. Heat grill to medium heat, and grill veggies directly on grates until zucchini and pepper are tender, and corn is slightly charred.
- Remove from grill. Dice zucchini and bell pepper. Cut corn off of cob and toss all together with the finely chopped jalapeno and cilantro in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Make dressing in a small bowl by combining all ingredients. Whisk until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Pour dressing over salad and toss evenly to coat. Chill salad until ready to serve.
THE ORIGINAL PANTRY COLESLAW
The Original Pantry sits at Ninth & Figueroa in Downtown Los Angeles, and has been open 24 hours a day every day since 1924 (until the recent pandemic). Everyone is served a small dish of this terrific coleslaw.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Serves 8 persons
Ingredients
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/3 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 head cabbage, finely shredded
Preparation: Mix all ingredients except for cabbage together in medium bowl. Place shredded cabbage into large bowl and pour dressing mixture on top. Toss well. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Note: This is best when it has marinated in refrigerator overnight.
SWEET & SAVORY BAKED BEANS
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Serves 6 persons
Ingredients
2 – 15oz cans of baked beans
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon red wine vinegard
Salt & Pepper
3 slices of bacon, cut in 2 inch pieces
3 slices of bacon
Note: All ingredients can be modified to taste — more or less. Recipe is easily doubled or tripled, depending upon number of persons. Great for leftovers.
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Spray Pam into the inside of a 9×9-inch baking dish.
- Combine pork and beans, brown sugar, onion, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in bacon pieces. Top with additional bacon slices.
- Cook for approximately 1 hour until bacon on top is crispy and beans are bubbling.
