When it’s too cold to grill outside, you can mimic the flavor of barbecued chicken with your oven broiler. Between the smoky spice rub and the sweet-hot barbecue sauce, you’ll never miss the grill. Serves 4
For the sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 Tbs. mild unsulfured molasses
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
1 Tbs. minced chipotle chiles (from a can of chipotles in adobo)
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
For the chicken
1 Tbs. sweet smoked paprika
1 Tbs. packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. chipotle powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 large bone-in chicken thighs (about 3 lb.), skinned
Vegetable oil, for brushing
Tip: Chicken skin tends to cause flare-ups in the broiler, so be sure to remove it.
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Make the sauce
In a 1- to 2-quart saucepan, whisk together the ketchup, maple syrup, molasses, vinegar, chipotles, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, onion powder, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently for 15 minutes to meld the flavors. Set aside.
Make the chicken
In a small bowl, combine the paprika, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, chipotle powder, 1-1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet, sprinkle both sides with the spice rub, and pat gently. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
Position a rack about 4 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler on high. Line the top rack of a broiler pan with foil and slit or puncture the foil at the openings to allow fat to drain.
arrange skin side down on the pan. Broil for 5 minutes. Flip the chicken with tongs (rearranging them if the broiler heat isn’t even) and broil until they’re barely pink inside when cut into, 4 to 5 minutes. Brush the chicken with some of the sauce and broil until the sauce begins to caramelize, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and brush the chicken with more sauce; broil until they’re just cooked through (165°F), and the sauce is nicely caramelized, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a clean platter and let rest 10 minutes before serving.
(My chicken was not cooked so I finished it in a 350 deg oven for 20 minutes)
Make Ahead Tips
The sauce can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated