Oven-Barbecued Chicken

Ever since Connor could form the syllable, he has said the word "dog" every single time he sees one, even on TV. I'm fairly certain it was his first word. This, like many things Connor does, is heartwarming and adorable. Except for when those sad, manipulative ASPCA commercials come on. The volume was down, so we couldn't hear Sarah McLachlan singing "Angel". Lucky for us, Connor was on the ball.

"Dog!!!"

"That's right Connor, that's a dog, good j...."

"Dog!!!"

"C'mon Connor these dogs are sad and making me feel gui..."

"DOG!!!!!"

"Wahhhhhhh!!!! I'm so sorry!" sob, sob, sob "We should donate! Get my phone Connor. Let's donate all of our money! Hell, let's just open our own abandoned dog hostel!!! Those poor creatures!!!!"

Tonight we had Oven-Barbecued Chicken, which should be renamed "Amazing Barbecue Sauce." After all, every non-chicken ingredient in the recipe is used for the sauce. For the chicken, we used boneless thighs and breast halves (cut in half because they were gigantic). The sauce was a little harder than our normal homemade BBQ sauce, but we prefer this version. It was much more flavorful. I accidentally used light brown sugar instead of dark; this might have made it thinner than advertised, but still good. We are going to serve this sauce with our ribs we're making for the Super Bowl. Speaking of which, serve this meal with a side of Fat Tire, because Go Broncos! 

Connor says: I will eat this chicken, but only with ketchup. Also, I will commandeer that bread on your plate.


Makes 6 servings

4 lbs meaty chicken pieces (breast halves, thighs, drumsticks)
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup molasses

1) Preheat oven to 375. Skin chicken. Arrange chicken, bone sides up, in a foil lined 15 x 10 x 1 baking pan. Bake for 35 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, for sauce, in a large saucepan cook onion, garlic, and salt in butter over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add paprika, chili powder, crushed red pepper, and black pepper; cook and stir 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups water, vinegar, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce; bring to boiling. Whisk in tomato paste and molasses until smooth. Boil gently, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until sauce is thickened and reduced to about 4 cups, stirring occasionally.

3) Turn chicken bone sides down. Brush 1 cup of the sauce over chicken. Bake for 10-20 minutes until chicken is no longer pink. Serve with some of the remaining sauce. Store the rest of the sauce in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.