I have made a lot of chicken lately because it has been on sale a lot around here and quite frankly right now it is one of the most affordable meats for a family. All it takes is a simple trip to the grocery store lately to see that the price of just about everything has gone up lately, causing most people’s food bills to skyrocket and bust your budget. That is why I look for the best deals I can find and go to BJ’s Warehouse to buy some meat where I can things at bulk for a good price for many meals. This was the case recently when I bought big packages of chicken thighs, breasts and drumsticks and portioned them out into the freezer, cramming it full of chicken for the foreseeable future. Now the trick will be just what to do with all of that chicken. I decided to make some drumsticks and thighs the other day and saw this easy recipe from Sunny Anderson on the Food Network for a simple, sweet glazed chicken. While she used a whole chicken on the grill and butterflied it, I opted to just use chicken pieces and my grill pan as an alternative. I’ll post the original recipe here, but I’ll also tell you how I adapted it for my needs.

Sweet Glazed Chicken

One 5 to 7-pound chicken, butterflied

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Canola or vegetable oil, for oiling the grill grates

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons grated onion

1/8 teaspoon allspice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, grated or finely minced

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

For the chicken, season the chicken generously with salt and pepper all over. Rest the chicken on the counter, covered, until the chicken  comes to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Preheat a grill to 400 degrees. Lightly oil the grill grates with canola or vegetable oil.

Grill the chicken over indirect heat, rotating the chicken occasionally,until the internal temperature of the chicken registers 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 50 to 60 minutes.

For the glaze, while chicken is grilling, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the grated onion, the allspice, a pinch of kosher salt and a pinch of black pepper. Cook the mixture until the onions are tender, then add the grated garlic and cook until it is tender but not browned. Add the brown sugar, the stone-ground mustard, the cider vinegar and the hot sauce. Cook the mixture until it has begun to reduce and thicken, about 5 minutes, then remove the glaze from the heat.

When the chicken is nearly cooked through, brush on the glaze. Cover he grill and continue to cook the chicken until the glaze begins to color and the chicken is done. Cover the chicken loosely with foil and allow it to rest for 15 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute in the chicken. Cut the chicken into sections and serve.

Since I decided to just make chicken pieces and use the grill pan inside, I cooked the chicken in the grill pan over medium-high heat until it was browned on all sides and got some grill marks on it. I also made the glaze as directed and then put the glaze on the chicken pieces and then put the whole pan in a 400 degree oven to finish cooking. This allowed me to get the crispy skin, a nice glaze and I still had the grill marks as if it was grilled. The glaze had just the right amount of sweet to it from the brown sugar and nice flavor from the allspice to make it a little different from other glazes you might try. It was certainly easy to put together and we all enjoyed the chicken pieces with some sweet potatoes and green beans.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!