Barbecued chicken and potato salad always makes me think of summertime. Barbecue sauce tickles the taste buds with both sweet and savory elements. My only complaint is that grilling chicken tends to dry it out, so I decided to try cooking it partially on the grill and then transferring it to the oven. The chicken browns and takes on the smoky flavor and scoring from the grill; then, covered with sauce in a baking dish, it braises at a low temperature in the oven until it’s falling off the bone. You may need to make extra, because people gobble this up like crazy.
Top the meal off with a refreshing passion-fruit mojito (I got this recipe from South Beach restaurant Casa Tua). Fresh passion fruit is expensive and sometimes hard to find, but look in the freezer section of a Latin grocery store and you’re sure to find its pulp. katieleehome.com
All-American Potato Salad
Serves 8–10
3 lbs. whole small round potatoes
1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
1⁄4 cup scallions (white and green parts), chopped
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. fresh tarragon, minced
1 tbsp. flat-leaf parsley, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. kosher salt
1⁄4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook until fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and cool completely. Slice potatoes about 1⁄4-inch thick. In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add potatoes and toss gently. Chill until ready to serve.
BBQ Chicken
Serves 8–10
For the chicken:
2 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 chickens (each cut in 10 pieces, backbone removed)
2 tbsp. olive oil
In a small dish, combine salt, chili powder, garlic powder and black pepper. Season chicken on both sides with spice mixture. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover and refrigerate for one to two hours.
For the BBQ sauce:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, minced
2 cups ketchup
3 ⁄4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1⁄4 cup apple cider vinegar
1⁄4 cup dark brown sugar
1⁄4 cup molasses
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1⁄8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
