When my friend Amanda asked how I liked Ina Garten’s Barbecued Chicken, I was at a loss. I remembered making it during the Ina project, but it had been seven years and I couldn’t recall if it was good, bad, or just fine. So I decided it was time to revisit this Barefoot Contessa classic and am happy to report that it’s phenomenal.
The barbecue sauce calls for a laundry list of ingredients – onion, garlic, tomato paste, cider vinegar, honey, Worcestershire, Dijon, soy sauce, hoisin, chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes – but you’re rewarded with a depth of flavor no store-bought bottle can match. It’s sweet, spicy, zingy, umami-packed, and hits all the right notes.
Ina’s recipe is written for the grill, but I adapted The Kitchn’s method for the oven: baking it at 400°F, then finishing under the broiler for some charred, sticky bits.
Such a dream! No wonder this was so popular at Ina’s East Hampton shop!
Book: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, page 120
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That: easy
Store-Bought Is Fine: tomato paste
Pricey Ingredients: —
Hard-to-find: —
Recipe on BarefootContessa.com
