Chicken BBQ Sauce

Here is an old secret family recipe...I guess it is no longer a secret now, but it is still the best BBQ chicken I have ever tasted.

This is a vinegar based sauce, not a tomato base. My family can never get enough, so I always cook extra!

I can remember back to my very early years when I was just a small child running around my aunt and uncle's farm playing with the chickens while my father grilled our BBQ chicken. Just smelling this sauce takes me right back there to those treasured days. 

My family and extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins, and long-time friends would gather on a sunny Sunday afternoon for a family feast and reunion. While the children played happily in the yard, the mothers would set up the side dishes and dessert and the men would stand watch over the fire pits. Yes we had so many relatives we needed to create fire pits to grill the dozens of chickens over!

My mother was always in charge of making the chicken BBQ sauce, but the men grilled the chickens. Even now I can close my eyes and smell those delicious scents wafting through the air. We feasted and laughed and played and just enjoyed our time together. I miss those days. I miss the aunts and uncles who have since passed on. But every time my boys and I fix this dish it brings those loved ones right back to me. I hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as we have through the years and that you can create your own wonderful memories along with it. 

Chicken BBQ Sauce

1 c apple cider vinegar
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 Tbl salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 eggs

Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized pot and whisk together. Set the cold pot over medium-high heat and continue to whisk until the sauce starts to bubble...not boil. *If you start the pot on the heat and add the eggs, they will cook and form clumps...we don't want that! So put your cold pot on the heat and whisk every few seconds. After a few minutes it will turn nice and thick. When it is thick, remove from heat and set aside.

My family always likes a little dipping sauce, so as soon as it is done I reserve some separately for dipping. You can bake your chicken with the sauce, but we like to use it on the grill. 

We mostly use skinless and boneless chicken breasts or tenders, but chicken halves or pieces can be done also. If you use bone in, I find it helpful to start my chicken by microwaving it for 5-10 minutes to get a jump on cooking the meat from the inside. Then we transfer it to a hot grill. We brush the chicken with the sauce and turn every 5 minutes until done. The skin will turn a gorgeous golden brown and will be so tasty it could cause fights...so be careful!

I hope you enjoy this 'secret' family recipe as much as we have over the years!