Perdue’s Favorite Sweet and Smoky Chicken

Rumor has it, this easy, sweet and smoky grilled chicken breast recipe was one of Frank Perdue’s favorite recipes!

Chicken Breasts with a Sweet & Smoky Sauce

My husband Jack and I each came to our marriage with a large collection of cookbooks – and one from Jack’s collection was called 365 Ways to Cook Chicken.In that cookbook, the author included a recipe for Sweet and Smoky Chicken that was reportedly one of Frank Perdue’s favorite chicken recipes.

With an endorsement like that – we HAD to try the recipe ourselves. And we have to say, we love it too!

This sweet and smoky chicken is made with simple ingredients: ketchup, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and Dijon mustard, plus some hickory smoked salt. We swapped in some liquid smoke and kosher salt – both ingredients typically found in the spice aisle at your local supermarket.

You can bake the chicken breasts in the oven as the original recipe did, or cook the chicken on the grill like we did. The sauce gets nicely caramelized on the grill over high heat – while the chicken stays moist and juicy.

• The sweet and smoky flavors go so well with the juicy chicken breasts.
• You might have all of the ingredients in your kitchen cabinet – so you can make this dish anytime you plan to serve chicken.
• It’s a flexible recipe that can be cooked on the grill or in the oven.

• Chicken Breasts – Choose large, meaty chicken breast with the bone-in and skin still on for the juiciest and more flavorful results.
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Vegetable Oil
• For the Sauce – Ketchup, pure maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, liquid smoke, kosher salt.

• To follow the original recipe, leave out the liquid smoke and kosher salt and instead add half a teaspoon of hickory smoked salt.

1. Preheat your grill to 425 to 450 degrees F.
2. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the skin of the chicken breasts.
3. Brush the grill grates with vegetable oil, then place the breasts on the grill grates skin-side down. Do not touch for four minutes.
4. Flip and cook for four more minutes.
5. Move the chicken breasts to an upper rack or cooler side of the grill (you want them to be off the direct heat).
6. Close the cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (use a probe thermometer.) If you like extra crispy skin, place back over the heat, skin side down, for a few extra minutes before brushing with sauce.
7. While the chicken cooks, mix up the sauce.
8. Once the chicken reaches 145 degrees F, brush on some of the sauce to coat.
9. Close the cover again and cook for 10 more minutes, or once the internal temp reaches 155 degrees F.
10. Let the chicken rest before serving. (Note that the internal temperature of the chicken will continue to rise as it rests.)
11. Serve chicken with remaining sauce.

• What are the directions for making this recipe in the oven instead of the grill? You can bake the chicken breasts at 425 to 450 degrees F until the chicken is cooked through (cooking time will vary based on the size of the pieces of chicken – use a probe thermometer and take the chicken out when the internal temp reaches 155 degrees F). If you’d like, you can broil the chicken for just a few minutes (watching it constantly so it doesn’t burn) to brown and caramelize the skin before serving. If you do decide to broil the chicken breasts, bake the chicken to just shy of fully cooked (155 degrees F) then finish under the broiler.
• Can I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts? Technically, you can. But the sauce is best when slathered over the skin of a bone-in chicken breast. (Also note that the cooking time will be much less than what is listed in the recipe if you are cooking boneless chicken breasts.)

This recipe for Perdue’s Favorite Sweet and Smoky Chicken originally appeared here on A Family Feast in August 2014. We’ve updated the post and photos, but the delicious recipe remains the same.

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