Oven Baked Honey Barbecue Chicken

                                                                           

                                                                               
It's been miserably cold lately. Sad thing is, the cold has done nothing to deter my craving for some barbecued chicken. I still would like some barbecue, but I don't see myself or any member of my household standing in the frigid cold to grill some chicken. Just not happening. So the next logical thing to do that will render succulent, juicy chicken reminiscent of chicken barbecued on the grill is cooking some oven baked barbequed chicken-right in the comfort of my warm kitchen. Here's how you do it....


Ingredients:
-1 (3-3 1/2 lb.) whole chicken with skin on and bone in, cut up into pieces.
-1/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine.
-1 cup ketchup.
-1/4 cup honey.
-1/3 cup water
-1/2 cup cider vinegar.
-2 tablespoons lemon juice.
-1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce.
-1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses (to my Swahili speaking readers, this is liquid "Sukari Nguru").
-1 teaspoon ground mustard.
-1 teaspoon liquid smoke (Optional. This will give the chicken that smokey barbecue flavor of chicken barbecued on a grill. Find it in the condiment aisle of the grocery store next to the barbecue sauces).
-1 tablespoon onion powder.
-1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
-1 bay leaf.
-2 teaspoons salt.
-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger.
-1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper.

To Make The Barbecue Sauce:
Yield: 2 cups
-Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; stir in the ketchup and all the remaining ingredients (except the salt, pepper and of course the chicken pieces).
-Heat the sauce over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
-Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
Tip: This sauce can keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

  

Instructions For Cooking The Chicken:
-Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celcius).
-Clean your chicken pieces well under cold tap water and pat dry completely with paper towels.
-Place the chicken pieces on a baking sheet and liberally season both sides with the salt and pepper.

              

-Transfer the seasoned chicken pieces (with the skin side down) to a cooking rack that has been lightly sprayed with cooking oil. Set this rack over a baking sheet that's lined with aluminium foil (see the picture).

 

If you don't have a cooking rack to place over a baking sheet, cover a baking sheet with Aluminium foil, lightly spray the foil with cooking oil and arrange the chicken pieces on the baking sheet in a single layer.

-Transfer the chicken (on the baking rack set over a baking sheet) to the oven and bake it uncovered for 45 minutes.

   

-After 45 minutes, remove the baking sheet with the chicken from the oven. If you placed your chicken pieces directly on a lined baking sheet, drain out the liquid that has collected on the baking sheet.
-Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celcius).
-Using a basting brush, brush the barbecue sauce on the chicken pieces; return the chicken back to the oven and allow it to bake for an additional 1hr 25 minutes. In that time, turn the chicken over and baste it with some more barbecue sauce. Keep basting the chicken every 20 minutes for the rest of the baking time.

-In the last 5 minutes of baking, while wearing an oven mitt, move your rack close to the broiler. Turn your chicken pieces over so that the skin side faces up. Turn your broiler on, place the baking sheet with the chicken close to the broiler. Crack your oven door slightly and keep your eyes on the chicken so it does not burn. The objective of broiling the chicken is to crisp the chicken skin and give it that slightly charred barbecue grilled look. When your chicken pieces are charred to your liking, remove the chicken from the oven.

-Let your chicken rest for 5-8 minutes then serve. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestion:
Goes exceptionally well with any of the following: creamy mashed potatoes, coleslaw, corn on the cobb, baked beans or potato salad.