Barbecued Chicken Legs

This is the kind of homemade barbecue sauce that puts the bottled stuff to shame. Onions and garlic sauteed in oil, then simmered with fresh tomatoes, ketchup, fruit chutney, vinegar, chicken broth, Worcestershire, Dijon, paprika, lemon, brown sugar, and a bay leaf for 20 to 30 minutes. Strained smooth, it carries layers of sweet, sharp, smoky, and tangy.

The key prep is scoring the chicken. Small knife cuts in the meaty parts of each chicken leg let the sauce penetrate deeper than just sitting on the skin. A half-hour rest with sauce spooned on top before grilling lets the marinade do real work.

Grill or broil 30 to 45 minutes, basting frequently. The doneness test is simple: prick with a skewer at the thickest spot. Clear juice means done, pink juice means another 5 minutes.

Reserve some sauce that never touched raw chicken for the table. Heated separately, it doubles as a serving sauce for the cooked legs.

Pro Tips

• Cool the sauce completely before applying to raw chicken. Hot sauce starts to cook the surface, which lets less flavor penetrate during the marinade.
• Score the chicken on the meaty side of the legs, about ½ inch deep. Three to four cuts per piece is plenty.
• Baste every 5 to 7 minutes during the last 20 minutes of cooking. Build the lacquered, sticky crust in layers, not all at once.
• If broiling, place chicken 6 inches from the heat. Closer and the sauce burns before the meat cooks through.

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of smoked paprika or chipotle in adobo for genuine smoke flavor on an indoor broiler.
• Use boneless thighs instead of legs for faster weeknight cooking, about 20 minutes total.
• Swap fruit chutney for peach preserves or apricot jam for a fruitier sauce.