To celebrate the unofficial end of the summer, here is a classic BBQ chicken recipe along with traditional southern collard greens. Though you can use any BBQ sauce or make your own, for this recipe we are suggesting Bills Best Honey Barbecue Sauce for a nice mix of sweetness and zing.
Don’t be afraid of collard greens. Done wrong, they can be bland and tough. Done correctly, they are a delicious comfort food! Learn this method and collard greens will become your new favorite side.
This recipe can be done with any cut of chicken, though for the purpose of this recipe we suggest a Locust Point Farm half chicken.
For the chicken
1 Locust Point Farm half chicken (or chicken legs, thighs, breast, or a whole bird, spatchcocked)
2 cups Bills Best Honey Barbecue Sauce
For the collard greens
1-2 bunches collard greens
1 onion
2-3 oz bacon
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon hot red chili flakes (optional)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Step 1: Marinate the chicken
We recommend covering your chicken with Bill’s BBQ sauce 2-24 hours prior to cooking. Place chicken in a sealed container or ziplock bag and put in the refrigerator.
Step 2: Make collard greens
Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add bacon (cut into 1/4 inch cubes) and cook until some of the fat begins to collect in the pot and bacon starts to look shiny, about 5 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and softened, 5–7 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes (optional).
Add collard greens to pot and stir for several minutes so they begin to wilt. Add chicken stock or water; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until greens wilt and lose about half of their original volume, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover pot and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until greens are tender and liquid is almost completely evaporated, 25–30 minutes. Stir in vinegar and sugar and season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust sugar, salt and vinegar if needed.
Step 3: Grill chicken
Heat grill to high heat. Remove chicken from its marinade (leave marinade on the chicken). You want to make sure the grill is very hot before you put the chicken on, otherwise it will stick. Apply chicken to the grill.
Pro tip: The trick to good grilled chicken is keeping the lid on the grill for at least 85% of the cooking time. With the lid on, the grill works as an oven, which allows the chicken to cook evenly. Many grillers make the mistake of not using a lid, which is how you end up with a raw interior and a burnt exterior. This rule holds true with both gas and charcoal grills.
Cook chicken on both sides until fully cooked. This should take 15-20 minutes if using a bone-in half bird. If grilling a whole, spatchcocked bird, it will take around 30. Boneless breast or thighs should take about 10-15 minutes.
While cooking, baste chicken with more bbq sauce (from bottle, not marinade). You want to be continually flipping and basting the chicken so the sauce caramelizes nicely.
Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove from the grill. Top with a bit more bbq sauce (fresh from bottle, NOT the sauce you marinated in) and serve with collards. We also suggest cooking up a few ears of corn to serve with this.
