Tequila-Glazed Grilled Chicken Thighs
A new favorite of ours that I thought I'd share. These are sticky and delicious! Enjoy!
A new favorite of ours that I thought I'd share. These are sticky and delicious! Enjoy!
- cooking spray
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon corn starch
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- 6 bone-in chicken thighs , (about 2 pounds), skinned
- 3/4 cup pineapple juice
- 1/3 cup tequila
- 2 teaspoon water
- 2 teaspoon grated lime rind
- 3 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Carbohydrate 19.1098905024571 g
- Cholesterol 118.44 mg
- Fat 22.2529103739262 g
- Fiber 1.03419360530727 g
- Protein 25.0692816944165 g
- Saturated Fat 6.26537993605672 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (245g)
- Sodium 336.676238139997 mg
- Sugar 18.0756968971498 g
- Trans Fat 1.49436903125 g
- Calories 418 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat using both burners. After preheating, turn the left burner off (leave the right burner on).
- Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; rub evenly over chicken.
- Bring the pineapple juice, tequila, and honey to a boil in a small saucepan; cook until reduced to 3/4 cup (about 10 minutes). Combine cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water in a small bowl, and stir well. Add cornstarch mixture to juice mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in lime rind, 3 tablespoons lime juice, and red pepper.
- Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray over right burner (direct heat). Cover and grill for 5 minutes on each side, basting occasionally with juice mixture. Move the chicken to grill rack over left burner (indirect heat). Cover and grill an additional 5 minutes on each side or until done, basting occasionally.
Balancing high-sugar glazes over an open flame requires strict thermal management to prevent burning before the meat cooks through. Utilizing a dual-zone grilling setup resolves this constraint by dividing the cooking surface into a direct searing zone and an indirect convection zone. Preheating the grill to medium-high establishes the initial heat required to render surface fats, while shutting off one burner creates a safe thermal buffer where proteins can finish cooking gently without charring the exterior sugars. Bone-in thighs demand this measured approach because their mass requires internal temperature progression that outpaces the rapid caramelization rate of honey and fruit juices.
Surface texture relies entirely on sequential moisture management and controlled starch gelatinization. Combining cornstarch with water creates a slurry that must be whisked into the boiling reduction at precisely the right moment so that the amylose molecules can swell and trap the liquid. Brushing this thickened reduction onto the meat during grilling introduces sugars that caramelize when exposed to radiant heat, while the alcohol in the tequila evaporates rapidly, leaving behind distinct aromatic compounds without excess liquid that would otherwise steam the skin. Basting continuously builds a tacky lacquer that adheres tightly to the surface rather than dripping away into the burners.
Bone-in, skinless chicken thighs present specific structural advantages over lean breast meat due to higher collagen content, which breaks down during the thirty-minute cooking window to yield a tender bite. Skinned thighs still retain enough intramuscular fat to keep the meat juicy during direct exposure, though removing the skin shifts the browning responsibility entirely to the applied honey and fruit acids. Controlling the viscosity of the glaze ensures it clings to the uneven contours of the meat instead of pooling on the grates. Applying the citrus rind and fresh lime juice at the end of the reduction phase protects volatile citrus oils from degrading under prolonged high heat, preserving a sharp acidity that cuts through the concentrated sweetness.
Preparing components ahead of time alters the final textural outcome, particularly if the glaze is stored in the refrigerator before use. Chilling the reduction causes retrogradation of the starches, meaning the sauce will thicken further and require gentle reheating to loosen its consistency before application. Freezing cooked chicken thighs changes the cellular structure as ice crystals expand and rupture muscle fibers, releasing moisture upon thawing that can compromise the sticky exterior finish. Storing leftover glazed pieces in an airtight container for up to three days requires reheating them on a wire rack in a moderate oven to re-crisp the surface without burning the residual sugars.
