I’m sure you can tell by the proliferation of recipes involving chicken and grilling on my blog that I love grilled chicken, especially Grilled Chicken with Peach Glaze. And, coincidently, one of my favorite things about summer is that my husband cooks something on the grill (including chicken) several times a week.
This week, the stars aligned and one of my favorite foods and one of my favorite pastimes (that is, watching my husband grill) came together in a spectacular way and produced this outrageously delicious Grilled Chicken with Peach Glaze.
Grilled Chicken with Peach Glaze is really nothing more than grilled chicken topped with a yummy sweet, sticky and spicy glaze made with fresh peaches, jalapenos, and peach preserves.
And this wonderful dish is the perfect entree to pair with either fresh Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad or Watermelon, Tomato and Feta Salad for a sensational light summer meal. It would also be a fabulous choice for a terrific Labor Day Bash with Garden Pasta Salad and Strawberry Margarita Ice Pops!
Now, I will admit that while this recipe is short on ingredients, it does take a few more steps than most of my recipes, but the finished dish is definitely worth the extra effort. Your family will absolutely love it, and if you serve it at a neighborhood barbecue, well let’s just say you will be the most popular cook on the block.
Oh, and be sure you have plenty of napkins because the phrase, “finger lickin’ good” has never been truer.
The list of ingredients is short: bone-in chicken pieces, kosher salt and black pepper, a jar of peach preserves, cayenne pepper, fresh peaches, and a jalapeno pepper.
You will also need a heavy-duty 13×9 inch disposable aluminum pan with at least 2-3 inch sides.
(You will be cooking in this pan and taking it off of the hot grill full of chicken and liquid, so make sure you use a heavy-duty pan with high enough sides to grab with your oven mitts. The last thing you want is to use a flimsy pan and have it collapse when you try to take it off of the grill.) You can guess how I know this! The pan in my photos is way too small! So, please do as I say, not as I did!
To get started, first pat chicken pieces dry with a paper towel.
Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over the front and back of the chicken pieces. Place chicken in a plastic storage bag and store in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
When you are ready to grill the chicken set up your grill for direct cooking. If you are using a charcoal grill, use enough charcoal to maintain the heat at about 375 degrees while the chicken cooks. When the coals are hot or your grill is at 375 degrees, clean and oil the grill grate(s) and place on the grill.
Add the preserves and cayenne pepper to a small bowl and mix thoroughly.
Spray the aluminum pan with a non-stick cooking spray and pour in the preserves mixture. Spread the preserves evenly over the bottom. Place the chicken pieces in the pan, skin side down. Place the peach halves and jalapeno halves in the pan cut side up.
(Cooking the chicken in the pan for the first part of the grilling process is the secret to moist tender chicken infused with and covered with the delicious peach glaze.)
Place the aluminum pan on the grate and put the grill lid on. (If using charcoal, position the vent opening over the chicken.) Cook the chicken for 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces. My pieces were large, so I cooked them for almost 15 minutes, but if yours are small, only cook them for 10 minutes.
Flip the chicken pieces over and rotate the pan so that the chicken pieces cook uniformly. Continue to cook for approximately 10-15 minutes (again depending on the size of your chicken pieces), or until the breasts register 155 degrees and the thighs register 170 degrees on a meat thermometer.
Flip the chicken pieces over again to make sure they are thoroughly coated with the peach preserves mixture and place them directly on the grill. (Leave the aluminum pan on the grill along with the peach and jalapeno halves to allow the peach preserves mixture to thicken)
Grill the chicken pieces for 2-4 minutes and be careful that they don’t burn. Flip the chicken pieces over again and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes or until the breasts register 160 degrees and the thighs register 175 degrees.
When the chicken is done, place it back in the aluminum pan skin side up and using heavy duty oven mitts carefully remove the pan from the grill. Tent the pan with foil and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes.
Place the chicken pieces on a serving platter. Chop up the peach and jalapeno halves and mix with the peach preserves mixture. Spoon the peach preserves mixture over the chicken and serve immediately.
Grilled Chicken with Peach Glaze
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken pieces bone-in with the skin on
- 2-1/4 tsp kosher or another coarse salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 jar peach preserves 12 oz jar
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 fresh peach halved and pitted
- 1 jalapeno pepper cut in half lengthwise with the seeds and membrane removed
Instructions
- Pat chicken pieces dry with a paper towel.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over the front and back of the chicken pieces. Place chicken in a plastic storage bag and store in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- When you are ready to grill the chicken set up your grill for direct cooking. If you are using a charcoal grill, use enough charcoal to maintain the heat at about 375 degrees while the chicken cooks. Clean and oil the grill grate and place on the grill.
- Add the preserves and cayenne pepper to a small bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Spray the aluminum pan with a non-stick cooking spray and pour in the preserves mixture. Spread the preserves evenly over the bottom. Place the chicken pieces in the pan, skin side down. Place the peach halves and jalapeño halves in the pan cut side up. (Cooking the chicken in the pan for the first part of the grilling process is the secret to moist tender chicken infused with and covered with the delicious peach glaze.)
- Place the aluminum pan on the grate and put the grill lid on. (If using charcoal, position the vent opening over the chicken.) Cook the chicken for 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces. My pieces were large, so I cooked them almost 15 minutes, but if yours are small, only cook them for 10 minutes.
- Flip the chicken pieces over and rotate the pan so that the chicken pieces cook uniformly. Continue to cook for approximately 10-15 minutes (again depending on the size of your chicken pieces), or until the breast registers 155 degrees and the thighs register 170 degrees on a meat thermometer.
- Flip the chicken pieces over again to make sure they are thoroughly coated with the peach preserves mixture and place them directly on the grill. (Leave the aluminum pan on the grill along with the peach and jalapeño halves to allow the peach preserves mixture to thicken) Grill the chicken pieces for 2-4 minutes and be careful that they don't burn. Flip the chicken pieces over again and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes or until the breasts register 160 degrees and the thighs register 175 degrees.
- When the chicken is done, place it back in the aluminum pan skin side up and using heavy duty oven mitts carefully remove the pan from the grill. Tent the pan with foil and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes.
- Place the chicken pieces on a serving platter. Chop up the peach and jalapeño halves and mix with the peach preserves mixture. Spoon the peach preserves mixture over the chicken and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Martha Coppins says
July 22, 2016 at 8:52 amI am going to try the watermelon tomato salad this weekend. I fixed the peach and blackberry crumble for my bookclub group and it was a big hit. Your blog has made cooking fun again.
Gritsandpinecones says
July 25, 2016 at 10:03 amI’m so glad you are enjoying it!