Grilled Chicken Drumsticks with Bourbon-Cherry BBQ Sauce

By

From Cooking Light July 2017

  • 8
  • 60 mins
  • 100 mins

Ingredients

  • 3 cups fresh or frozen sour cherries, pitted and thawed (about 20 oz)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup unsalted ketchup
  • 1/4 cup unsalted tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp bourbon
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp dry mustard
  • 1/8 ground red pepper
  • 4 lb chicken drumsticks, skinned (about 16)
  • Cooking spray

Preparation

Step 1

Place cherries in a food processor; pulse until almost smooth. Bring cherry puree, ¼ cup water, and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high. Reduce heat to low; simmer 20 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl to yield about 1 cup liquid; discard remaining solids.

Add cherry liquid to pan; bring to a boil. Stir in honey and next 9 ingredients (through ground red pepper). Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 10 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally in a bowl; reserve.

Preheat grill to medium-high (about 450).

Coat grill grate and drumsticks with cooking spray. Arrange drumsticks on grill; cover and cook; 8 minutes, turning occasionally. Reduce heat to medium. Brush drumsticks with remaining sauce; cook 12 minutes or until done, turning and brushing every 3 minutes. Serve with reserved 1 cup sauce.