BBQ chicken with maple vinegar sauce, almonds & cranberries

If you’re looking for BBQ chicken with a little bit of a different flavour, you’ve found it!

Method

• Start by lighting your BBQ if you have one, this takes a while to get to the right temperature. You are looking for about 130ᵒc – 140ᵒc. if not, then this can be done in a frying pan and oven.
• Give the chicken a little slash with a knife on the thickest part of the breast and thighs of the chicken to help it cook evenly.
• If you have long metal skewers, then you can stick these through the chicken to help keep it all together but no problem if not.
• Give the chicken a good seasoning with salt and pepper all over and place skin side down over the coals or in a medium heated frying pan if using.
• Close the lid and walk away to get on with the other jobs, you want a slow and steady heat to crisp that skin and cook it all the way through. Too hot and it will be burnt and undercooked all at the same time!
• While the chicken is doing its thing, make the sauce by putting half of the butter into a saucepan with the shallot and pinch of salt.
• Cook for this over medium heat for a few minutes or till softened then add in the nutmeg and a good grind of black pepper.
• Cook for another minute and add the vinegar and the maple.
• Bring to the boil and let it reduce down by half, then remove from the heat and set aside.
• For the topping melt the remaining butter in a pan and add in the almonds, stirring all the time, until nice and golden brown
• Add in the leeks, cranberries and breadcrumbs, along with a pinch of salt and pepper and set it aside
• Check your chicken, it should be getting a lovely, even charred colour on the skin and starting to crisp up, carefully flip it over and continue to cook, this should take about 40 mins.