If you think chicken is good BBQ meat – try spring chicken! Spring chicken or poussin (which is, strictly speaking, even younger/smaller) are incredibly tender and have a slightly gamey taste, and I think they are excellent from the barbecue. This year, I also made my own barbecue sauce and of course, it should not miss one of my favorite cooking ingredients, pure Canadian maple syrup! Even better: You can make the sauce ahead of time, and it keeps well in the fridge for about a week. So on the day of your BBQ party, you can just sit back and relax! 🙂

Sanni

Ingredients (serves 2):

For the spring chicken:

• 1 poussin or spring chicken
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper

For the sauce:

• 4-5 generous teaspoons of Dijon honey mustard
• 2 tablespoons of mustard seeds, roasted for 1-2 minutes in a non-stick frying pan
• 100 grams of maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons of hickory salt
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 175 ml of cider or sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon of tamarind paste
• 500 ml of chicken stock

Preparation:

1. A day before preparation, rub the chicken with some sea salt and lemon juice, cover and leave in the fridge overnight. Remove from the fridge approximately 30 minutes before preparation, discarding extra lemon juice.
2. In the meantime prepare the sauce.
3. Whisk the sauce ingredients except the chicken broth in a saucepan until smooth.
4. Then gradually add the chicken stock.
5. Bring to the boil and then let simmer on low temperature until the sauce begins to thicken. This should take approximately 50 minutes to 1 hour.
6. Pat the chicken with kitchen towel to remove any remaining lemon juice.
7. Spatchcock the chicken by cutting out the backbone. Press flat by pressing on the wings, thereby breaking the breastbones (yes, it’s a bit brutal).
8. On each side, drive a metal skewer through the thigh and wing.
9. Season with freshly ground pepper and some more sea salt.
10. Sparte the BBQ sauce in two batches. Use one half to brush onto the chicken.
11. Roast the chicken on the BBQ from both side until done and a nice dark crust has formed.
12. Serve with the remaining batch of the BBQ sauce as a dipping sauce.