Grilled Chicken with Peach BBQ Sauce

Memorial Day weekend is upon us and though I’m still not sure how it’s nearly June already, I’m really looking forward to it!  Especially because our weather forecast looks like this:

It’s the perfect weather for a fun cookout with our friends (and their ridiculously adorable baby).  In addition, Shane’s already told me he wants to grill a majority of our meals, which is just fine by me as it frees the kitchen up for baking.  I’m thinking grilled pizza tonight and even though I’ve made this grilled chicken with peach bbq sauce twice in the past week, I have a feeling it’ll be on the menu again.

The peach bbq sauce is super simple, it consists of just five ingredients – peaches, ketchup, lemon juice, garlic and adobo sauce.  I was pretty skeptical of the combination at first; I’d never have thought to marry peaches and ketchup for starters.  I’m glad I was intrigued enough to give it a try though because slathered on chicken and grilled, it was really fantastic and just peach-y enough without being too fruity.  The peaches gave it a hint of sweetness while the adobo sauce added just a touch of heat and the grill imparted the perfect amount of smokiness/char.  The second time I made the sauce, I let it sit in the fridge for a day before marinating the chicken, and I think giving it that extra time for the flavors to meld made it even better.  This sauce even got the Shane seal of approval, though I was careful not to mention the peaches until after he’d cleaned his plate 🙂

If you’re grilling this weekend, this chicken with peach bbq sauce would be a great addition to your menu.  If you’re still looking for ideas, here are a few more suggestions:
Homemade Hamburger Rolls
Grilled Herb Shrimp
Lemon, Rosemary and Balsamic Grilled Chicken Thighs
Barbecued Chicken
Lemon, Rosemary Chicken Kebabs
All-American Potato Salad
No Bake Peanut Butter Squares

Grilled Chicken with Peach BBQ Sauce
from Gwyneth Paltrow via Bon Appetit, June 2011

9-10 oz frozen sliced peaches, thawed and chopped (or 1 cup chopped peeled fresh peaches)
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from canned chipotle chiles in adobo)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs)

Add the peaches, ketchup, lemon juice, garlic and adobo sauce to a small saucepan.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer until the peaches are soft, about 10 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let cool.  Transfer to a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer half of the sauce to a resealable plastic bag.  Add the chicken, seal the bag then use your hands (on the outside of the bag) to coat the chicken with the sauce.  Marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes, or in the fridge for up to 8 hours.  Cover and refrigerate the remaining half of the sauce.

Preheat grill to medium-high. Oil the grill racks thoroughly to keep the chicken from sticking.  When hot, grill the chicken until charred in places and almost cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side.  Brush all sides of the chicken with some of the remaining sauce then continue to grill until cooked through (chicken will register 160-165 F on an instant read thermometer), about 1-2 minutes more per side.  Let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.  Serve with remaining sauce.