Apple Butter Chicken Recipe
This apple butter chicken is seasoned with warm spices and coated in a homemade apple butter BBQ sauce that’s sweet, smoky, and savory. The chicken is grilled first for extra smoky flavor, then baked until tender and juicy.
Servings: 4
Calories: 679kcal
Ingredients
Chicken Rub Seasoning
- 1 Whole Chicken
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Adobo All Purpose
- 1 tsp Apple Spice
- 1/2 tsp Ground Thyme
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Ground Pepper
Apple Butter BBQ Sauce
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1 cup Apple Butter
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/4 tsp Mustard Powder
- 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Ketchup
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp Liquid Hickory Smoke
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Baking Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
Instructions
Chicken Prep
- Take a small sauce pan over lower medium heat, and combine all ingredients listed above in the "Apple Butter BBQ Sauce" to create an apple butter bbq sauce. Whisk until combined, turn off heat and set aside.
- Take a small bowl, measure and combine chicken rub ingredients into one bowl: garlic powder, onion powder, adobo all purpose seasoning, apple spice, thyme, nutmeg, and ground pepper. Set aside.
- If you brined your chicken, remove chicken from brine, pat dry, and apply chicken rub ingredients listed above. If chicken is not brined, wash and clean chicken, pat dry, and apply chicken rub.
Chicken Cooking Instructions
- Pre-grill chicken to infuse a smokey flavor. Sear and grill each side of the whole chicken (7-8 minutes per side). Close the grill lid during the grilling process to ensure smoke flavors penetrate chicken. Remove chicken from grill after 15 minutes, and place inside of a baking dish.
- Preheat oven to 375 F degrees (190 C). Take a basting brush, sauce and apply bbq apple butter all over grilled chicken. Once chicken is fully covered in the apple butter bbq sauce, pour around 1/2 cup of chicken broth into the corner of baking dish (or enough to slightly cover the base of the dish). This will allow the chicken to steam while baking. Cover dish with foil and bake for 1 hour (more or less depending on the size of chicken pieces). Bake chicken until an internal temperature of 165 F (74 C) is achieved. BONUS TIP: If you want a nice glaze finish, remove foil and broil the top of your chicken for a few minutes on the top rack at 500 F (260 C).
- Once chicken reaches the desired temperature, remove from oven, remove foil, and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes. If you have a spatchcock or whole chicken, carve the chicken starting with the legs, then the breast. Follow the natural joints for easier carving. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 679kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 158mg | Sodium: 1152mg | Potassium: 547mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 491IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 3mg