Smoky Cherry Bomb Chicken
Smoky Cherry Bomb Chicken is a hot and sweet Thai chicken. It’s only a matter of time until your taste buds explode with happiness.
Ingredients
- 1 quart Cold water
- 1/3 cup Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 4 Chicken leg and thigh quarters
- 1 pint Cherry tomatoes
- 3 Habanero peppers, seeded
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1/2 tsp Ground Allspice
- 1 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 3 Tbsp Vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup Prepared Thai sweet chili sauce
Directions
Combine water, kosher salt, and sugar in a saucepan over low heat; cook until sugar and salt dissolve, 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Puree cherry tomatoes, Habanero peppers, garlic, and allspice with the salt and sugar mixture in a blender until smooth.
Score the skin side of each piece of chicken 2 to 3 times, about 1/8 inch deep. Place chicken pieces in a large bowl or lidded container. Pour tomato brine over chicken pieces, making sure all pieces are covered. Refrigerate 4 to 6 hours.
Remove chicken pieces and transfer to a plate or baking sheet lined with paper towels. Pat chicken pieces dry with more paper towels.
When ready to cook, start the Traeger on Smoke with the lid open until a fire is established (4-5 minutes).
Combine thyme, cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and oil in a small bowl.
Brush each chicken piece with thyme and oil mixture. (Don’t put on too much oil, or else you’ll end up with some serious flare-ups!)
Smoke the chicken on the Traeger grill grate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Increase the temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to roast the chicken until the internal temperature in the thickest part of a thigh registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read meat thermometer, about 50 to 60 minutes.
Remove the chicken quarters to a plate and brush each piece with Thai sweet Chile sauce. Transfer to a plate and allow chicken to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Recipe and photo from Traeger.
