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Barbecue Sauce & Cranberry-Pepper Jelly Chicken Quarters

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bbq pepper jelly chicken main 2

 

HOW in the WORLD do you take a photo of GREAT-tasting food when it’s PITCH BLACK out by 5 o’clock?? These Barbecue Sauce & Cranberry-Pepper Jelly Chicken Quarters were AMAZING, and looked picture-perferct in person!

I am so sorry for the way these photos came out. It’s extremely upsetting because this chicken, and a few other dishes that I’ve recently made, taste SO GOOD, and they are not justified by these horrible photos. My apologies, and I hope that you don’t just pass this recipe by simply because of my lack of photography skills.

It’s “funny”. And quite sad, actually. I don’t know HOW many times I’ve looked at a GORGEOUS photo in a magazine, cookbook, (or on Pinterest or the internet in general for that matter)…..made it…..and it sure wasn’t what it was bragged up to be. Some were all out FAILURES. Mine is actually wonderful and the PHOTOS look terrible. Ha!! 😀

But I can guarantee you this. Though my photos might not be “picture perfect”, my food passes the most critical of tastebuds! 😉  I’m not a professional photographer, I do not have “food stylists” taking 4 billion shots of my food with fancy lighting. Nor do I have a degree in Photography. This is just food that I made myself in my own kitchen, from recipes that I developed myself .

Nope. Not a kitchen full of pros in my house. No fancy culinary degree, either.

It’s just me.

(Could I have a little CHEESE with my whine, please?! 😉 )

Anyways, though you cannot EVEN tell by the photos, this chicken turned out to be OUTSTANDING. And all made from such simple ingredients!

*I did make my own easy Cranberry-Pepper Jelly that I highly recommend, but if you really must substitute, you can try this with purchased Jalapeño-Pepper Jelly. It won’t be the same, nor nearly as good, though. But don’t worry! The jelly is also super easy to make! You’ve got this!

This jelly also makes wonderful holiday gifts, too! So, please do give it a try!  Recipe {here}.

 

cranberry pepper jelly 2

 

Once you have your gorgeous, bejeweled jelly made, you’re halfway there! The rest is a breeze and you won’t BELIVE how good this turns out!! (*Jelly does need to be made in advance, of course! 3 days is best!)

I LOVE my cast iron pan, everyone should own at least one! But if you don’t have one, you can simply do this in any oven-safe/stovetop-safe pan. Or you can transfer the whole mess to a baking dish after browning. 😉

Start by mixing up the seasoning blend ….

 

seasoning blend

 

… and season your chicken well on both sides using all of it.

I just simply used paper plates because these quarters were really big, way too big to fit on a regular dinner plate. But fit two paper plates perfectly, and I could just get rid of the mess quickly and easily after using! 😉

 

chicken quarters seasoned

 

Get your butter melting and slice your onion. Have your chicken right nearby.

 

chicken ready for cast iron

 

When the butter has melted, place your pieces skin side-down first, and brown for just 2 minutes ….

 

chicken in cast iron 1

 

… then turn and brown the other side.  *Looking pretty good already, isn’t it? 😀

 

chicken in cast iron 2

 

With a spatula, remove your chicken back to the plates. (*Don’t worry, it hasn’t baked yet, so it’s ok to use the same plate(s).)  Then turn off the heat and add your onions …

 

onions in cast iron

 

… and place your chicken back into the pan on top of the onions, skin side-up.

 

chicken in cast iron ready to bake

 

Simply pop this all into the oven and bake uncovered until done, fall-off-the-bone-tender, and sooooo juicy!

 

cran-bbq

 

Then mix your Cranberry Pepper Jelly with Sweet Baby Ray’s Original Barbecue Sauce (or your own personal favorite!) and bake just a little longer!

 

cran pepp chix basted

 

The onions underneath will caramelize BEAUTIFULLY, and keep the chicken from getting too done on the bottom!

 

cran-bbq chix

 

With a fork, lift the onions out onto the chicken. Even the ones that may look “too dark”!

Those are worth fightin’ for! 😉

 

bbq pepper jelly chicken skillet

 

I served this incredibly succulent and flavorful chicken with my simple CopyCat Boxed Stuffing (with added Granny Smith Apples and Craisins), and my Country Ranch Green Beans ‘n Potatoes with Bacon & Onions and everything went very well together!

 

bbq pepper jelly chicken main 2

 

My hubby couldn’t get over how tender and juicy the chicken was!! Needless to say…we feasted like little Kings and Queens that night!!

*I have a very old recipe that I made years ago up my sleeve still yet to come using the jelly, so please do go ahead and give it a try! I promise that it won’t go to waste, and friends will be begging for a jar for themselves! 😉

So if you’re on the hunt for a VERY tasty chicken dish that’s almost embarrassingly easy to make…..you just found it! 😉 Enjoy!! 😀

 

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*Click here for my Cranberry Jalapeño & Sweet Red Pepper Jelly recipe!

Barbecue Sauce & Cranberry-Pepper Jelly Chicken Quarters
Yield: 2 servings

Barbecue Sauce & Cranberry-Pepper Jelly Chicken Quarters

Ingredients

  • 2 large skin-on bone-in leg thigh quarters, (or two breasts of the same)

Seasoning Blend:

  • 2 tsp. seasoned salt, (I use Johnny's)
  • 1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. smoked sweet paprika
  • 1/4 tsp. cajun/creole seasoning, (I use Cajun's Choice Creole Seasoning)

Rest of Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbl. butter
  • 1 Tbl. vegetable oil
  • 1 small to medium onion, sliced
  • 2 Tbl. Sweet Baby Ray's Original Barbecue Sauce
  • 2 Tbl. + 1 tsp. of my homemade Cranberry-Pepper Jelly, or purchased (red or green) jalapeño pepper jelly

Instructions

  • In small bowl, mix together well the seasoning blend. Evenly season both sides of chicken quarters.
  • Melt butter and oil in cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Place chicken pieces into melted butter, skin side-down, and brown for approximately 2 minutes. Turn and brown other side. (Another 2 minutes.) Remove chicken back to plate and turn off heat.
  • Add onions, place chicken back in pan on top of onions skin side-up.
  • Pop into preheated 350º F oven and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  • In small bowl, stir together the barbecue sauce and the pepper jelly until well mixed.
  • Remove pan and baste tops of chicken with half of barbecue-jelly sauce. Bake for 7 more minutes.
  • Remove and baste with rest of sauce, return to oven and bake for 3-5 minutes longer or until chicken is done.
  • Notes

    If you just don't want to make the homemade jelly, a nice jalapeño pepper jelly (red or green) from the store should work ok. *But remember, it won't have any cranberry flavor and homemade is always better. 😉


     

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