Description
Juicy grilled chicken thighs paired with a sweet, tangy homemade peach BBQ sauce. Perfect for summer cookouts or weeknight dinners, this recipe brings bold flavor and tender, crispy chicken to the table.
Ingredients
6–8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (3–4 lb)
2 tbsp olive or avocado oil
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp kosher salt (or ¾ tsp table salt)
½ tsp black pepper
Optional: ½ tsp chili powder or cayenne
1.5 lb ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, chopped
1 cup ketchup
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp cayenne (or to taste)
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pat chicken thighs dry and massage with oil and dry rub, getting under the skin. Let rest at room temperature for 20–30 minutes.
- In a blender or food processor, blend peaches, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire, Dijon, garlic, paprika, onion powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper until mostly smooth.
- Simmer sauce in a saucepan over low heat for 15–20 minutes until slightly thinner than store-bought BBQ sauce. Adjust seasoning and let cool to thicken.
- Preheat grill to medium (350–375 °F) with indirect and direct heat zones. Oil the grates.
- Grill chicken skin-side down on indirect heat, lid closed, for 20–25 minutes. Flip and cook for another 10–15 minutes, aiming for internal temp of 165 °F.
- Move to direct heat, skin-side down for 2–3 minutes to crisp. Flip, brush with peach BBQ sauce, and grill 1–2 minutes more to set glaze.
- Transfer chicken to a plate, tent with foil, and rest 5–10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use fresh peak-season peaches for best flavor, but frozen peaches work well too.
- Chicken can be baked or pan-fried if grilling isn’t an option.
- Peach BBQ sauce keeps up to 2 weeks in the fridge or 3 months frozen.
- Reheat chicken gently at 325 °F with extra sauce to retain moisture.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken thigh with sauce
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 650mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 110mg
