PANKO, PARMESAN CRUSTED BBQ CHICKEN

 ‘Its shake and bake and I helped’. A blast from the past is the memory of the commericial for ‘Shake and Bake’ chicken.  We are not re-inventing the wheel today. We are baking chicken in the Weber covered kettle grill. This chicken will be encrusted in a crunchy topping of panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. To begin, we need to brine our chicken in a solution of water, salt and sugar. This recipe and method is simple with fantastic results.

Brining is a great way to add moisture and flavor to chicken and pork. A simple solution of ¼ cup of salt and ¼ cup of sugar combined with 1 quart of water is brought to a boil. Stir to combine, turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature. Place approximately 2 pounds of chicken parts into solution and refrigerate. I am using chicken thighs and legs. The mixture needs to brine for several hours up to overnight. Remove the chicken from the ice cave, drain and dry. The next step is to apply the panko/parmesan crust. A three step dipping method of flour, egg/milk and finally panko parmesan mixture is used. The brading mixture ratio is 1/3 cup parmesan to 2/3 cup of panko crumbs. Let’s build a fire.

I have a special grill grate that has the center cut out that is perfect for indirect cooking. I have a charcoal fire consisting of 50 lit charcoals in the center. If you do not have this grate you can bank the charcoals on one side to create an indirect heat. Place your chicken on a well oiled grate. (This chicken will stick to the grill so be sure to oil your grate). Cover with lid and bake for approx. 40 minutes or until the internal temperature is above 165 degrees.

  This was an easy and tasty meal. The crust is salty, savory and crisp. The brine created a juicy and flavorful chicken. Ms. Goofy exclaimed; It was like barbequed fried chicken. This definitely will be put on the rotation of our meals.