Smoked Chicken Thighs With Maple BBQ Sauce (low FODMAP)

20 Minutes prep • 60 Minutes cook • Low FODMAP • Gluten-free • Lactose-free • Serves 4 • Ok to make ahead: Steps 1-2

Melt in your mouth tender chicken that tastes this good is something to be excited about! Making your own BBQ sauce is easy and quick and a sure way to ensure you know exactly what’s in it (no FODMAPs!) and to be sure it will taste amazing. Slow cooking on a smoker, if you have one, is the ideal cooking method but you can also slow cook on a barbecue (using a low indirect heat method) or in a low oven. Paired with my spring green salad that’s loaded with fresh greens and tender herbs, this meal is just bursting with flavor.

Ingredients: Chicken

8 boneless chicken thighs, skin on or skinless

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup, or as desired, Smoke N Sanity Triple S Seasoning (or another low FODMAP BBQ Seasoning)

1 tablespoon cilantro, fresh chopped

Ingredients: Maple BBQ Sauce

8 ounces Pomi tomato sauce (or Del Monte, or other plain tomato sauce)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon garlic-infused olive oil

1 tablespoon gluten-free Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Paprika or smoked Paprika

1/4 teaspoon Smoke N Sanity Essence of Garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon Smoke N Sanity Essence of Onion salt

1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder (or regular chili powder will do)

Pinch cayenne pepper

Directions

(1) Prepare the chicken: This step is optional but results in a more flavorful and tender chicken. Remove chicken from the package, and put it in one layer on a rimmed plate or baking dish. Season both sides of each piece lightly with Kosher salt (about 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon per side). Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use, ideally about 4 hours before cooking or overnight.

(2) Make the Maple BBQ sauce: Add the BBQ sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and whisk to combine. Bring to a low boil over medium heat. Once mixture begins to bubble, stir and cook for 10-15 minutes until sauce thickens up (enough to coat the back of a spoon). Remove from heat.

(3) Season the chicken: In a medium-sized bowl, add chicken thighs and olive oil. Toss to combine. Add the Triple S seasoning and use fingers to rub the seasoning into chicken evenly. Cover, refrigerate, and let the chicken absorb the seasoning for at least 20-30 minutes, or up to overnight, before cooking.

(4) Preheat smoker or barbecue: Preheat smoker or BBQ to 250 degrees F for 15 minutes. While it’s heating, remove chicken thighs from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature.

(5) Cook the chicken: Add the chicken thighs directly to the smoker or grill grates, skin side up (if you’re using skin-on chicken). Close the lid and let cook for 20 minutes (without adding any BBQ sauce).

(6) Add the sauce to the chicken: After 20 minutes of cook time, brush half the BBQ sauce on the tops of the chicken thighs in the smoker or grill (you don’t need to flip them). Smoke thighs for another 20 minutes.

(7) Add more sauce to the chicken: Brush the top of the chicken with the rest of the sauce and continue cooking the chicken thighs until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F as measured with an instant-read thermometer.

(8) Finish: Remove from the grill to a serving plate.

(9) Plate and serve: Serve with my spring green salad or another salad or side dish to your liking. This chicken is delicious cold, so keep any leftovers for a delightful lunch, or use the leftover sauce and chicken to make a fantastic BBQ chicken pizza.

Eat and enjoy every bite because you can!

Recipe note: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt in all my recipes because it has a wonderful flat and crisp flake that tastes delicious. It is also the least salty salt available so you can use it more liberally as a seasoning than you can table salt or sea salt. If you use another type of salt, you may need to reduce the amount so it is not over-salted. 

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