A nicely busy Sunday ends with simple, smoky goodness: Dijon Grilled Chicken Thighs

Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, garlic, tarragon and thyme and good, hot coals add up to smoky chicken thighs with a subtle European accent. Recipe below.

[su_dropcap style=”flat”]L[/su_dropcap]ast Sunday was Father’s Day. I mention this only because last Sunday, we went to a big box hardware store to pick up some garden supplies and something I’d thought of last minute. The parking lot was jammed, busier than we’d ever seen it. Likewise the store aisles. At first, we didn’t know what was going on. Then we realized—it was dads.

Some of them were clearly being treated to practical, hardworking dad gifts by family members—a splurgy power drill or socket wrench set. Others were possibly treating themselves. But a lot of them were being dads on Father’s Day, buying stuff to fix stuff at home. Two-by-fours. Light switches. Spackle.

Oh, and the last minute thing I needed? A barbecue grill scrubber. Another thing dads do on Father’s Day is cook out.

Not that this was my impetus. Father’s Day and Mother’s Day are low-key events at our house. The kids call. Maybe there are cards, maybe not. Same with gifts. And this is just how we like it. With the kids usually not at home for the day, we may ask each other if there’s something we want to do to honor the day. On Mother’s Day, it was some birding at a bird sanctuary on Chicago’s lakefront. Last Sunday, it was amazing takeout goat tacos from a new-to-us, west side neighborhood place, eaten in a park between our hardware store and grocery store stops.

To say I’m less than fanatical about grilling is an understatement. We bought our new charcoal grill three years ago, shortly after moving into our new old house. I finally got around to assembling our grill last fall, after our backyard patio was put in, giving us an actual place to grill. And just last month, I actually cooked on it the first time.

You’re looking at meal number three here. Although Dijon mustard is a key ingredient—it’s even in the name of the dish—it does its patented disappearing act, blending in nicely with the overall flavor. No one ingredient announces itself, in fact, except maybe the smoke. I know I’ll be grilling bigger, more obvious flavors at some point, but subtle was good.

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Dijon Grilled Chicken Thighs

Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, garlic, tarragon and thyme and good, hot coals add up to smoky chicken thighs with a subtle European accent.

Course Main Course, Poultry

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 large cloves, roughly chopped
• 4 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 1/2 pound each
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Marinate the chicken. Combine all ingredients through the thyme in a bowl and whisk together. Trim excess fat from chicken thighs and put the thighs in a zippered plastic bag or glass baking dish. Pour marinade over chicken, making sure to coat all the pieces. Close the bag (or cover baking dish with plastic wrap) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Turn chicken occasionally to make sure it all remains coated with marinade.
• Grill the chicken. Remove chicken from fridge about 1/2 hour before you're ready to grill. If you're using a charcoal grill, this can be about when you start the coals. Prepare your grill for indirect grilling. If you use charcoal, arrange hot coals on one side of the grill. (If you use a gas grill, do whatever you do for indirect grilling.) Lightly oil the grate.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off any excess marinade (make sure to scrape off any garlic chunks). Season lightly with salt and generously with black pepper.
• Place chicken on the grill away from the coals, skin side up. Cover the grill and cook for about 10 minutes to cook off some of the fat under the skin. This will reduce flareups when you cook over the direct heat. Move chicken over the coals, skin side down, cover grill and cook until nicely browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip chicken skin side up over coals, cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Move chicken back away from coals, skin side up. Cover and cook until a quick-read thermometer registers 165ºF when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh (being careful to avoid the bone). The timing here is anyone’s guess, which is why the thermometer is an invaluable tool. Start checking after 10 or so minutes, but don’t be surprised if it takes a good deal longer (see Kitchen Notes).
• When chicken is done, transfer to a serving platter and tent with foil. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then serve.

Kitchen Notes

Grilling and timing. I am purposely vague here because I'm having quite the learning curve with our new grill. It runs hot—I swear, I could probably use it as a kiln. If you know how your grill does, you can probably estimate your timing a little better.

What to serve alongside. We had this with a potato salad Marion made, using lots of dill from our garden, and a green salad. The idea is things that are make-ahead or come together quickly and don't require precision timing—no souffles, for instance. To drink, we had a crisp Chilean rosé. Beer would also be great, if you prefer, but something not crazy heavy.