Grilled Chicken with Alabama White Sauce
Servings 6 with possible leftovers
Ingredients
- 12 pieces skin-on, bone-in chicken (I used legs and thighs)
For the Alabama White Sauce
- 1 cup good-quality mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish (see Kitchen Notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cayenne (see Kitchen Notes)
Instructions
- Make the sauce. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and whisk well to combine. Cover bowl and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. It will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
- Grill the chicken. Honestly, if you've grilled chicken in the past, you can use whatever method works for you and just pick up where I say, "Sauce the chicken." Here's what I did. I salted and peppered a dozen leg and thigh pieces, then started cooking them with the indirect grilling method I used for these Grilled Hoisin Chicken Thighs. Then I moved the chicken over the coals to brown and finish cooking uncovered, turning it occasionally and moving it away from flare-ups.
- Sauce the chicken. When an instant read thermometer registered 165ºF, I began slathering the chicken liberally with the White Sauce, again turning it a couple/few times and saucing it each time. After 5 or so minutes, I declared this bridge open and transferred the chicken to a serving platter, let it rest for maybe 10 minutes, then served it.
Kitchen Notes
When did horseradish become exotic? We've bought plain, simple prepared horseradish on occasion in the past, and it's always been readily available, right there with all the other condiments. But this weekend what I found at the supermarket were kind of Epcot Center versions of horseradish—sort of a horseradish experience, only artificial and watered down so as not to offend anyone. The frighteningly long list of ingredients even included high-fructose corn syrup! Finally I found genuine prepared hot horseradish at a kosher deli and bakery. Hold out for the real thing.
How much cayenne pepper? Most recipes for Alabama White Sauce called for a mere 1/4 teaspoon, which falls firmly into the why bother category for me. The recipe I started with called for 1/2 teaspoon. Tasting as I mixed it, this still didn't seem like much, so I goosed it up to 3/4 teaspoon. Still, the heat was subtle to Marion and me. Marion's sister thought it had some definite heat. So know your own tolerance level as you add the cayenne.