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Making a show-stopping, magazine-worthy smoked chicken and salsa verde corn salad is easier than you think! So fire up that gas grill, and fill a smoker box with Western BBQ Peach Smoking Chips; let’s get smoking!
This recipe was originally published on GrillingGrandma.com
Ingredients:
For Chicken:
- 1 1/2 to 3 cups Western BBQ Peach Smoking Chips
- 12 bone-in chicken thighs
- 2/3 cup Jack Daniel's® Chicken Rub
For Charred Corn Salad:
- 4 ears of corn, husk and strings removed
- 1 tablespoon canola oil or preferred cooking oil
- 1 poblano pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon Jack Daniel's® Chicken Rub
- 1/4 cup green onions
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
For Salsa Verde:
- 1 tablesppon canola oil or preferred cooking oil
- 10-12 medium tomatillos
- 1 whole jalapeño
- 1 whole poblano pepper
- 3 scallions
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
To Serve:
Cilantro sprigs, lime wedges, and charred red bell pepper
Directions:
To Prepare Chicken:
- Trim excess fat from chicken thighs leaving as much skin on as possible. The excess skin will be wrapped around the side without skin
- Rub seasoning under the skin by gently loosening skin with a finger. Rub the outside of the skin with remaining chicken seasoning.
- Set chicken aside and prepare salsa verde and charred corn.
- Once the salsa verde and charred corn are prepared continue with step 5.
- There might be a need to add more Western Peach BBQ Smoking Chips to the smoker box after charring the corn before the chicken smokes.
- Once you have a smoky grill prepared, adjust heat to 300°F degrees. Grill the chicken thighs, skin side up, over direct heat about 3 minutes. Turn chicken over with the skin side down and continue to cook 3 minutes, turning chicken as needed to prevent burning. Transfer the chicken, skin side up to indirect heat.
- Close the grill’s lid and continue to cook the chicken thighs for about 25-30 minutes. The grilling time varies due to the size of the thighs.
- The internal temperature of grilled chicken should be 165°F Fahrenheit (75°F Celsius). Rest chicken for 10 minutes before serving.
To Prepare Gas Grill:
- Clean grill grates and brush with cooking oil
- Place 1 1/2 cups Western Peach BBQ Smoking Chips in a smoker box. Place on back grill grate, above the burner.
- Turn grill on high or to 500°F. Close lid and wait 10 minutes before checking on smoke.
- After 10-15 minutes a steady stream of smoke should have developed.
- Adjust grill to 400°F heat to char corn and smoke salsa verde.
- Lower the grill temperature to 300°F for the chicken.
- Use BBQ gloves or tongs to move smoker box over the indirect heat. There is a chance you will have to refill the smoker box after the charred corn completely cooks before smoking the chicken.
To Prepare Charred Corn Salad:
- Bring a pasta pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon salt. Blanch corn for 3 minutes, drain, and pat dry.
- Toss corn in canola oil.
- Grill corn until charred on most sides, or desired doneness. A few sides of corn without char creates a variation of texture and flavor. Grill corn about 15 minutes, rotating as needed to prevent burning.
- As the corn is grilling, place red bell pepper and poblano pepper on grill and char skin. Remove peppers from grill, scrape off charred skin, and chop. Reserve 1/2 of the charred red pepper to garnish the charred corn. Place remixing chopped peppers in a salad bowl, and toss with lime juice, chicken rub, green onions, and cilantro.
- Remove charred corn, cool slightly, and remove kernels from cob with a sharp serrated knife. Stir charred corn kernels into the salad bowl with peppers. Set aside.
To Prepare Salsa Verde:
- Toss prepared tomatillos, jalapeño, and poblano in oil.
- Place on grill while corn chars, if there is room. Grill until peppers are charred and tomatillos have softened.
- Cut charred peppers in half and remove and discard the seeds, stem, and membrane. Place in a food processor.
- Add tomatillos, scallions, cilantro, garlic, and salt. Process on high until the consistency is like salsa.
- Add 1/3 cup smoked salsa verde to the charred corn salad. Taste, and season with additional salt, pepper, chicken rub, and lime juice.
- Pour the remaining smoked salsa verde into a small serving bowl.
Notes:
*Chicken Tip: Chicken can be trimmed, seasoned, covered, and stored in refrigerator overnight, if desired.
*Crispy Skin Chicken: When chicken has reached 155-160°F remove from grill. In-crease grill temperature to 400°F and quickly crisp chicken thighs, on both sides, about 1 minute per side.
*Leftover chicken and charred corn can be tossed into a salad! Scrumptious!
*Charred Corn flavor boosts: Add Cotija cheese or Queso Fresco for cheesy goodness. Add hot sauce to bring up the heat level!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
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