In yesterday’s post, I made an Alabama-style white barbecue sauce to go over barbecued chicken; today, we’ll set about to making the actual chicken.
The white sauce tastes a lot better if allowed to sit in the fridge overnight, which is actually a good thing, because this chicken recipe – based on a wing recipe from Wildflour’s Cottage Kitchen – also requires a night ‘marinating’ in a very tasty dry rub before being tossed on the grill or onto a rack in the oven.
I didn’t have the giant chicken wings called for in the original recipe, but a packet of chicken drumsticks from the freezer worked a treat, so you do what you like.
INGREDIENTS
Rub:
•2 tbsp brown sugar
•1 tbsp paprika
•2 tsp Creole or Chicken seasoning
•1 tsp parsley
•1 tsp oregano
•1 tsp thyme
•1 tsp onion powder
•1 tsp garlic powder
•1 tsp Cayenne
•2 tsp salt
•1 tsp Aleppo pepper
•1 tsp black pepper
•1 tsp ground coffee
Chicken:
•9 or 10 chicken drumsticks
•Barbecue sauce (I used mine)
•White barbecue sauce
Start by stirring the rub ingredients together until very well mixed. I actually tossed mine into the coffee grinder and thought that was perfect.
Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a large dish and cover each piece with the rub.
Turn the chicken over and do the same to the other side, picking up any bits of the rub that have fallen to the bottom of the pan and patting it all into place on the chicken.
Cover tightly and stash in the fridge for at least a few hours, but, let’s face it, you really do need to wait until tomorrow for the white barbecue sauce flavors to come together, why not give the same consideration to your chicken?
Remove the chicken from the fridge and heat your oven to 375º. See how the rub has drawn some of the moisture from the 
chicken to create a kindofa glaze?
While the oven is heating, fit a rack into a rimmed, foil lined, baking sheet and lightly apply cooking spray.
Once the oven is at temp, arrange the chicken on the rack in a single layer and pop into the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until the drumsticks are cooked through and the skin is nicely crisped.
Brush all sides of the chicken with the red barbecue sauce and return to the oven for 10 or fifteen more minutes, just long enough to lightly caramelize the sauce.
Remove from the oven and serve with the white barbecue sauce to spoon over the top, or, if you’re feelin’ it, serve the white sauce in individual bowls for to dip the chicken.
We had ours with some barbecued black beans and a tossed salad on the side and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I am fairly certain you will, too…