Honey-Bourbon Glazed Grilled Chicken Thighs

Every region of this country has its claim on grilled chicken. The Carolinas brush theirs with vinegar and pepper. Texas reaches for the chili powder. Kansas City builds layers of sweet tomato and molasses. This recipe borrows from all of them while belonging to none. The bourbon is Kentucky's contribution. The honey could come from anywhere bees work their magic. The smoke is universal, ancient, the first cooking method humans ever mastered.

Bone-in thighs are the only choice for this preparation. Breasts dry out before they develop proper bark. Drumsticks work but lack the surface area for glaze. Thighs have fat marbled through the meat that bastes from within while the glaze builds its sticky armor on the outside. You get crisp skin, tender meat, and that gorgeous lacquered finish that photographs beautifully but tastes even better.

I've cooked these for backyard gatherings from Portland to Savannah. The technique stays the same: indirect heat first to cook the meat through gently, then a move to direct heat for the final lacquering. Rush this and your glaze burns to carbon before the chicken reaches temperature. Patience rewards you with thighs that shatter slightly when you bite through, releasing juice and smoke in equal measure.

Make extra glaze. You'll want it for brushing at the table, for drizzling over the rice or potato salad served alongside, for dipping the cornbread that belongs next to any honest summer meal.