BBQ Chicken Thighs with Coleslaw
Chicken thighs grilled and glazed with a tangy tomato, vinegar, and spice barbecue sauce, served with a crunchy, creamy coleslaw of cabbage and carrot.
Why you'll love BBQ Chicken Thighs with Coleslaw
This is the cookout plate for a June evening: chicken thighs with a sticky, brick-red barbecue glaze and a cold heap of creamy coleslaw beside them. The sauce is built the way a good barbecue sauce always starts, with tomato, vinegar, and spice. Tomato paste cooked in butter until it darkens gives it body and a deep, rounded sweetness, apple cider vinegar and Dijon give it tang, and sweet paprika, chili powder, cumin, and a little cayenne give it warmth.
The timing is the technique. Tomato paste scorches fast over a flame, so the thighs go on the grill with only a dry rub until they are nearly cooked, then get brushed with sauce and moved to the cooler side of the grill to finish. The sauce bakes onto the chicken in layers, turning glossy and caramelized at the edges. Thighs are the right cut for it, since their fat keeps them juicy through the high heat.
The coleslaw is the cool, crunchy half of the plate. The cabbage is salted for 15 minutes first and squeezed, so it stays crisp in its creamy mustard dressing and the slaw holds up on the table all evening.
Quick overview: This BBQ Chicken Thighs with Coleslaw takes 25 min of hands-on time and about 50 min in all and makes 4 servings, each 2 thighs with about 1 cup coleslaw. You'll need a saucepan and a grill or grill pan.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 6 tbsp tomato paste Label: tomatoes, and salt if any
- 1/2 cup water
- 5 tbsp apple cider vinegar, divided
- 4 tsp Dijon mustard, divided Label: mustard seed, vinegar, water, and salt
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos Label: coconut sap and salt
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika, divided
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder, divided Label: garlic, and nothing else
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, divided
- 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 lb)
- 1 tbsp avocado oil, plus more for the grates
- 1/2 small head green cabbage (about 1 lb), cored and very thinly sliced
- 1/4 small head red cabbage, cored and very thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot, coarsely grated
- 1/2 cup avocado-oil mayonnaise Label: avocado oil, eggs, vinegar, and salt, with no sugar or seed oils
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
Instructions
- Cook the sauce: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the tomato paste and stir it constantly for 2 minutes, until it turns from bright red to a deep brick color and smells sweet. Cooking the paste in fat caramelizes the tomato's natural sugars, and that is where the sauce gets its depth. Whisk in the water, 3 tablespoons of the vinegar, 2 teaspoons of the Dijon, the coconut aminos, 2 teaspoons of the paprika, the chili powder, 1 teaspoon of the garlic powder, the cumin, the cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until it is as thick as ketchup. Pour half into a small bowl for basting and keep the other half for the table.
- Salt the cabbage: Toss both cabbages in a colander with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and let them sit for 15 minutes, then squeeze them firmly in handfuls. Salt pulls water out of the cabbage, so the slaw stays crunchy and its dressing stays creamy instead of thinning out on the plate.
- Season the chicken: Pat the thighs dry and rub them with the avocado oil. Mix the remaining 1 teaspoon of paprika, the remaining 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper, and sprinkle it over both sides of the chicken.
- Set up the grill: Heat a grill for two zones: one side on medium-high and the other on low, or with the coals banked to one side. Clean and oil the grates. The hot side marks the chicken, and the cooler side is where the sauce sets without scorching.
- Grill and glaze: Grill the thighs over the hot side for 5 to 6 minutes a side, until well marked. Move them to the cooler side, brush the tops with the basting sauce, close the lid, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn, brush the other side, and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until the sauce is glossy and set and the thickest thigh reads 165°F (74°C). Thighs stay juicy well past that, up to about 175°F (79°C). Keep the basting brush away from the sauce for the table, since it has touched raw chicken.
- Dress the slaw: While the chicken grills, whisk the mayonnaise with the remaining 2 tablespoons of vinegar, the remaining 2 teaspoons of Dijon, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Toss it with the squeezed cabbage, carrot, scallions, and parsley, and refrigerate until serving.
- Rest and serve: Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes so the juices settle back into the meat. Serve two thighs a plate with a mound of coleslaw and the reserved sauce on the side.
Storage and leftovers
Refrigerate the chicken in a sealed container for up to 3 days, and the reserved sauce for up to 5 days. Reheat the chicken in a covered skillet over medium-low heat or a 350°F (175°C) oven until hot through, or slice it cold over greens.
The dressed coleslaw keeps for up to 2 days and softens as it sits. For longer keeping, store the squeezed cabbage, the carrot, and the dressing separately for up to 4 days and toss them together when you serve. Cooked, sauced chicken freezes for up to 3 months; thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.
Variations
- Bone-in thighs: Use 8 bone-in, skin-on thighs. Grill them skin side down over the cooler side, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes, then sear and glaze over the hot side until they reach 165°F (74°C).
- Drumsticks: Grill 8 to 10 drumsticks over the cooler side, covered, turning every 5 minutes, for 30 to 35 minutes, and glaze them for the last 5.
- Hotter sauce: Double the cayenne and add a minced jalapeño to the slaw.
- Vinegar slaw: Dress the cabbage with the Mustard Slaw Dressing in place of the mayonnaise dressing for a sharper, lighter slaw.
Notes and tips
- Glaze at the end: Sauce brushed on at the start chars black long before the chicken is cooked. Brush it on in the last 5 minutes, over the cooler side.
- Slice the cabbage thin: The thinner the cabbage, the better it takes the dressing. A sharp knife or a mandoline gives fine, even shreds.
- Trust a thermometer: Thighs vary in size, so check the thickest one. Chicken is done at 165°F (74°C).
- Make the sauce ahead: The sauce keeps for up to 5 days in the refrigerator and tastes even better the next day, so a double batch covers the week.
Nutrition and mindful eating
- Chicken thighs bring protein along with iron and zinc, and their natural fat keeps them tender over the high heat of the grill.
- Tomato paste is tomatoes cooked down to their richest, and cooking it in butter makes its red pigment, lycopene, easier for your body to take up.
- Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable with fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin K, and the red cabbage adds the same deep purple pigments found in berries.
- The avocado-oil mayonnaise is the real fat in the slaw, and fat with fiber slows how quickly a meal leaves your stomach.
- As you eat, notice the tangy, sticky sauce against the cold, crunchy slaw, and check in later in the evening: a plate of protein, fat, and vegetables like this should keep you comfortably full for 3 to 4 hours, with no pull toward dessert.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this BBQ Chicken Thighs with Coleslaw? Start here, with the questions people ask most.
Where does the sweetness in the sauce come from?
From the tomatoes themselves. Cooking tomato paste in butter until it darkens caramelizes its natural sugars, and coconut aminos add a round, caramel note. If you like a sweeter sauce, whisk in 1 to 2 teaspoons of allulose.
Can I make it in the oven?
Yes. Roast the seasoned thighs on a sheet pan at 425°F (220°C) for 15 minutes, brush them with sauce, and roast 5 to 8 minutes more, until glazed and 165°F (74°C) in the thickest piece.
Why boneless thighs?
They cook through in about 15 minutes and hold their juice over a hot fire. Breasts work, but pull them right at 165°F (74°C), since they dry out quickly past it.
Can I make the coleslaw ahead?
Salt and squeeze the cabbage and make the dressing up to a day ahead, then toss them together an hour before dinner.
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