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Sweet Heat Cheerwine Chicken

Sweet Heat Cheerwine Chicken is sure to make everyone smile a deeply southern toothy grin and then, suddenly, you'll notice that the table is EERILY QUIET as people lap up every single last bite, ask for more and lick their plates clean! Think I'm kidding? Oh no, I'm not, this recipe is every bit as enticing as my last chicken escapade!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
marinating time
1 hr
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 1268 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs chicken breast
For the Marinade
  • ¾ Cup Cheerwine
  • ¼ Cup soy sauce
  • 3 Tbs minced garlic 
  • 3 Tbs lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ Cup vegetable oil
  • 2 Tbs yellow mustard
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
For the Cheerwine BBQ Sauce
  • 1 Cup Cheerwine
  • ¼ Cup soy sauce
  • ¼ Cup honey
  • ½ Cup dark karo syrup
  • 3 Tbs butter
  • 2 C brown sugar
  • 3 Tbs minced garlic 
  • 3 Tbs lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 Tbs yellow mustard
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

For the Marinade
    Cup of Yum
  1. Cut the chicken into ½ inch thickness filets.
  2. Put the chicken and all of the marinade ingredients into a large zip lock bag, seal and mix together well. Refrigerate for 1-24 hours.
For the Cheerwine BBQ Sauce
  1. Heat all of the sauce ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently. Eventually, the sauce will cook down and thicken. You want the sauce thick enough to coat the back of a spoon leaving a clear line when you run your finger across it (see photo or video).
  2. Remove the sauce from the heat.
  3. Place ⅓ of the sauce in a bowl to reserve for use at the table.
  4. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade (don’t be tempted to keep it, it could make you sick at this point). Just toss it.
  5. Preheat the grill to medium
  6. Cook the chicken to an internal temperature of 165. Paint the chicken with the sauce frequently while it is cooking. Discard the sauce used for cooking the chicken when done at the grill.
  7. Serve hot. Garnish with fresh herbs.

Notes

  • Add more or less red pepper flakes to increase or decrease the heat.
  • This will make about a cup and a half of bbq sauce (so you won’t have a lot left over to use on other stuff). Make a double amount if you want it for other things.
  • Be sure to reserve some for use at the table.If the sauce has completely cooled, you might want to warm it slightly before serving at the table. This helps to keep the chicken warm AND thins the sauce slightly.
  • You’ll know the sauce is done when it coats the back of a spoon and you can draw a line through it with your finger and the line stays on the back of the spoon.Don’t try to save money by saving the marinade and using it for the sauce, that’s dangerous because it could have harmful bacteria from soaking the raw chicken in it.
  • If you don’t want to grill this chicken, no problem! Just put it in a baking dish and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Paint with the sauce every 5 minutes. Cook to an internal temp of 165.
  • You can also make on the stove top by cooking it in a frying pan over medium heat.
  • Pour the sauce into the pan and spoon it up onto the chicken as it cooks.

Nutrition Information

Calories 1268kcal (63%) Carbohydrates 176g (59%) Protein 53g (106%) Fat 43g (66%) Saturated Fat 29g (145%) Cholesterol 168mg (56%) Sodium 3072mg (128%) Potassium 1786mg (51%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 166g (332%) Vitamin A 631IU (13%) Vitamin C 15mg (17%) Calcium 228mg (23%) Iron 5mg (28%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 1268

% Daily Value*

Calories 1268kcal 63%
Carbohydrates 176g 59%
Protein 53g 106%
Fat 43g 66%
Saturated Fat 29g 145%
Cholesterol 168mg 56%
Sodium 3072mg 128%
Potassium 1786mg 38%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 166g 332%
Vitamin A 631IU 13%
Vitamin C 15mg 17%
Calcium 228mg 23%
Iron 5mg 28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.