Smoked Bone In Chicken Breasts

NOT A FOOD BLOG!

Sorry, had to make that part clear.  No, I'm not a cook.  I like cooking, but I rarely make anything other than taco's and spaghetti.  The reason why I made this, and why I'm sharing it is because I wanted to do something special for my friends.

Friend of mine helped me go grocery shopping, and we bought bone-in chicken breasts.  I didn't portion them out like I should have done, and 5 large breasts are difficult to consume with just me and Chris at home.  So, I asked if I could cook up Anne and Kevin supper with them.

The first thing I had to figure out was... how the hell do I cook it?  I've never cooked chicken breasts before, never mind bone-in skin on.  So the first thing I did, is what Kevin suggested.  Boil them!

EWWW, was my first thought, but I knew at least then they'd be cooked.  So, I put a big pot of water, and made a stock basically.  Their spice cabinet was a dream.

My dad always told me 'you can turn any meal into gourmet by knowing how to use spices.'  I'm very good at judging tastes, so I put a bit of spices and herbs in the pot with the chicken, and boiled them for about 45 minutes, to make sure they were fully cooked.

While that was going, I made this.

This is a basic rub my dad taught me how to make.  Using the same herbs as I put in the stock, this is more of a very concentrated seasoning.  Basically everything from garlic and onion powder, to oregano, parsely, rosemary and so on.  I then added just enough olive oil to turn it into a paste.  You don't want it too thick or too thin.

I found it lacking in serious flavour, and I found this in their fridge.  I added probably a tablespoon or so, and holy crap did that turn up the flavour!  This was incredible to mix with it!

After about 45 minutes, check to make sure they're completely cooked through to the bone.  If you have a thermometer, it should read about 77C (about 170F).  This is important, it's why I boiled them first.  Don't worry about it losing flavour, if you seasoned the water correctly, they're delicious as is.  However; I wanted to make this a SPECIAL meal for them.

I had to let them cool for about 10 minutes, just enough they wouldn't burn to the touch.  They still had the skin, so I wanted to make sure some of that paste I made got right under it.  After seasoning, fire up the BBQ, and while it's heating up, let the chicken sit.

It should be noted I've never used a barbecue before.  Kevin was nice enough to set it up for me.  You're not cooking the chicken, it's already cooked.  All you want to do is rotate them every 5 minutes to get a nice brown colour all around, and really get the flavours to come out more.  This worked fantastic.

Over all, this supper was a success.  I'll be making it again, and next time I'll get the ingredient list on it.  Really, as long as you have some basic spices and roughly understand how much to use, this is a snap to make.

Took about an hour total to cook, but clean up was a breeze, I only used a few dishes, and managed to clean up as I went along.  Hope you enjoy.

BTW, it was delicious, I surprised the heck out of myself.  I'm very proud to have made this.

I learned something though.  This was the first time I actually did something completely on my own.  Kevin merely showed me where things were, everything else I figured out.  I know that seems like a stupid concept, especially at my age - but I've been hand-held my entire life.  It gave me confidence and made me feel that I'm actually getting better.  I don't need guidance or help nearly as much as I thought.  It's a small break through, not huge, but I'm getting better.  Slowly I'm starting to get my feet solid on the ground for the first time in my life.  I'm very proud of myself.